Senior Research Grants

NOTICE: The maximum funding request for Senior Research Grants is now $5,000!!!

Applications for the Fall Cycle have closed. The spring Senior Research Grants are due on March 1, 2025. The application form will be available approximately 1 month in advance.

Submit final grant reports within six (6) months of the end of the grant period using the Google Form here.

SUMMARY

The Indiana Academy of Science Senior Research Grants Program makes awards of up to $5000 to Academy members or students they sponsor to purchase supplies, support travel and field expenses, pay research assistants, and provide other items required to conduct novel scientific research.  The deadlines for the submission of proposals to the chair of the Research Grants Committee are 15 September and 1 March of each year (see below for deadline details).

If you have questions e-mail grants@indianaacademyofscience.org.

PROGRAM BACKGROUND

In 1964, income from bequests made by Mr. and Mrs. John S. Wright to the Indiana Academy of Science Foundation became available for the support of scientific research.  Since that time, the Academy’s Research Grants Committee has been responsible for developing guidelines, reviewing proposals, and determining awards made possible by the Wright funds.  The resulting Indiana Academy of Science Senior Research Grants Program has provided support to approximately 40 scientists each year for the past decade.

The Committee considers proposals from Academy members representative of all scientific disciplines.  Past grants have reflected the full spectrum of research activities by Academy members.  At the same time, they have also reflected the mission of the Academy and awards have favored supporting scientists with limited access to major national funding for whom modest sums available may permit the initiation or continuation of investigations of potential value.  Projects of potential special value for the State of Indiana are also given strong priority.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be formally affiliated with not-for-profit organizations, usually as employees or faculty-sponsored students.  Individuals meeting any one of the following criteria are eligible to apply for research grants:

• Members of the Academy in good standing during the preceding year and at the time of the application.
• Recently joined members who have never previously applied for a research grant from the Academy.
• Students, postdoctoral associates, non-permanent faculty members or other applicants not otherwise chiefly responsible to the institution for the research program must have a sponsor who is responsible to the institution for the research program and has been an IAS member for at least one year or is a new member who has not previously applied for an IAS grant.  Grants to students are made to the applicant organization for use by the student on the condition of faculty sponsorship.  For this reason, the award will be made in the faculty member’s name and that sponsor will be responsible for meeting all conditions of the grant award.  Consequently, it is essential that the faculty sponsor review the proposal carefully prior to its submission.

Awards will be made to the parent organization, not to an individual.  Therefore, each application must be signed by the organization’s official with the authority to approve the request (e.g., President, Chief Academic Officer, College or University Research Officer, etc.) and commit the institution to the conditions of the award.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Submit your grant application through the Google Form linked here when available. You will need a Google Login to be able to access the form. Please follow all other instructions in the Application Guideline link at the top of this page.

Proposals and all supporting information (including the cover page) should be submitted as a single document saved as a pdf file in the format of: LastnamePI_FirstInitial.pdf.  Please be sure that all necessary information is included with the application as incomplete files are unlikely to be funded.

Questions about the online application should be directed to the committee chair (grants@indianaacademyofscience.org).  Each research proposal should be brief but complete. For further details access the Senior Grants Application Form and Senior Grants Guidelines (at the top of this page).