EARLY-STAGE COLLABORATIVE DISCOVER GRANTS

I. Program Overview

The A&M System announces the year 2 call for proposals under the Research Excellence Fund (REF), a bold initiative to elevate the research enterprise across all A&M System member institutions. The REF provides competitive funding to accelerate discovery, strengthen collaboration, and enhance national competitiveness.

The Early-Stage Collaborative Discover Grants under the REF provides competitive funding for early-stage, proof-of-concept, pilot discovery research conducted by multi-system member collaborative teams on transformative research topics. These grants are designed to help A&M System investigators lay the groundwork for large-scale, interdisciplinary, and high-impact proposals to federal, state, and private sponsors. By investing in early-stage discovery, this program aims to increase the A&M System’s success rate in securing major awards and to foster collaborative research teams across the A&M System that are prepared to compete at the highest levels.

II. Program Objectives

Early-Stage Collaborative Discovery Grants are designed to:

• Seed Innovative Research Ideas: Provide resources to refine novel research concepts into competitive proposals for large-scale funding.
• Build Collaborative Teams: Support the formation of interdisciplinary, inter-institutional teams across A&M System institutions to pursue major funding opportunities.
• Enhance Proposal Readiness: Enable pilot data collection and preliminary or early-stage research needed to strengthen future submissions.
• Increase Competitiveness for Large External Awards: Position A&M System researchers for success securing funding from major federal, state, and private sponsors.
• Align Strategic Research Priorities: Align early-stage discovery with areas of System-wide importance and state or national relevance.

III. Eligibility

• Eligible Institution: Any A&M System member university.
• Eligible Applicants: The lead principal investigator (PI) and other PI and co-PIs must be PI-eligible and hold a full-time faculty or research staff appointment at an A&M System member university or agency.
• Collaborating Members: Proposals must include at least two A&M System member institutions as substantive partners to the lead institution. Three total A&M System member institutions required. System members are defined by System Policy 02.04 and include 12 universities, 8 state agencies, and the System Offices. Colleges, departments, centers, and branch campuses are not separate System members. A substantiative partner is defined as an A&M System member whose investigators have defined research responsibilities and meaningfully contributions to the project, as described in the Collaboration Plan.
• External Collaborators: External collaborators (non-A&M System) are permitted but may not receive REF funds directly.

IV. Award Information and Allowable Costs

• Total Funding Available: $2,000,000
• Maximum Individual Award: Up to $100,000 (but no less than $25,000)
• Project Period: 12 months
• Anticipated Minimum Number of Awards: 20
• Limited Submission: Submissions limited to three lead proposals per A&M System university as approved by designated university Chief Research Officer (CRO) (i.e., Vice President of Research). Note: A&M System agencies are included under Texas A&M University (TAMU) led submissions.
• Cost Share: Not required but encouraged to leverage the REF investment and demonstrate institutional commitment.
• Allowable Costs:
  • Personnel (faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral staff, or other research staff) costs
  • Research/laboratory supplies
  • Travel for team collaboration
• Non-allowable Costs:
  • Long-term equipment or infrastructure purchases

All funds must be expended within 12 months of award unless an extension is approved.

V. Proposal Requirements

A. Proposal Components

Proposals must include the following sections, combined into a single PDF document:

1. Cover Page (1 page)
   • Title of proposed project
   • Lead and partner institutions
   • Lead PI name, affiliation, and contact information
   • Other PIs and Co-PIs names, affiliations, and contact information
   • Total amount requested
2. Project Summary (1 page)
   • Concise overview of proposed research concept
   • Alignment with state and national research priorities
   • Anticipated impact
3. Project Description (up to 3 pages)
   • Detailed description of research concept and its significance.
   • Clear articulation of project goals, methodologies, and expected deliverables (i.e., Statement of Work).
   • Identification of the external funding opportunity.
   • Specific early-stage research activities to be supported.
   • Anticipated outcomes and plan for future proposal submission.
4. References (up to 2 pages)
5. Collaboration Plan (1 page)
   • Description of team, planned collaborations, roles and responsibilities of each participating research and A&M System institution and mechanism for coordination.
6. Milestones and Deliverables (1 page)
   • Timeline with key activities, decision points, and expected outputs.
7. Budget and Cost-Share Details (1 page)
   • Detailed itemization of proposed expenses.
   • Institutional cost share commitment to leverage the REF investment (if applicable).
8. Biographical Sketches (Key investigators – PIs and co-PIs; up to 2 pages per PI)
   • Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) format.
9. Letters of Collaboration and/or Commitment (up to 5 letters; 1 page per letter) from research collaborators or administrators from collaborating A&M System member institutions.
10. Memo of Support (1 page) from CRO endorsing this proposal for submission.

VI. Review Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated by an independent peer-review panel composed of internal and external experts using the following weighted criteria:

Priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate transformational potential, cross-system collaboration, and clear readiness for major external funding competitiveness.

VII. Reporting and Expectations

Awardees will be required to:

• Submit a mid-year report describing milestones achieved, collaborations formed, and preliminary outcomes.
• Submit a final report summarizing accomplishments, outcomes, proposals submitted, and funding results.
• Participate in the annual A&M System Research Excellence Meeting and present key findings and collaboration impacts.

VIII. Submission Instructions

• Submission Portal: Submit single PDF document to tamus.infoready4.com
• File Format: Single PDF document, 12-point font, 1-inch margins.
• Deadline: December 1, 2026, 11:59 PM CST
• Questions: Contact E-mail: ref@tamus.edu

IX. Program Governance

The Early-Stage Collaborative Discovery Grants will be administered by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research under guidance from the REF Advisory Committee, composed of representatives from A&M System member institutions.
 
Proposals will be reviewed through a competitive independent peer-reviewed process. Decisions on funding will be approved by the Vice Chancellor for Research and endorsed by the Chancellorof the A&M System.

X. Key Dates

XI. Summary Statement

The Early-Stage Collaborative Discovery Grants of the Research Excellence Fund represent a foundational investment in the creative and collaborative potential of A&M System researchers. By supporting the development of high-impact research concepts and strong interdisciplinary teams, this initiative ensures the A&M System remains a leader in securing transformative funding and advancing knowledge that benefits Texas, the nation, and the world.