Have a question that you don’t see here? Please reach out to researchseedfunding@wustl.edu. Please also see our main page for upcoming webinars for interested applicants.
Pre-Award
What kind of work does WashU’s strategic plan support?
Generally, the grants support interdisciplinary research and initiatives that grow research capacity and excellence at WashU in the areas of Public Health, Global Health, Environmental Research, Digital Transformation, and Research Impacting the St. Louis Community. The new proposal must also be distinct from any previous awards with no overlap.
Am I eligible for Here and Next Grant funding?
All full-time WashU faculty may apply for seed grant funding. If you have previously received funding from a Here and Next Seed Grant as a co-PI in a previous academic year, that award must be current on all award reporting for you to be eligible. All programs require co-PIs, and that the primary appointment of at least 2 co-PIs be at different WashU schools.
I have several projects. Can I apply for more than one grant?
You can apply for more than one grant, but only one per program per academic year. If you apply for an Ignite Interdisciplinary Grant in the fall and are not awarded, you may submit an application again for the spring competition.
Who is the Lead PI on the project?
Though these awards are meant to be fundamentally interdisciplinary and collaborative, administratively, it is necessary to distinguish a Lead Co-PI. The Lead Co-PI will be the individual who submitted the application in InfoReady. Please keep this in mind as you develop your proposals.
Post-Award
How will funds be distributed?
Awarded applicants will receive an award letter and a Terms and Conditions document to be signed via DocuSign that will need to be signed by all co-PIs and the Research Administrator listed on the application (usually the Lead Co-PI’s RA). The RA will need to enter the PJ code that will be associated with the project in the Terms and Conditions form before the award can be officially accepted. Do not submit the T&C form without the PJ code. It will be returned to you.
If funds need to be disbursed amongst the PIs, it is up to the PIs and their RAs to decide the best way to do so. We will only disburse Here and Next Seed Grants to the PJ code provided by the Lead PI.
Though we do not stipulate the manner in which this is done, most RAs end up transferring funds from the Lead PI’s department to recipient departments using a Budget Adjustment (BA). However, the Co-PI recipient department will need to set up their own PJ fund to receive the funds and inform the prime department about the right fund number into which to transfer funds. The Lead Co-PI of that allocation would likely be the Co-Investigator’s FFR Owner ID.
Who is responsible for submitting progress and final reports?
All information must be compiled into one report for both final reports and annual progress updates. Annual reports are only expected from multi-year grants in the Transcend Initiative Grant program. It is the responsibility of the Lead Co-PI to submit the report via the InfoReady system and to coordinate the compilation of all of the information from all co-PIs.
Either my co-PI or I am leaving the university before the award ends. What do I do?
Monies received by WashU co-PIs cannot leave WashU. If you have a remaining balance and you or your PI are leaving WashU, you must do the following:
Write to researchseedfunding@wustl.edu explaining:
- How the co-PI(s) remaining at WashU will continue and complete the work proposed
- The plan for transferring funds and resources to the remaining co-PI(s) or how the remaining funds will be spent to complete the work
- An acknowledgement that no-funds will be transferred to an external institution
If you have a question not answered here, please reach out to researchseedfunding@wustl.edu!
This will continue to be updated.