The Office for Research and Innovation at Stony Brook University has announced the recipients of its 2025 OVPR Seed Grant Program. In this 11th cycle, a total of $1.2 million was awarded to 22 faculty-led research projects, marking the highest amount distributed in a single round since the program began.
This year, the program received 100 applications from various academic units across Stony Brook University, including the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Renaissance School of Medicine, School of Health Professions, College of Business, School of Social Welfare, and School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. The selected projects represent a wide range of disciplines and include both proof-of-concept work and interdisciplinary collaborations that are expected to attract external funding.
The OVPR Seed Grant Program aims to support innovative research by providing resources for preliminary studies that can lead to larger funding opportunities from outside sources. Faculty submitted abstracts and short proposals detailing their plans for advancing early-stage ideas into significant research initiatives. Proposals were evaluated by a panel of faculty peers using standardized criteria focused on project merit and potential for future external funding.
The award rate this year reached 22 percent, which is the highest in the program’s history. Since its launch in 2018 through fiscal year 2024-25, the program has received 743 applications and made 129 awards totaling over $6.7 million. It is managed by the Office of Proposal Development (OPD) and has completed 11 cycles so far. The initiative reports a return on investment greater than nine times based on external funding outcomes from past projects.
“These awards represent Stony Brook’s continued commitment to supporting faculty-driven research at its earliest and most promising stages,” said Kevin Gardner, vice president for research and innovation. “Our research enterprise is only as strong as the people and ideas that fuel it. By investing in bold, original thinking across disciplines, we’re building the foundation for transformative discoveries and sustained external funding.”
This year’s funded projects include work on energy-efficient data centers involving faculty from business and computer science; cancer therapeutics and pathology led by researchers in medicine and biomedical engineering; public policy studies focusing on transgender youth healthcare access conducted by social welfare, political science, and journalism departments; quantum sensing technologies developed within physics and astronomy; as well as environmental monitoring efforts tracking micro- and nanoplastics in the Hudson River led by marine sciences faculty. Awardees emphasized how internal support helps them start new lines of inquiry, form collaborations, and mentor students.
The next cycle for seed grant applications will be announced later this year with an expected deadline during the academic term. Submissions will be handled through InfoReady software introduced last year to streamline application processes. More information about current awards or upcoming cycles can be found at the Office of Proposal Development’s website.