Seed Funding
Overview
Alaska EPSCoR offers seed funding to enable research and other projects that expand upon relevant areas in our current projects and that contribute toward Alaska’s scientific capacity and economy.
Under Interface of Change, we will award annual seed awards for researchers, students, educators, and entrepreneurs to propose projects that spur from the main project goals.
Interface of Change seed awards also provide opportunities to develop new questions and ideas from community members and incorporate them into the Interface of Change project as seed award projects.
To the right, you can watch the video recording of an informational webinar about Alaska EPSCoR seed awards that we held on April 22, 2025.
See below for information on the types of seed awards we offer and opportunities that are currently available.
Not sure where to start?
Are you looking for funding for a project idea, but you're not quite sure what is needed for Alaska EPSCoR seed awards? We're happy to talk it out with you! Click the yellow button below to get in touch with Tara Borland at taborland@alaska.edu.
Current Seed Award Opportunities
Click on the tabs below for descriptions of each type of seed award we offer and information on how to apply. Active opportunities are listed in blue.
For additional guidance on how to apply, contact Tara Borland at taborland@alaska.edu.
Amount: Up to $20,000 (in direct costs)
For: Faculty, postdocs, other research professionals, and community partners
To be awarded: Annually, 2024-2028
Applications open now - apply by May 30, 2025!
Over the course of the 5-year project, Interface of Change will award 28 grants of up to $20,000 in direct costs to seed new areas of inquiry and potentially transformative research that expand upon Interface of Change research areas. We will prioritize awarding proposals that develop from needs identified at Interface of Change annual Community Participatory Workshops, and awardees are encouraged to collaborate with community partners and participate in annual Community Participatory Workshops.
In years 3-5 of Interface of Change, we will prioritize research seed award proposals that would contribute to Alaska EPSCoR's capacity-building and project sustainability goals, especially those that could potentially be a a good fit for an NSF EPSCoR E-RISE RII proposal.
Amount: Up to $4,000 (in direct costs)
For: Students attending an Alaska higher education institution
To be awarded: Annually, 2024-2027
Applications open now - apply by May 30, 2025!
Interface of Change will also award 22 similar research grants of up to $4,000 each to students in project years 1-4.
Amount: Up to $5,000 (in direct costs)
For: Faculty, staff, students, and community partners
To be awarded: 2025 and 2027
Applications open now - apply by May 30, 2025!
Education and broadening participation seed funding will be awarded in project years 2 and 4. A series of three $5,000 seed awards will support projects that help to achieve education and broadening participation goals.
Amount:$5,000
For: PWSC undergraduate students
To be awarded: Annually, 2024-2028
Funding will be available for first and second-year undergraduate students at the Prince William Sound College to have the opportunity to develop and engage in a research project with the Interface of Change project.
Amount: Up to $10,000
For: Researchers and community partners
To be awarded: Annually, 2024-2028
Economic Development seed awards will support Interface of Change researchers in advancing
their research for real-world applications. These seed awards will be offered under
three submission "tracks."
Track #1: Researcher outcomes for impactful solutions.
To be awarded: 2025 and 2027
Track #1 Economic Development Seed Awards support transitioning research outcomes into impactful community solutions that directly benefit Interface of Change regional community partners. An example of an idea for a proposal under this track might be an innovative process for mariculture spore collection. These awards will be offered in years 1 and 4 of the project.
Track #2: Interface of Change community businesses to work with researchers.
To be awarded: 2026 and 2028
Track #2 Economic Development Seed Awards will support Interface of Change community businesses to work with researchers to build sustainable products and services to grow their business and their community’s economy. These awards will be offered in years 2 and 5 of the project.
Track #3: Build partnerships to pursue NSF I&E opportunities.
To be awarded: 2027
Track #3 Economic Development Seed Awards will support Interface of Change researchers in building partnerships to pursue NSF innovation opportunities for academic-business partnerships, such as the PFI, SBIR, and STTR awards. Funded teams will be required to participate in to further develop their ideas. Funds under Track 3 will support researchers to prepare for future NSF funding opportunities and to align collaborations with innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities available under the NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. Awardees will be required to submit at least one proposal based on funded work. These awards will be awarded in year 3 of the Interface of Change project.