Funding to Support Faculty & Student Research

Internal funding helps to support faculty and student research while fostering innovation and collaboration.

Key programs include:

  1. Grand Challenges seed grants, which support the development of large-scale interdisciplinary research programs across KSU;
  2. Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Grantswhich help develop projects that enhance KSU's national prominence in all areas of research, scholarship, and creative activity; and
  3. the opportunity to become a Research Champion for one of KSU's four Research Communities. 

Which program is right for you? Scroll down for more info.

Additional opportunities funded by the Office of Research and Office of Undergraduate Research are listed below as well.

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Internal Grants

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Grand Challenges

The Grand Challenges seed grant application is open! This seed funding program is intended to support high-impact, interdisciplinary projects that create and advance large-scale, competitive research programs. 
  
Projects must involve one of the following topics: 

  • Resilient infrastructure
  • Cybersecurity
  • Collaborative intelligence and decision-making
  • Health technologies
  • Spatial computing and immersive technologies 

Required letters of intent (LOI) are due on December 18, 2025. Full proposals, by invitation only, are due on February 26, 2026. 

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Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Grants

The Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity grant application is open! This funding program is intended to help develop projects that enhance Kennesaw State University's national prominence in all areas of research, scholarship, and creative activity. 
  
Tenured/tenure-track faculty at all levels are encouraged to apply. Other full-time faculty with at least 10% of their workload in research may also be considered. Applicants from Bagwell, Architecture and Construction Management, Coles, Geer, and Radow colleges will receive highest priority for funding. Anyone receiving more than $50,000 of start-up or participating as PI or co-PI on an Initiatives or Grand Challenges project is ineligible. 
  
Applications are due on January 8, 2026. Submissions will be reviewed beginning December 15, 2025, so consider applying early. 

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Initiatives

The Initiatives seed grant program supports interdisciplinary research teams among KSU’s researchers in all areas of research, scholarship and creative activity. This one-year support is given for collaborative proposals with the anticipation of a major grant submission upon its conclusion. 

Note:

The Office of Research is currently funding the final round of Initiatives seed grant projects. We will be pivoting to new funding mechanisms in the 2025-2026 academic year.

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Faculty Development

KSU research communities

Research Community Champions

Three faculty Research Champions per Research Community are expected to work together to provide strategic leadership for growth. Applicants must be tenured/tenure-track faculty members. Research Champions should strive to build multi- and interdisciplinary research teams, facilitate collaborations within KSU and externally, increase and diversify extramural funding, include students and their workforce preparation, and ensure participation in external relations, including philanthropy, public–private partnerships, engagement with federal and state legislators, and engagement with the local community.

Anticipated Deadline:

Spring 2026

Application to come

 

 

Additional Opportunities

 

Previously Available Programs