AI Seed Grants

Members of the UConn Community are invited to apply for seed grants to support their competitive application for outside funding possibilities. This mechanism is designed to fund work that will directly support a future external grant application in the area of Human-Centered AI. External grants that emerge from UCHI-funded seed grants must either be submitted through UCHI or include UCHI as a CoPI. Priority is placed on new ideas for projects that involve cross-department and/or cross-college (interdisciplinary) connections among UConn faculty. Winning applicants will have a clear funding target and a team that includes both scientific and humanistic approaches. Proposals should have a well-articulated plan of activities that include appropriate, clear objectives, detailed methodology, and concrete submission plans. They should also give a clear sense of the project’s significance and must include a specific product (e.g., external grant proposal) and a timeline for its attainment. UCHI anticipates funding 4 to 5 seed grants ranging from $2,000-6,000.

Requests might include, but are not limited to:

  • Personnel who are essential for conducting the research project, such as graduate research assistants and student labor.
    • Contributions towards course replacement costs, following the model of the Research Excellence Program. This must be approved by your department head.
  • Out-of-state travel that is necessary to conduct the research, or to bring research partners to UConn.
  • Equipment necessary for conducting the research (“equipment” is defined as an article of tangible, non-expendable property that costs $1,000 or more).
  • Project supplies
  • Other specifically authorized expenses essential for carrying out the project.

The following requests are not eligible for funding by this grant.

  • The salary of any Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator, or other faculty member who has an appointment at UConn Storrs, UConn Health, or any of the UConn campuses. This includes Connecticut Children’s faculty with joint appointments.
  • Living expenses.
  • Laptops or desktop computers, unless used exclusively for the project and not for any other activities.
  • Service/maintenance contracts on equipment.
  • Laboratory renovations or other infrastructure renovations.
  • Institutional and/or individual memberships in professional organizations.
  • Travel to professional meetings to present the results of the research, or any conference attendance.
  • Indirect costs, including clerical and administrative personnel salaries.
  • Costs associated with the publication of results of the research, such as the purchase of reprints.
  • Investigator training costs, including tuition.

Eligibility Criteria & Requirements

  1. Open to full-time, permanent UConn faculty in any discipline
  2. Applicants must be affiliated with UConn during the entire award period.
  3. Seed funding recipients agree to:
    1. Submit a progress report (2-page maximum) on the research project six months after receiving the seed grant.
    2. The Grant holder also agrees to present their work at a UCHI forum within a year of receiving the seed grant (either for the working group, or a more public-facing presentation, depending on the work and the grant holder’s preference).
    3. Either submit the grant in question through UCHI, or list UCHI as a Co-PI (details can be worked out as appropriate).

How to Apply

Send the following materials to anna.mae.duane@uconn.edu with the subject line “AI and the Human Seed Grant Application.”

  1. Narrative description of the research project (maximum 3 pages, double spaced, 12 pt. font)
  2. Brief explanation of plans to apply for outside grants, including timeline and co-PIs/Senior Personnel (no more than one page);
  3. Budget narrative (1 page maximum)
  4. Bibliography for the project (1 page maximum)
  5. Current CV/s

Spring Semester 2026 deadline:

February 15, 2026, at 11:59 pm.

Detailed awardee instructions/requirements will be distributed to seed funding winners when they are notified of the award decisions. All awardee requirements described above are subject to change in accordance with updated institutional procedures.