Funding

The Seed grants for Transitional and Exploratory Projects (STEP) provides seed funding on a competitive basis to SIUE faculty and staff to support research and creative activities. Seed funding is intended to encourage faculty to initiate new research directions or new research projects. Seed grant funding is not intended to sustain or supplement current research programs but rather to:

• help junior faculty undertake pilot projects that will aid in establishing their careers as independent investigators and enable them to successfully apply for extramural funding
• help established faculty perform transitional and exploratory research, particularly on novel or pioneering ideas, to determine project feasibility, and to develop preliminary data to support extramural applications.

Pending availability of funds, funding is for one fiscal year (July 1st – June 30th) and is awarded by budget line item.  All line items must be allowable costs.  Awards will not exceed $16,000; typical awards will range from $5,000 to $10,000.

If you plan to submit an application, they are due in Kuali Build on the third Friday in January (Friday, January 21, 2022) by 4:30pm. All proposals are subject to internal review by your department, school/college, and school/college research committee. Further evaluation by the Office of Research and Projects and Graduate School Research & Development Committees will be conducted to make all award determinations.

The highest ranked STEP awardee from eligible applicants will also receive the $1,000 Annette and Henry Baich Award.

For more information about STEP click here, or to learn more about the Annette and Henry Baich Award click here