Infectious Diseases Institute

IDI Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grant: Application

Applicants should carefully review the Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grant Guidelines prior to preparing an application.

If you have questions about the Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grant program, eligibility for submission, and whether your proposal meets the criteria for a seed grant (i.e., innovative, interdisciplinary, well‐defined research projects), please reach out to the IDI Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grant Program chair, Chad Rappleye (rappleye.1@osu.edu).


Applications are limited to THREE pages, including any charts, graphs, and tables associated with sections A “Introduction” and B “Project Narrative” below. References, timeline, resubmission narrative, budget summary table, budget narrative/justification, and biosketches are NOT included in the three‐ page limit. Applications must be single‐spaced with half‐inch (.5) margins and 11‐point font (or larger). Applications that exceed or attempt to bypass formatting requirements to gain additional space will be returned without review.


Proposals are due at 5:00PM EST on the dates shown in the funding cycle table above. If the due date falls on a weekend or university holiday, the due date is the next business day at 5:00PM EST. Applicants are required to submit proposals via the IDI Qualtrics survey. The proposal must be attached to the Qualtrics survey as a single PDF document. You will receive an email confirming your application submission. Applications should be organized as follows:

1 Introduction

  • Title
  • Abstract: Brief description of the proposed research project, in terms that are understandable to a
    general scientific audience. (~150 words). Include a brief description of the problem and gap
    addressed by the proposed research as well as how the proposal aligns with or supports one or
    more thematic program(s).
  • Interdisciplinary Team/Network: Provide a list of team members and their affiliation (college and
    department). Describe their project roles/responsibilities and how their involvement will contribute to success. Discuss unique aspects of the team/network and address any new partnerships, collaborations, funding, or commercialization opportunities.
  • Innovation: Describe what is novel and innovative about the proposed project. State how this work
    is distinct from other projects (proposals and awards) of the members of the research team. (around 150 words)

2 Project Narrative

  • Rationale and Significance: What is the significance of the overarching line of research
    investigation? Include the current status of research, any preliminary data, and summarize
    significant published work in the literature.
  • Objectives/Aims: Describe the scope of the project. Include a clear statement of the specific
    objectives/aims, including hypotheses to be tested and research questions to be addressed.
  • Research Methods/Approach: Briefly articulate the research design, methods, data analysis,
    application of results, and discussion of any limitations of the procedures. Be sure to briefly address considerations related to human or animal subjects.
  • Expected Outcomes: Provide a detailed description of the outcomes expected from the project (e.g., extramural funding proposals, publications), including new findings and/or insights that will be generated and how activities will be integrated across infectious disease teaching and research.
    What is the specific plan to translate results of the proposed work to applications for significant
    extramural funding, including agencies and funding mechanisms?

The following items are not included in the three‐page limit:

  • References
  • Timeline: Include a table or Gantt chart of key milestones or outcomes with their associated dates.
  • Resubmission Narrative: If this proposal is a resubmission, please explain what changes were made to the proposal based on reviewer feedback received from a previous round and the date of original submission. (Maximum of 250 words)
  • Animal/Human Subject Information: If this proposal includes animal and/or human subjects, please provide detailed information.

3 Budget Summary

(Not included in the three‐page limit.) Include items (and brief description) and their appropriate requested funds. Example items include:

  • Personnel (Salary and Benefits)
  • Supplies
  • Equipment
  • Travel
  • Outreach
  • Services
  • Other

4 Budget Narrative/Justification

(Not included in the three‐page limit.)

5 Faculty Biosketches

(Not included in the three‐page limit.)

Biosketches for the faculty PI(s) and Co‐I(s) must be submitted with the grant. Please use the standard NIH format or similar biosketch to include current and pending funding. Each biosketch limited to no more than 5 pages in length.