Research Seed Grant Program:

UNT & UNT Health Interdisciplinary Team Science (ITS) Awards

About 

The Research Seed Grant Program: UNT & UNT Health Interdisciplinary Team Science (ITS) Awards supports collaborative research initiatives that unite investigators from both campuses to address critical scientific challenges from diverse perspectives.

Interdisciplinary, team science (ITS) continues to drive biomedical and behavioral health discoveries. This program—jointly sponsored by the Divisions of Research and Innovation at UNT and UNT Health—provides resources for developing projects that strengthen collaborations, build preliminary data, and lead to competitive external grant applications.

Award Mechanisms

  • Exploratory Grant → Up to $50,000 ($25,000 per campus) to launch new collaborations and generate preliminary data

  • Impact Grant → Up to $100,000 ($50,000 per campus) to advance established collaborative work toward submission of a competitive external grant

This program embodies UNT’s values of Better Together and Be Curious, encouraging discovery through interdisciplinary partnerships.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be PI-eligible full-time regular UNT Denton or UNT Health faculty

  • Each proposal must identify a PI at each institution

  • Co-Investigators may be from any faculty category

Application Requirements

Applications must be submitted through InfoReady and include:

  • Cover Page (1 page) – plan for how funding will support a targeted extramural application

  • Specific Aims (1 page)

  • Research Strategy (7 pages)

    • Significance & Innovation (2 pages)

    • Approach (4 pages, including methods, preliminary data, alternatives, timeline)

    • Pipeline for future submissions/program growth (1 page)

  • Biographical Sketch (NIH format, for each PI & key personnel)

  • Team Management Plan (roles and contributions)

  • References (not included in page count)

  • Detailed Budget & Justification (split 50:50 between campuses)

  • Equipment Justification & Quote (if essential)

  • SMART Goals & Timeline

  • Letter of Support from Chair and/or Dean

  • Vertebrate Section (if applicable)

  • Human Studies (if applicable)

Formatting Guidelines

  • Arial, 11-point font

  • 0.5” margins

  • Single spacing

  • Page numbers in bottom right corner

Review Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated under the NIH Simplified Peer Review Framework:

  1. Importance of the Research – significance, innovation, and impact (score: 1–9)

  2. Rigor and Feasibility – strength of approach, methodology, and design (score: 1–9)

  3. Expertise and Resources – team qualifications and adequacy of resources (marked sufficient or gaps identified)

Additional considerations:

  • Potential to support future R01 or equivalent submissions

  • Potential for high-impact publications

  • Alignment with institutional priorities

  • Feasibility and clarity of SMART goals

Award Period & Post-Award Activities

  • Duration: 12 months

  • Extensions: No-cost extensions (NCE) considered case-by-case

  • Limitations: One application per PI per cycle

  • Progress Reviews: SMART goals reviewed regularly; funds released in tranches based on milestones

Funding & Allowable Costs

  • Impact Grants: Up to $100,000 total ($50,000 per campus)

  • Exploratory Grants: Up to $50,000 total ($25,000 per campus)

Allowable Costs

  • Research staff, postdocs, and student support

  • Core services

  • Fieldwork/data collection travel

  • Supplies

  • Publication costs

  • Consultants and equipment (<$5,000, if not otherwise available)

Unallowable Costs

  • Faculty salaries

  • Conference travel

  • Office equipment/supplies

  • Renovations/alterations