2026 Request for Proposals:
Graduate Research Grants
Overview
The Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability’s Graduate Research Grants (GRG) provide direct funding for periods of 12-24 months to students in any doctoral graduate field at Cornell (or terminal degree in fields that do not offer the PhD) in support of innovative research that aligns with our four priority areas: Accelerating Energy Transitions, Reducing Climate Risk, Increasing Food Security, and One Health.
Timeline
- September 30, 2025: Request for Proposals opens
- November 10, 2025, 5:00 p.m. ET: Full proposals due (apply online)
- January 23, 2026 (estimated): Awards announced
- February 3, 2026: Earliest project start date
Eligibility
- Applicant must be a Cornell doctoral student (or be enrolled in a terminal degree program in a field that does not offer the Ph.D.) with research interests in the priority areas listed above.
- Applicant must be an enrolled student at Cornell for the entire duration of the award period.
- Previous recipients of Graduate Research Grant (GRG) awards are eligible to apply to this program to request up to $3,000 of follow-on funding, or $4,000 with meaningful inclusion of an undergraduate assistant. This follow-on funding should be for the same general research as the initial project but with a distinct add-on that is related to, but not overlapping with, what was originally funded.
- The applicant’s faculty mentor must currently be a Cornell Atkinson Faculty Fellow (Cornell faculty can apply online).
Funding
- Maximum grant amount is $7,000.
- An additional $1,000, for a total of $8,000, may be requested for the financial support and meaningful inclusion of an undergraduate research assistant. A maximum of $3,000 from the grant may be used for undergraduate research assistants (see How to Apply below for more information).
- The duration of the proposed research is typically 12-24 months. Extensions beyond 24 months are not allowed.
- These funds are intended to support research costs. The following budget items are not allowed: graduate stipends; tuition and health insurance; journal page charges over $2,000 total; computers/equipment typically provided by faculty advisors, field, or research lab; and demonstrations, course development, or outreach.
Funding decisions are made based on availability of funds, overall intellectual merit, alignment of project to Cornell Atkinson’s strategic goals, and potential for impact beyond academia.
Priority Themes
We welcome proposals that focus on one or more of the Cornell Atkinson priority areas:
How to Apply
Please use this online form to submit your proposal before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 10, 2025. (Late and/or incomplete proposals will not be accepted.)
Proposal Narrative (required)
Applicants must address the following, and may include figures and citations. Please upload a PDF (11-point font, 1-inch margins, single-spaced) with the following information:
- Project Abstract (maximum 250 words)
- Summarize your proposed project, methods, timeline and anticipated impact clearly and concisely.
- Project Description (3-pages maximum; references are additional)
- Describe the project’s context and importance, hypotheses and/or objectives, methods, and significance of the proposed research, and proposed timeline.
- Impact Statement (half-page maximum)
- Provide a short description of (a) the relevance of the proposed research to one or more of Cornell Atkinson’s four priority areas: One Health, Accelerating Energy Transitions, Reducing Climate Risk, and Increasing Food Security, and (b) how the proposed research will have impact beyond academic accomplishment.
- Undergraduate Research Assistants (half-page maximum): required ONLY for applicants seeking supplemental financial support for undergraduate researchers.
- Describe (a) the specific role(s) of the undergraduate assistant(s), as well as the plans for (b) recruitment and (c) mentorship.
- Results of prior GRG funding: required ONLY for previous GRG recipients applying for follow-on funding.
- Provide a brief summary of (a) research results, (b) additional funding received as a result of the grant, (c) publicity generated, (d) publications, presentations, and nontechnical writing, and (e) impacts beyond academia from your previous funding.
- Curriculum Vitae (two pages maximum)
- Include education/training, awards, teaching or outreach experience, publications (with DOI, when possible), and conference presentations. Publications submitted, in review, or in revision may be included but must be noted as such. List peer-refereed publications separately from non-refereed publications.
- Current and Pending Funding:
- If you or your advisor has current funding directly related to the proposed project, please list funding source, amount, and funding dates (start/end), and a short statement of how this project overlaps or differs from what is funded already. If you have funding applications pending for related research, please list them separately.
Budget and Justification (required)
Use this budget template | Save budget as “2026-GRG-YourLastName.xlsx”
Use this budget justification template
- The Excel budget should be submitted as a separate file when you submit your proposal.
- The budget justification should be included at the end of your proposal. The budget justification does not count against your proposal page count.
- Please follow the budget and justification templates carefully and provide the requested level of detail.
- Indicative budget guidance:
- Funds may be used to cover: undergraduate research assistant(s) (up to $3,000), travel, supplies, equipment, and publication fees of up to $2,000 for the project.
- Funds may not be used to cover graduate student stipend, tuition or health insurance; laptops (unless it is dedicated to project work only); or demonstrations, course development, and outreach.
- This is not an exhaustive list – please contact us with specific questions.
- With proposals selected for funding, Cornell Atkinson will transfer grant funds to an account in the applicant’s home department. These funds have no indirect cost recovery associated with them and fringe benefits are waived on contract college appointments.
Awardee Responsibilities
- Participate in a review panel to evaluate GRG research proposals the year after your award.
- Submit a short professional profile statement and photo for the Cornell Atkinson website.
- Complete a progress report midway through the award and a final report within two months of the conclusion of your project.
- Present your GRG-funded work at the annual Cornell Atkinson Graduate Research Symposium.
- Return unspent funds remaining at the conclusion of the project to Cornell Atkinson.
- Acknowledge the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability in all presentations, reports, and publications stemming at least in part from this funding. Guidance for acknowledging your affiliation with Cornell Atkinson can be found on our website and will be included in your Memorandum of Understanding.
- Communicate any follow-on funding received related to this or any Cornell Atkinson-supported project.
More Information
If you have questions about this Request for Proposals, please contact:
- Cynthia Mathys, Senior Program & Portfolio Manager, cjm296@cornell.edu
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