The National Security Research Institute (NSRI) Seed Grant Program is designed to catalyze innovative, interdisciplinary research addressing high-priority national security challenges.
The NSRI Seed Grant Program seeks to:
- Foster innovative, high-risk/high-reward research in national security domains.
- Encourage collaborative and interdisciplinary projects across UMN colleges and campuses.
- Support graduate student training and workforce development in national security–relevant areas.
- Position teams for external federal funding from agencies such as DoD, DOE, DHS, NSF, and others.
- Strengthen the University’s leadership and visibility in national security research.
The program also aims to enable early-stage concepts that can evolve into major externally funded efforts and strengthen partnerships across UMN, industry, and government.
Proposals will be reviewed by members of the NSRI Industry Advisory Board (IAB). Finalists are then invited to deliver a 5-minute project pitch followed by a 15-minute Q&A session at a quarterly IAB meeting. The IAB makes the final selection decisions.
Funding Cycle
NSRI expects to fund up to two awards with total budgets of up to $95,000 for a 12-month period.
The cycle opens in early June 2026 and closes late-August 2026. The award period begins February 1, 2027 and runs through January 31, 2028.
Timeline/Deadlines:
- Monday, June 8, 2026: RFP opens
- Wednesday, July 22, 2026: Information session for interested PIs
- Friday, August 28, 2026: Proposal submission deadline
- Week of October 5, 2026: Finalists invited to present at the IAB meeting (5-minute presentation + 15-minute Q&A = 20 minutes total)
- Monday, November 9, 2026: Finalists present to IAB.
- Week of November 23, 2026: Anticipated award notification
- Monday, February 1, 2027: Award period begins
Eligibility & Requirements
PI Eligibility
Principal Investigators (PIs) must be University of Minnesota faculty (tenured, tenure-track, or research faculty). Collaborative proposals involving multiple departments, campuses, or external partners are strongly encouraged.
Student Requirement
Each proposal must include funding for at least one U.S. citizen or permanent resident MS or PhD student actively engaged in the research.
Research Focus Areas
The focus area for the Fall 2026 competition is microelectronics.
Interested applicants should reach out to [email protected] for the appendix section which includes the specific list of topics that are of interest to the IAB this cycle. Submitted proposals should address one or more of these topical areas.
Info Session
Prospective applicants are invited to attend our upcoming virtual information session to learn more about this microelectronics opportunity. This session will provide an overview of the program, application requirements, and key areas of focus, along with an opportunity to ask questions.
Attendance is not mandatory, but strongly encouraged for those seeking additional guidance or clarification prior to submitting a proposal. Please use the link to register for the Zoom session.
Registration link — July 22, 2026 | 12:00–1:30 PM
For additional questions, please contact [email protected]
Evaluation Criteria & Selection
Step 1: Submitted applications will be pre-screened by the NSRI team to confirm:
- Completeness of the submitted application (per the NSRI Seed Grant Program’s Application Instructions).
- Alignment with NSRI’s focus areas and national security priorities. If a proposal is incomplete and/or poorly aligned with the focus areas/national security priorities, then it may not be routed for review.
Step 2: Proposals that pass the pre-screen step will be reviewed by members of the IAB and scored based on the following criteria:
- Innovation: uniqueness and novelty of ideas, concepts, methodologies and/or approach.
- Technical merit of the proposed research.
- Feasibility and reasonableness of the plan, including resources/budget, timeline, and milestones.
- Impact potential: scalability beyond concept, long-term research sustainability, and favorable external funding outlook.
- Collaborative synergy: interdisciplinary collaboration across the University and partnership potential with industry and/or US government.
- Student engagement and contribution to the national security workforce pipeline.
Step 3: Once reviewed and scored by the IAB, applications will be ranked and finalists identified. Finalists will be invited to give a 5-minute project pitch followed by a 15-minute Q&A session during the November 2026 IAB meeting. A presentation template will be provided to teams.
