Interdisciplinary

• Awards up to $30,000 for a maximum duration of up to one year.
• Only CAS faculty is eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator (PI) on these proposals. We encourage PIs from CAS to team up with faculty from other schools and/or other units across the UAB campus. However, we will also support proposals from interdisciplinary teams with PIs from different departments within CAS. The focus will be on addressing an important problem that crosses disciplinary boundaries and requires innovative interdisciplinary approaches. One PI from CAS will serve as a contact responsible for reporting purposes and for administration of the grant budget. All full-time CAS faculty members in tenure- earning or tenured status are eligible to serve as PIs for this program.
• These funds are intended to launch new interdisciplinary team efforts and are not intended to replace existing support from institutional or extramural sources.

• A letter of intent is not required. All completed proposals will be reviewed.
• Proposals should consist of the following items, all prepared single-spaced with one-inch margins and Times New Roman, Arial, or Georgia font size 11.
  • A descriptive title of the proposed project
  • Project Summary describing the interdisciplinary research area to be explored and the innovative approach that will be undertaken, along with program objectives and goals (one page maximum)
  • Names, affiliations, and qualifications of the interdisciplinary research team (one page maximum)
  • Approach – methodology, data to be collected, and how different disciplines will interact to achieve program goals (three pages maximum)
  • Anticipated Outcomes – scholarly activities and technological impacts that are expected at the successful completion of the project. How the interdisciplinary team will proceed after the initial seed funding to sustain the project and seek extramural support. Also, describe the commercialization potential for this interdisciplinary project if applicable. The prospect of follow-on extramural support for the project will be an important review criterion (two pages maximum).
  • Budget and budget justification – The budget and budget justification should cover a support period of one year (two pages maximum). The budgeting of PIs and co-PIs salaries or release time is discouraged.
  • Biographical sketches for all PIs and co-PIs are required. Each biographical sketch is limited to a maximum of four pages and should include current and pending grant support.
  • List of references cited (no page limits)

Cost-sharing is not a requirement for applications, but interdisciplinary teams are encouraged to request matching support from departments, centers, and other units in case additional resources are needed for the successful completion of the project. If cost-sharing is proposed, then it needs to be justified in the budget and appropriate supporting documentation must be included in the proposal. The additional documentation regarding cost-sharing or other support letters will not count towards the page limits for this proposal. CAS share of funding is limited to a maximum of $30,000 per proposal.

The next deadline for proposal submission is Friday, October 30, 2026.

Proposals should be electronically submitted as a single PDF file to Dr. Yogesh K. Vohra (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). For questions call (205) 996-2326.

• A progress report is due six months after the start date of the funded program, and a final project report is due one month after the end of the support period.
• Provide copies of research publications, conference presentations, and performances resulting from this award.
• Provide a summary of commercialization activities or grants submitted if applicable.
• Provide full copies of interdisciplinary research or training grants submitted to external entities.
• Funded interdisciplinary teams will share their findings with UAB faculty, students, and staff.