College of Science Core Facilities Seed Grant

The College of Science Core Facilities Seed Grant is a collaboration between the College of Science and Research & Innovation (R&I) that provides funding for faculty to access specialized research core facilities. The program is designed to support hypothesis-driven research, generate preliminary data, and strengthen projects that may lead to future extramural funding opportunities.

Purpose

This seed grant program supports UTEP's commitment to fostering innovative research by leveraging core facilities. Funding is intended to help faculty access specialized instrumentation, consultation, and analytical services to advance research projects and strengthen their competitiveness for future funding.

Program Highlights

• Up to 10 seed grants of $2,000 each.
• Open to full-time UTEP faculty, including clinical, research, tenure-track, and tenured faculty.
• Available to faculty from any college or department.
• Supports hypothesis-driven research projects utilizing designated College of Science core facilities.
• Prioritizes projects that generate preliminary data for future extramural funding proposals.

Participating Core Facilities

Funding may be used to access the following facilities:

• Imaging and Behavioral Neuroscience (IBN) Facility, Imaging Core
• Genetics & Genomics Facility

Eligible Uses of Funds

Funding supports core facility use and related expenses.

• At least 90% of the budget must be used for core facility fees, including consultation, instrument use, and analytical services.
• Up to 10% of the budget may be used for sample or data preparation expenses, such as supplies or reagents.

Final determination of allowable expenses rests with Research & Innovation.

Why Apply?

The program provides investigators with access to specialized research infrastructure that can accelerate discovery, strengthen study design, and generate preliminary results needed to support future funding proposals. Studies focused on collecting preliminary data for extramural funding applications are given priority during review.

Eligibility at a Glance

Applicants must be full-time UTEP faculty and propose research that utilizes one or both participating core facilities. Research projects should be hypothesis-driven and demonstrate scientific merit, significance, and future potential

Apply

Faculty interested in applying should review the complete program guidelines, eligibility requirements, application materials, and award expectations in InfoReady.

Contact Us

Kelly Hall, 7th floor, West Wing
500 W University Ave.
El Paso, TX 79968

  researchdev@utep.edu