Seed Grants FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I log in and see all the question fields without submitting?  
    • Yes, you can take browse the fields and prompts in the application by logging in (CAS) and paging through.
  • Proxy Submissions - can I submit for someone else?  
    • Yes, InfoReady is configured for proxy submissions.  The PI would need to log into InfoReady to grant permissions to the proxy.  Then the proxy can submit on their behalf. 
    • Help Guides 
  • Can I be on more than one grant?  
    • You can only be listed as lead PI on one grant.  And, you can be listed as a teammate on multiple grants.  
      • For example, if you propose a research grant and are listed as PI that’s your one.  If you also want to participate in a workshop grant, someone else needs to be the lead PI and you can be listed as a teammate.
  • How do I know if I qualify to be a PI?  
    • This is an internal Yale grant aimed towards nurturing new research ideas that could potentially qualify for external funding later.  Check in with your department head about your qualifications to serve as a PI on external grants.    
  • Does Yale have compute resources available for AI Seed Grants?
    • Yes, the Yale Center for Research Computing (YCRC) HPC clusters has 100+ high-end GPUs (eg. B200s, H200s, RTX6000, RTX5000 Ada) available for use by Yale researchers. For projects without sensitive data, Bouchet HPC cluster compute resources are available at no-cost to the researcher and priority access can be granted at a nominal rate (Priority Tier Cost Calculator). For projects involving sensitive data, such as HIPAA or NIST 800-171, the Hopper HPC Cluster also has dozens of high-end GPUs. Hopper compute resources are available for a nominal rate. 
  • Can I buy high performance compute?  
    • Please check on the YCRC HPC resources first.  If you need to buy HPC specifically for your project, your budget narrative would be strengthened by a short explanation for how it meets a need that the YCRC resources do not.
  • Can I bring in collaborators from beyond Yale?
    • We recommend looking for internal Yale partners first. 
    • Outside consultants are allowable with an explanation of why their expertise is needed and the impact for the project.
    • Contracts for specific services are allowable.
    • Interinstitutional subawards are not allowable on this internal seed grant.
  • I see that ladder-track/tenure track faculty salaries are not allowable–what about staff and research scientist salaries?  
    • Yale M&P research staff salary is allowable.  Please keep in mind when strategizing research arc sustainability that these seed grants have end dates and are not designed to fund staff positions long-term.
    • Associate Research Scientist, Research Scientist and Senior Research Scientist salaries are allowable.    
  • I am faculty and was told that I need at least a 1% salary contribution.  
    • The 1% rule does not apply to this internal Yale seed grant
  • Is $100,000 the total budget regardless of if it is a 1.5 or 1 year budget period?  
    • Yes, $100,000 total (or less) for research grants regardless of time frame.
  • Do I have to use a special CV format such as for NIH or ladder-track reviews?
    • No particular format is required, but please not the maximum page length of 5 pages for the PI and 2 pages for teammates in the CFP.
  • Research References - Can the references go past page 5?  
    • Yes, the reference list can trail onto page 6.
  • Where can I read about past grant awards?  
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