Program Evaluation & Reporting
Each funded project will be subject to ongoing evaluation to ensure measurable progress and alignment with NSRI goals.
Progress Presentations
Funded PIs will be required to provide quarterly progress updates to the NSRI Program Manager, and possibly an in-person update during one of the IAB events/meetings (typically scheduled in February, May, August, and October). Each quarterly update should highlight progress, results, student contributions, and external engagement efforts.
Milestone Tracking
Each proposal must include specific milestones for:
- Half-year (6-month) progress
- One-year (12-month) completion
These milestones will serve as the basis for evaluating project success and determining potential extensions or follow-on opportunities.
Final Deliverable
A brief final summary report (2–3 pages) will be required at the end of the funding period, documenting accomplishments, student outcomes, and plans for external proposal submissions. Additionally, PIs are expected to apply for external funding and seek government contracts within 6 months of project completion.
How to Apply
Proposal Submission Guidelines
- All proposals must adhere to the guidelines detailed in the NSRI Seed Grant Program’s Application Instructions.
- Proposal Length: Maximum 2 pages including all required components described in the application instructions.
- Formatting: 11-point font, single spacing, 1-inch margins.
- File Format: Single PDF file named “NSRISeedFall2026__[PI LastName].pdf”
- Submission Method: Email proposals to [email protected].
- Deadline: Proposals must be received at the above email address by 11:59pm on Friday, August 28, 2026.
Notes:
- Because seed grants are awarded with sponsored funds, awarded finalists will be asked to prepare and submit a detailed budget using the PeopleSoft Friendly budget template.
- All awarded projects will receive support from the NSRI Research Program Manager.
- Further information regarding fund distributions will be provided at the time of the notice of award.
Questions: Direct inquiries to [email protected].
Expenditures
General areas of support include personnel, operating supplies and services; equipment; and limited travel.
Personnel
Allowed:
- Salary/fringe support for graduate or undergraduate research assistants; partial support for post-doc and civil service personnel and non-faculty P&A
- Faculty salary support
Not allowed (examples):
- Support for personnel to edit or index publication material or to word process manuscripts or proposals
- Subcontracts
- Non-UMN personnel collaborating on the project
- Consulting for external experts
Operating Supplies & Services
Allowed:
- General operating supplies and services (including core facility use charges) for this project, including computer supplies and software, if clearly necessary for the project.
- Publication costs for journal fees are limited to $1,000.
- Professional or lab services outside the UMN. May not exceed $5,000 or 10 percent of the total project cost, whichever is smaller.
Not allowed:
- Routine maintenance/repairs of equipment
- Books, subscriptions, reprints
- Utilities (e.g., phone lines)
Travel
Allowed:
- Transportation and/or per-diem expenses to a) gather data or use resources otherwise not available, or to b) work with other colleagues on research of mutual interest. Note: Most scholarly meetings and conferences intended primarily to report on research are not appropriate.
- Visits to NSRI member industries to specifically discuss the project.
- See rates and other travel information. Rates should be reduced proportionately for visits longer than one month in one locale, when it should be possible to make more economical arrangements. An explanation of long-term arrangements must be included in the budget justification section.
Not allowed:
- Travel to sabbatical and single semester leave sites from Minnesota and return. Travel and per-diem expenses for single-semester leave and sabbatical sites to another site (“side trips”) for strictly research purposes may be considered.
- Travel expenses associated with professional meetings, conferences, and short courses
- Fees and expenses associated with conferences
Equipment or Rents & Leases
Allowed:
- Minor equipment, including computer equipment, if specifically needed for the purpose of the proposed project (needs to be approved by the research program manager). Note: It is expected that departments or other University resources (e.g., Office of Information Technology and Minnesota Supercomputing Institute) will provide computer support.
- The justification for a computer request must include the following: 1) Specify the special features of the computer that are necessary and integral for supporting the project. 2) Explain why other University computing resources (e.g. MSI, departmental computers) cannot meet the needs of the project. 3) Explain what will be done with the computer when the research is finished.