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Susan Duncan Innovation in Agriculture and Life Sciences Seed Grant

Submission Due Date

February 2, 2026, by 11:59pm. EST

Awards Announced

March 21, 2026

Summary

The Susan E. Duncan Innovation in Agriculture and Life Sciences Seed Grant honors the late Dr. Susan Duncan, Professor of Food Science & Technology, founding Director of the Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture (CAIA), senior fellow at the Virginia Tech Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT), and Associate Director of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station (VAES) at Virginia Tech.

This program supports user-centered research and development activities that strengthen capacity, security, and resilience in the U.S. agriculture, food, and health systems. Jointly funded by the Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation (VT-ARC), the Virginia Tech Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT), and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Office of Research and Innovation (CALS ORI), the seed grant is designed to advance research, innovation, and education in agriculture and the life sciences by:

  • Bringing together faculty and students across disciplines. 
  • Providing funding, space, support, and expertise. 
  • Building mutually beneficial partnerships beyond campus.

We invite proposals that are user-inspired, creative, innovative, and demonstrate strong potential to advance the missions of VT-ARC, ICAT, and CALS ORI. Projects may include transdisciplinary research, creative initiatives, feasibility studies, or preliminary investigations. Successful projects are expected to grow into larger grants, industry collaborations, performances, exhibitions, or events visible at the national or international level.

In addition to funding, VT-ARC will provide mentorship on translating research into application, including support for building partnerships with industry and pursuing applied research funding from agencies such as DHS, DOD, and DoS.

  • Open to all Virginia Tech faculty, but at least one PI must be CALS faculty. 
  • Teams must include at least two faculty members from different fields, with preference for projects that meaningfully span two or more colleges.

VT-ARC, ICAT, and CALS ORI emphasize the importance of diverse perspectives, disciplines, and expertise. In alignment with VT's Principles of Community, we are committed to advancing community, collaboration, and excellence to foster an environment where all members can learn, contribute, and thrive.

The seed grant supports proposals that translate basic research into application and advance the use of new technologies in agriculture and life sciences. This program welcomes proposals from all CALS disciplines including agricultural research and life science-focused efforts essential to advancing innovation in food, health, and sustainability. 

All projects must:

  • Demonstrate innovative and meaningful integration of agriculture and life sciences with arts, creativity, and design. 
  • Show clear potential, or a plan, for translating outcomes into application. 
  • Outline a long-term path toward independent support that positions Virginia Tech as a national or international leader.

  • Two to three teams will be funded up to $25,000/team for one year. 
  • Funded teams may be eligible to compete for an additional $20,000–$25,000 in a second year.

Submit a single PDF that includes the cover page and proposal to CALSORI@vt.edu by February 2, 2026, by 11:59pm.

Formatting:

  • Times New Roman, 12-point font, 1” margins. 
  • Page limits include images but exclude the cover page and references. 
  • Proposals without a cover page will not be considered.

Cover Page

  • PI name, email, home department (primary contact). 
  • Co-PI(s) name, email, home department. 
  • Brief description of team expertise (1 paragraph per PI/co-PI). 
  • List of ongoing funded projects (title, duration, agency, amount). 
  • ICAT space requests (if applicable). 
  • ICAT specialist request (if applicable). 
  • VT-ARC mentor request (if applicable). 
  • Total budget request. 
  • Detailed budget and justification (≤ 1 page). 
  • Project summary (5 sentences). 
    • Justification of relevance to agriculture and/or life sciences. 
    • Objectives of proposed work. 
    • Approach to integrating agriculture/life sciences with arts, creativity, and design. 
    • Strategy for translating research into application. 
    • Plan for long-term fundability and recognition. 

Proposal Narrative (2 pages max)

  • Background (½ page): Research areas, relevance, evidence of user engagement, rationale for transdisciplinary approach, strategy for translation, long-term opportunities.
  • Project Description (1 page): Goals, objectives, methods, strategies, activities, Gantt chart (timeline, roles, KPIs, requested resources/mentorship), anticipated outcomes/deliverables. 
  • Vision (½ page): 1-, 3-, and 5-year programmatic goals toward fundability, sustainability, and global distinction.

Projects must begin July 1, 2026, and conclude by June 30, 2027.

  • Funds available starting July 1, 2026, and transferred to PI’s home department. 
  • All expenses must be posted to Banner within 30 days of project end (June 30, 2027). 
  • No indirect costs. 
  • OSP approval is not required for this program. 
  • Unspent funds must be returned within 45 days of the project's end.

Specific Funding Restrictions

  • Not allowed: Conference travel, food. 
  • Allowed: Travel for site visits. 
  • Allowed: Faculty time buy-out (academic year or summer) with department approval. 
    • Include a faculty time buy-out endorsement letter in the PDF submission (not counted toward 2-page limit). 

Awarded faculty must:

  1. Deliver outcomes identified in the funded proposal. 
  2. Provide a 6-month verbal update to CALS ORI. 
  3. Submit a final project report within 45 days of conclusion (by June 30, 2027). 
  4. Present a lightning talk at an ICAT event.

Failure to meet these requirements may result in ineligibility for future awards.

Proposals will be reviewed by a committee including the Interim Assistant Director of CALS Research, Managing Director of CALS ORI, two ICAT representatives, and two VT-ARC representatives.

Evaluation criteria:

  • Integration of agriculture/life sciences with arts, creativity, and design (33%). 
  • Potential or clear plan for translation of outcomes to application (33%). 
  • Long-term path toward independent support and positioning VT as a leader (34%).

Awards will be announced by March 21, 2026.

  • Final report (≥ 2 pages) due within 45 days of project completion (no later than August 14, 2026). Must outline activities, outcomes, assessment, and impacts. 
  • A ½-page impact statement for non-academic stakeholders must be appended.

All publications, presentations, or creative works resulting from this award must include:

“This activity was funded, in part, with the Susan E. Duncan Innovation in Agriculture and Life Sciences Seed Grant, jointly funded by the Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation (VT-ARC), The Virginia Tech Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT), and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Office for Research and Innovation (CALS ORI).”