Plant Resilience Institute Seed Grant Program
Spring 2026 PRI Seed Grant Protocol
Overview
The Michigan State University Plant Resilience Institute, or PRI, invites applications for the fifth round of the PRI Seed Grant Program to support innovative, trainee-led research in the area of plant resilience. We encourage proposals to be synergistic across MSU laboratories and focus on projects that are both high-risk and high-reward.
The proposed research must not already be funded by an existing grant and should be distinct from current research programs. Proposals are required to focus on plant resilience, broadly defined.
Informational Session
Eligibility
Any graduate student or postdoctoral researcher at MSU may submit a proposal.
Each proposal must name one PI (project lead). Additional Co-PIs and/or collaborators may be included as appropriate. All Co-PIs must agree to be listed on the proposal and approve the proposal contents prior to submission. An individual can only serve as PI or Co-PI on one proposal, and faculty members are not eligible to be PIs or Co-PIs.
Award Amount
Successful proposals will be granted a maximum of $10,000 for up to 18 months.
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
Proposal Structure
Applicants must submit the following documents. Proposals missing any of the items below will not be considered. Please submit all documents as a single PDF.
- Proposals (up to two pages) must include a project title, names and affiliations of
the PI and Co-PIs, and a project description. The project description must contain the following sections:
- Introduction and rationale: Include a justification for the scientific merits of the project. Please explicitly state how the seed grant would contribute to or further our understanding of plant resilience. Explain how the proposal goes beyond you and your lab’s current research.
- Research plan: Describe the underlying conceptual framework, hypotheses, proposed methods, and research questions, when appropriate.
- Anticipated outcomes and impacts: Highlight the potential scientific impacts of the proposed research and how it will contribute to or further PRI’s research aim.
- Potential pitfalls and alternative approaches: Address potential bottlenecks and limitations, as well as outline how the experimental plan will be adjusted in response to unexpected results.
- References (up to one page, exclusive of project description)
- Table or bulleted list summarizing how the $10,000 maximum budget will be allocated
- Short letter of support from the faculty advisor of the PI and all Co-PIs (no more than 1-3 sentences). The purpose of this letter is solely to confirm that the faculty advisor of the graduate student or postdoctoral PI supports them spending time on the seed grant project.
Deadline
All proposals must be received by February 27, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET for consideration in the spring 2026 cycle. Applications that miss the deadline or are not selected this cycle can be resubmitted in subsequent rounds.
Submission
Please upload proposals using the application form below by February 27, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Selection Process
Seed grant proposals will be reviewed by the PRI Seed Grant Committee. Seed grants with graduate student lead PIs will be evaluated separately than those with postdoctoral lead PIs. Reviewers will vote on proposals based on scoring using a rubric. Reviewers will not discuss or vote on any proposals deemed a conflict of interest. If reviewers are unable to fulfill their functions and duties due to conflict of interests, they will be replaced by external reviewers.
Award Notification & Post-Award Requirements
Spring 2026 applicants will be notified of their proposal status by late April 2026.
Award recipients will be expected to present their proposed research at the 2026 PRI All-Hands Retreat on May 7, 2026.
At the conclusion of the 18-month funding period, each awardee must submit a final report and present their project outcomes at either a PRI Networking Hour seminar or a subsequent PRI All-Hands Retreat.
Questions
Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend the PRI Seed Grant Program informational session. You can also review the 2025 Q&A session recording.
Further questions can be directed to PRI Seed Grant Committee Chair Dr. David Lowry at dlowry@msu.edu.
Previous Awardees
View the list of funded PRI Seed Grant projects from previous rounds.
