Seed Grant

Application Due Date: Rolling (Temporarily closed, please check for updates in summer 2021)

Average Acceptance Rate: ~50%

Length of Award: 3-6 months

Average Award Total: $5,000 USD

Undergraduate students (working on a summer or capstone project)

Master’s students finishing their final year of a program

Despite a similarity in name, the New Harvest Seed Grant is not intended to launch independent ventures in biotechnology and should not be confused with “seed funding.” Seed grants are specifically for publicly-funded research conducted in an academic setting.

1. Proposal (4-8 pages, on average)
2. Anticipated budget
3. Anticipated timeline

Before the due date:

Candidates should first identify a professor at their institution with whom they would like to work and who is willing to help in preparing a proposal.

After identifying a professor, please email Research Operations and Outreach Director Breanna Duffy at breanna@new-harvest.org to request relevant application materials.

We encourage applicants to set up a call with Research Program Director Jeremiah Johnston in advance of applying. Candidates may also submit draft proposals for feedback before their final submission.

After the due date:

New Harvest will announce decisions to fund on a rolling basis until the seed grant application period is closed. We expect to award at least five seed grants per year.

The New Harvest Seed Grant is intended to help students take their first steps toward gaining the technical proficiency necessary to be competitive in subsequent graduate school applications.

Successful seed grant applications will demonstrate a keen understanding of experimental design and clear effort to seek adequate mentorship.

Put another way, the experiments or technical steps proposed in the application must sufficiently answer the research question or technical parameters at the heart of the proposal.

Note: A candidate’s proposal must be designed for completion within 3-6 months.

Seed grant applicants will also be evaluated on the content of their personal statement.

Preference will be given to individuals who express a desire, interest, and practical plan to continue their academic training in cellular agriculture upon completing their seed grant project.

New Harvest will invite all seed grantees to:

• Slack, our online channel, in order to connect with the rest of the New Harvest research community
• Monthly check-ins with the research program director to discuss the highs and lows of their research

Upon the completion of their project, New Harvest Seed Grantees must submit a formal evaluation of their research and research experience.

If staying away from home for the summer, candidates are responsible for arranging their own lodging and meals.