1. All full-time, VU-employed (Provost-reporting) faculty are eligible. 
2. Faculty may submit up to one proposal per year as lead faculty. 
3. Funds may not be used to support faculty salaries. 
4. Faculty are not eligible to submit another proposal until all reporting requirements have been met. 
5. Awards are based partly on need. As a result, each participating faculty member must disclose institutional resources available in the form of start-up funds or other discretionary research funds. All institutional research-support funds, including endowed chair funds, annual allocations, and other such sources, must be noted. 
6. All funds must be used within the fiscal year in which the funding is awarded (that is, no carry forward). 
7. Faculty proposals that explicitly and with detail outline other funding sources will be more favorably reviewed.
8. Recipients must provide an update on the status of their research, including a brief statement and any relevant images, by the end of the semester.

Proposals that include the following criteria will be viewed favorably:

• It lays the foundation for continued research projects
• It includes a feasible work plan with achievable benchmarks
• It includes a well-thought-out and justifiable budget
• It promotes a spirit of global collaboration
• It reflects a meaningful investment from the proposers’ school/college/department.

Proposals are reviewed once per semester. Award decisions will be made by the end of the semester in which you apply.

• Budgets and justification must be included
• Proposals must include a list of research questions and methodological approaches to be used
• Applicants must disclose available internal funds

All proposals must be submitted online using InfoReady Review, Vanderbilt’s online submissions portal, or by clicking the "Apply Now" button on this page.

Information to include in your proposal:

• Proposal title
• Applicant information
• Financial contact information
• Proposal abstract (100 words)
• Statement of the project's connection to global engagement (250 words)
• Research & methodology (750 words)
• Workplan and benchmarks (500 words)
• Statement of how the project fits in the applicant's research trajectory (500 words)
• Budget overview and justification
• Disclosure of Internal Funds
• List of collaborators
• Plan for graduate student workers if applicable
• Current CV
• Relevant Research

The Global Engagement Research Seed Grants funding is up to $10,000, with larger amounts considered if the proposal warrants and the program budget allows. It can be used for: 

• Organizing collaborative research/working groups in the US and abroad for the purpose of competitive grant-writing and publications 
• Travel  
• Capital expenses 
• Graduate student wages 
• Term-limited consultants  

Check the University Travel and Business Expense Policy.

• Materials/supplies 

Application Deadlines

The Global Engagement Research Seed Grants are now accepting applications:

• Fall 2025: May 5, 2025