The Office of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) Affairs has announced the recipients of the 2025 SBU-BNL Seed Grant Program. This year, nine projects have been selected, with awards totaling nearly $600,000.
The Seed Grant Program, now in its 27th year, is designed to encourage collaboration between Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Researchers from both institutions partner on joint projects that align with the strategic goals of each organization. The program is supported by funding from the Office of the President at Stony Brook and the Office of BNL Affairs, with additional matching funds provided by BNL for many awards.
A total of 39 applications were submitted this year for projects jointly conducted by researchers from both institutions. Faculty awardees represent several academic units at Stony Brook, including the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Renaissance School of Medicine, and School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.
“This program has proven to be very effective in creating new collaborations between Stony Brook and Brookhaven, many of which have provided finding for grad students and postdocs working jointly between these institutions,” said Associate Vice President for Brookhaven National Laboratory Affairs Richard Reeder.
“The Seed Grant Program continues to exemplify the power of partnership between Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory,” said Vice President for Research and Innovation Kevin Gardner. “By supporting early-stage, collaborative projects, we’re helping researchers pursue bold ideas that can lead to transformative discoveries and strengthen the shared scientific enterprise of our two institutions.”
Established in 1998 after Stony Brook began its shared management role for BNL, the Seed Grant Program helps launch research initiatives that may later attract external funding. The Office of BNL Affairs manages this annual program.
This year’s selection process prioritized proposals focused on quantum information science and technology, nuclear and high-energy physics, photon sciences, microelectronics, energy security, artificial intelligence (AI), as well as accelerator science and engineering. Previous years’ grants have led to significant external funding and progress in areas central to both institutions’ research interests.