Center for Biodevices Seed Grant Program

• Each application must have at least two Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs) who are Penn State faculty members at the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor with primary appointments in at least two different colleges or campuses.
• The proposed research should be performed at one or more Penn State campuses.
• Investigators who are currently serving as a PI/Co-PI of an active CfB Seed Grant OR Grace Woodward Grant are not eligible to submit an application in response to this RFA.
• An investigator may only serve as PI/Co-PI on one CfB Seed Grant or one Grace Woodward Grant application.

• Project budgets of up to $80,000 direct costs will be considered. The specific aims proposed in the application must be achievable within 12 months using the funds provided.
• Projects focused on Fundamental Research should describe the proposed fundamental research and how it is expected to lead to discoveries in biodevices.
• Projects focused on Applied Research must include:
  1. a Development Plan describing the scope of work with supporting technical detail and clear milestones to advance the technology toward commercialization, and
  2. a Commercialization Plan that provides the overall strategy to commercialize the technology both during and after the funding period.
• All applications must include a specific plan for submitting external grant application(s), noting how preliminary data for such application will be generated by the seed grant project.
• Applications should also address the ways in which the proposed research supports the strategic plans of the Colleges of the two Co-PI’s.
• Co-PIs of CfB Seed Grants must agree to:
  1. present a progress report for their project at the Center for Biodevices Outcomes Day in September 2024;
  2. submit a final written progress report within 60 days of completing the project;
  3. report periodically on the impact of this award on subsequent sponsored research activities, upon request; and
  4. serve as a member of the joint College of Medicine/College of Engineering Collaborative Research Review Committee in future years, upon request.

Applications will undergo a review for scientific and technical merit (and commercial merit for applied research projects) by non-conflicted members of the Center for Biodevices review committee using a scoring system adapted from the NIH. The review committee will make its recommendations to the Deans of the Colleges of Engineering and Medicine, as well as the Directors of the Huck Institutes for Life Sciences and Materials Research Institute, who will make all final decisions regarding awards.

Applicants will receive written feedback from the review process.

Previous College of Medicine recipients of funding from the Center for Biodevices seed grant program are listed here.