Information and Request for Applications 

The Institute for Matter and Systems (IMS) is Georgia Tech’s newest interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to the convergence of innovative materials, devices, and processes. Breakthroughs in these areas will drive the future of innovation for solving societal, technological, and scientific challenges. Faculty and students in IMS leverage state-of-the-art facilities and expert technical staff for research spanning all disciplines in science and engineering with particular emphasis on microelectronics, the built environment, human-centric technologies, and frontiers in research infrastructure. 

Since there often is a learning curve associated with initial proof-of-concept development and testing using unfamiliar tools and techniques, this seed grant program was developed to expedite the initiation of graduate students and new research projects into productive activity. Successful proposals to this program will identify a new, currently unfunded research concept that requires core facility access to generate preliminary data necessary to pursue other funding avenues.

Program Eligibility 

This program is open to any current Georgia Tech academic or research faculty member as project PI. Preference will be given to graduate students performing the research who are in their first 2 years of graduate studies and/or who are new users of the IMS facilities. Proposals from junior faculty and diverse research disciplines are strongly encouraged and will be prioritized. The student’s research advisor (project PI) does not need to be a current user of the IMS cleanroom/lab facilities. Current PI awardees cannot apply in consecutive funding periods. Please make sure that the student will be available to use the facility during the majority of the grant period.

Award Information

Each seed grant award will consist of free core facility access to the student identified in the proposal over a 12-month period (4 consecutive billing quarters) up to a maximum of $7500 in charges. This award amount is based on the current access rates and the academic cap on quarterly charges and equates to two free billing quarters spread over one year in order to provide maximum flexibility in access. This maximum amount is subject to change based on planned access rate adjustments. This maximum award amount is still in effect even if IMS non-cleanroom (lab) equipment, electron beam lithography (EBL), or tools in the Materials Characterization Facility (MCF) are required. Access to facilities other than those in IMS are not covered by the seed grant. 

In addition, each student will be offered up to $500 in travel support to attend a scientific conference where they will present (oral or poster) the work resulting from this seed grant. This travel can be used during the award period or up to a period of 1 year following. 

The number of awards for each proposal submission cycle will depend on the number and quality of the proposals.

Review Criteria

Proposals will initially be reviewed by IMS staff for technical feasibility within the time frame. Rating of proposals will be done by a review committee of Georgia Tech faculty, with final selection of awardees by IMS staff. Review criteria include novelty of the research, clarity of the proposed work, work that is technically achievable within the time constraints, and likelihood of positive outcomes (future funding). Due to the nature of the review process, no formal scores or reviewer comments will be provided to proposers.

For more information, please contact David Gottfried, 404.955.9733.

Proposal Help

Proposals should not excessively discuss the motivation and impact of the research.  While this is helpful for understanding the importance of the work, please be brief. More important is a detailed description of what you propose to actually do (fabrication and/or characterization) in the core facilities so that this can be assessed for how feasible and realistic it is within the scope of IMS capabilities. We understand that this research is being undertaken by a beginning graduate student with limited experience who will likely require staff assistance. In addition, there may be multiple approaches to the research problem. However, you should clearly describe at least the most promising approach in detail within the page limitations.

 

Application Information

This Seed Grant program is offered in two competitions each year with due dates this academic year on October 1, 2024 and April 1, 2025 for research activity that will begin on December 1, 2024 and June 1, 2025, respectively.  

Proposal Requirements: (2 pages max)

The proposal (submitted as a PDF file of no more than 2 pages) should do the following:

  1. Provide a project title. List name of faculty PI and student at the top of the proposal.
  2. Identify the research problem and specify the proposed methods.
  3. Indicate the IMS research tools necessary to conduct the research. It is recommended that you obtain assistance with this component from members of the IMS  technical staff before submission of the proposal.
  4. Identify the PI and the graduate student involved (including year of graduate work). Describe the relationship of this research to the PI’s other research activity and how it is distinct from and not an extension of ongoing work. Note if there are collaborative relationships with other Georgia Tech faculty that bear on this research project.
  5. Specify the potential for follow-on funding based on the results of this initial work.

Submit PDF file to Amy Duke (amy.duke@ien.gatech.edu).