Biomolecular Design Seed Grant

The College of Science, Institute of Physical AI, Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue Institute for Cancer Research, Bindley Bioscience Center and Rosen Center for Advanced Computing launched a seed grant competition to help form teams pursuing multi-investigator and center-level funding in AI-guided biomolecular design, synthesis and assembly.

The initiative supports teams aiming for major center-level funding and encourages new collaborations in biomolecular design, synthesis and assembly. The field has wide-ranging applications in medicine, materials science and energy. The goal is to help researchers leverage Discovery Park Centers facilities to advance experiments, synthesis and assembly projects. The program is intended as a steppingstone to larger, cross-disciplinary centers focused on biomolecular design, synthesis and assembly.

Proposal requirements and review criteria

I. Proposal description

  • Up to a maximum of three pages (1” margins, ≥11 point font); including:

Vision for the science

  • Future promise of the field, current gap, proposed method to bridge the gap.
  • Description of why this team is uniquely positioned to address the gap.
  • Diversity of the team, comprising complementary expertise, background, and experience.
  • Summary of results to date supporting the potential for future success.
Potential for future growth 
  • If known, information on specific announced or anticipated calls for proposals
  • Possible alternative additional opportunities.
Action Plan
  • Summary of how the seed grant funds will be distributed and allocated.
  • Description of key collaborative research outcomes to be pursued.
  • Activities designed to help coalesce a multi-investigator team around a larger goal.

 II. NSF or NIH-style Biosketches for the PI and up to three Co-PIs

III. Completed Budget Template

Approvals in place from the PI’s primary Department Fiscal Approver and the College of Science Fiscal Approver (Mary Bell: bellm@purdue.edu).

Projects Selected

Projects selected for funding will receive a total of $50,000. An initial payment of $25,000 will be provided on the project's start date of January 1, 2026. An additional payment of up to $25,000 will be disbursed at the six-month mark, contingent on the project's progress as outlined in the action plan. All funded projects have a one-year duration. Bindley Bioscience Center and Rosen Center for Advanced Computing will provide support for the use of core facilities towards this grant at a subsidized rate.

Priority will be given to proposals with significant involvement from College of Science faculty. Each faculty member may serve as Principal Investigator (PI) on only one project but may participate as a Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on multiple teams. The designated PI must hold an appointment in the College of Science.

Dates and Deadlines

  • Submission deadline: Nov. 7, 2025, 11:59 p.m. (no extensions)
  • Notification: Week of Dec. 8, 2025
  • Project period: Jan. 1, 2026–Dec. 31, 2026

Submission Guidelines and Contact

Completed proposal including all materials (I-III) should be submitted as a single PDF attachment to:

Kristine Brewer (kbrewer@purdue.edu) by Nov. 7 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET