Call For Proposals

The 2026 Collaborative Research Grant awards were announced on May 19th and the list of funded projects is linked below. You can learn more about the Collaborative Research Grant, browse previous projects, find collaborators, and view FAQs on our main about page.

This program, supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), serves as a seed grant program to spark innovative research collaborations between researchers at University Libraries and Virginia Tech academic departments, institutes, and centers. These projects will leverage the library’s resources and expertise to explore research questions of significant interest to Virginia Tech researchers. Similar to the Mcubed model, the selection of this program will be through a weighted lottery instead of the formal merit review.

University Libraries expects to fund at least 9 projects this cycle, providing $5,000 or $10,000 per project depending on the proposal. These federal seed funds are administered centrally; no budget transfers will be made outside of University Libraries. Due to strict federal timelines, all funds must be fully spent by the end of the performance period, as unspent funds will be reallocated and project extensions cannot be accommodated.

Federal Funding Contingency

All awards are strictly subject to the availability of federal IMLS funds. In the event that funding is withdrawn or restricted by government action (e.g., Executive Orders or budget rescissions), the program will be suspended or terminated as mandated by the government. The University is not liable for any costs incurred after the date of such a government-mandated termination.

To ensure responsible stewardship of federal funds, project progress and spending will be monitored against the submitted timeline. If spending and deliverables are significantly misaligned at the midpoint, specifically a lack of substantive progress toward milestones, program co-directors reserve the right to terminate the project and reallocate the funds to the next cycle.

• Each proposal will be submitted by at least two co-PIs, one is a full-time employee at University Libraries, and the other a full-time employee at a Virginia Tech academic department, institute, or center. Postdocs are also eligible. A co-PI on a fixed term contract must be able to complete the project within the corresponding VT employment contract period.
• Proposals should clearly state what the team is proposing and how it leads to the intended next steps.
• Proposals should describe how library resources and/or expertise will be leveraged to explore research questions of significant interest to your research area.
• Project deliverables should be specific, measurable, and achievable within the project period. We encourage deliverables and subsequent research outputs be made available through open access methods (e.g., VTechWorks, Virginia Tech Data Repository, etc). When applicable, we also encourage proposals to take into consideration  how including a community partner may benefit the project.
• By the end of the project, co-PIs will submit 
  • A final project report 
  • Spending report and 
  • A recorded presentation video and associated slides to showcase project deliverables. 
• Unless specifically requested and reasonably justified, proposals of funded projects will be openly shared via this website when the funding is accepted. Final project presentations will also be openly shared via this website. 
• Each eligible co-PI may submit at most 2 proposals in each funding cycle. In addition, any co-PI should not expect to work on more than two funded projects in this program in parallel. 

Selection Process

Program co-directors Charlene Eska and Yinlin Chen will pre-screen submissions to ensure proposals are within the scope of this program, reserving the right to request clarification and decline proposals deemed out of the stated scope of this program.

• All eligible proposals will be entered into a weighted random draw.
• Proposals submitted by the same co-PI teams of previously funded projects (or related to previously funded research) will be put in a low-priority pool for drawing and will be eligible for funding only after all new research collaborations are funded.
• Any individual Co-PI with a past award and an outstanding record of fulfilling all project commitments and deliverables on time will receive a higher weight in the selection draw.
• Proposals not selected for the current funding cycle are encouraged to participate in the next round.

Ineligibility

• Any individual Co-PI with a past award must have submitted all required final reports and deliverables to be eligible for this round; any proposal involving an individual with outstanding reports will not be entered into the lottery.
• Failure to fulfill the proposed deliverables within the project performance period may result in co-PIs being temporarily excluded from applying for funding in future funding cycles.

• April 16, 2026: Proposals due.
• April 30, 2026: Awards Announced.
• May 10, 2026: Project starts. 
• May 09, 2027: Latest possible end of project; all funding must be fully spent. Deadline to submit the spending report, presentation video, and associated slides.

Submission Format: Three pages (not including Budget Justification and Bio-Sketches/CVs). To facilitate the lottery and compliance review, please compile all application materials into a single PDF file in the following order:

Title Page (1 page)

• Title of project
• Names and affiliations of co-PIs and all other participants.

Proposal Narrative (2 pages) 

• Problem Statement: What research question does your project address? Describe your overall vision for your project and incorporate a summary of your goals. Why does your proposed project address a research question of significant interest to your research area? How does your project leverage the library’s resources and expertise?
• Description of the Proposed Project: Describe 1) needs in the area you’ve chosen, 2) deliverables and timeline of the project, and 3) future publication and funding opportunities and next steps resulting from the project.
• Schedule of completion: While the maximum project period ends May 09, 2027, teams are welcome to set an accelerated timeline and complete their project early if it suits their research goals.

Budget Justification (No page limit)

Proposals must include a Budget Breakdown and a detailed spending plan indexed to the project timeline. As this program is supported by federal IMLS funds, the following regulations apply:

• Prohibited Costs: Salary and indirect costs (F&A) for VT employees cannot be charged to this fund. This funding is not intended to supplement VT employee income. The purchase of general-purpose computers or laptops (iPads, etc.) is strictly prohibited.
• Allowable Expenses: Funds may be used for student wages, library collections, software, data collection fees, materials, and project-related travel.
• Hiring Personnel: All wage-based student workers must be hired and managed through University Libraries' payroll. Funds cannot be transferred to academic departments or external units for hiring purposes.
• To maintain project momentum and comply with federal timelines, we encourage teams to initiate spending early in the cycle. Front loading costs, such as student hiring and material procurement, helps ensure substantive progress is visible by the midpoint review and minimizes the risk of fund reallocation.

Bio Sketches or CVs (2 pages each - recommended)

One for each Co-PI.

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or contact Charlene Eska at ceska@vt.edu and Yinlin Chen at ylchen@vt.edu.