VMEC Seed Grants
MICROELECTRONICS AND NANOELECTRONICS SEED GRANT PROGRAM
2025 -2026 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
1. Program Summary:
The Virginia Microelectronics Consortium (VMEC) invites proposals from member Virginia universities for seed grants in the fields of microelectronics and nanoelectronics. These grants are intended to support innovative research, foster collaboration, and strengthen the Commonwealth’s position in advancing next-generation semiconductor technologies.
2. Objectives:
The goals of the VMEC Seed and Equipment Grant Program are to:
- Encourage innovative and high-risk research in microelectronics and nanoelectronics.
- Promote collaborative projects among VMEC university and industry members.
- Provide proof-of-concept support to strengthen competitiveness for funding from federal, industry, or other sources.
- Enhance research infrastructure through strategic equipment acquisition necessary for the proposal.
3. Eligibility:
Proposals may only be submitted by faculty members from the member universities of VMEC (listed in Appendix A).
Both individual investigator and multi-investigator collaborative projects are eligible.
Applicants must have submitted Final Reports for any prior VMEC seed grants.
4. Grant Categories:
Collaborative Proposals
A Collaborative Proposal is a joint proposal from two or more member Universities. Each member’s role must be substantive and clearly stated in the proposal. A Principal Investigator (PI) may submit a seed grant proposal individually or be a Co-PI, on a collaborative proposal, but not both.
There is no limit on the number of collaborative proposals submitted by any VMEC member university.
Individual Proposals
A PI may only submit one individual seed grant proposal. A PI may submit a seed grant proposal individually or be a Co-PI on a collaborative proposal but not both.
No more than four individual proposals may be submitted by any VMEC member university.
Funding for Equipment
VMEC will no longer fund standalone equipment proposals. Funding for new equipment will be considered only if it is essential for conducting the proposed research. Any lead times for acquiring new equipment should be clearly indicated in the proposal and incorporated into the overall research plan.
5. Award Information:
The maximum funding available is $60,000 for a collaborative project and $30,000 for an individual project. Multiple awards are anticipated.
The period of performance for VMEC Seed Grants is one year from receipt of funding. Any unused funds at the end of the grant funds must be returned; no extensions will be granted for the period of performance.
Since these grants are intended for proof-of-concept, each project idea may be awarded only once. Unfunded proposals may be resubmitted. This rule prevents repeated funding of the same project.
6. Proposal Guidelines:
The proposal format consists of:
(1) VMEC Seed Grant Cover Page (using the template in Appendix B)
(2) Research Summary (using the template in Appendix C)
(3) Biographies for PI & each Co-PI (two pages maximum for each) and
(4) a formal quote for any new equipment necessary for the proposed research.
The requested funding should include the university overhead as may be required.
7. Submission Instructions:
The VMEC Seed Grant proposals should be submitted to the VMEC Managing Director Murty Polavarapu at director@vmecteam.org. Proposals should be submitted electronically in one complete PDF file.
The deadline for submission is November 17, 2025 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
8. Reporting Requirements:
Project Final Reports are due within one year of your project funding. A template of the Final Report is provided in Appendix D.
If a Final Report is not submitted within 14 months of the project’s funding date, the applicant’s institution will be ineligible to apply for seed grants for one year, and the institution’s VMEC Executive Committee representative will be notified. If a Final Report is never submitted, the institution will become ineligible for all future seed grants, unless extenuating circumstances are presented and approved by the VMEC Executive Committee.
The grant recipients shall acknowledge the VMEC funding in all technical publications and conference presentations resulting from the grant.
9. Review and Evaluation:
All proposals submitted by the deadline will be evaluated by Tier 1 Industry members of VMEC (BAE Systems, Elbit Systems of America and Micron Technology).
Collaborative and Individual proposals will not be separately evaluated.
The VMEC Executive Committee at its January 2026 meeting will determine the funding level and make the selection of proposals to be funded. Approved funds will be disbursed by February 2026, following the Executive Committee meeting.
Priority Considerations
Proposals that demonstrate the following will be given priority:
- Inclusion of a letter of support from at least one VMEC industry member. Two or more letters of support will receive maximum consideration for this criterion.
- Collaboration with other VMEC member universities. Collaboration with three or more will receive maximum consideration for this criterion.
Evaluation Criteria
- Relevance: The proposal must relate to microelectronics and/or nanoelectronics.
- Impact: The potential significance of the proposed work on the field of microelectronics/nanoelectronics, both within the Commonwealth and globally.
- Scientific Merit and Innovation: Originality, technical soundness, and potential to advance the field.
- Feasibility: Appropriateness of the research plan, timeline, and budget.
- Collaboration and Institutional Impact: Strength of multi-university or industry partnerships, and alignment with VMEC’s mission.
- Relevance: Relevance of the proposed research to the technical fields of VMEC Tier 1 industry members
- Space Electronics
- Night Vision and Image Intensifiers
- Semiconductor Memory and Logic Devices
- Compliance: Adherence to the requirements outlined in the Research Summary Section Template (Appendix C).
10. Contact Information:
For questions regarding eligibility, proposal preparation, or submission, please contact:
Murty Polavarapu
Managing Director, VMEC
Email: director@vmecteam.org
Tel: 703-982-0430
Appendix A – Member Universities of VMEC eligible for Seed Grants
- George Mason University
- Norfolk State University
- Old Dominion University
- University of Virginia
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia Tech
- Virginia State University
- William & Mary
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APPENDIX B
VMEC SEED GRANT PROPOSAL COVER PAGE
|
|
COLLABORATIVE INDIVIDUAL (Check One)
Proposal Title: Date:
Principal Investigator name and email:
Institution:
Co-Investigators (if any):
| Name | Institution | ||
| Co-PI | |||
| Co-PI | |||
| Co-PI |
Previously funded VMEC Seed/Equipment Grants (for PI and Co-PIs) in the last five years. Insert additional rows as needed.
| PI or Co-PI Name | Brief Title | Year | Amount | Final Report Submitted? Yes or No |
Related Funding or Proposals (if any) Insert additional rows as needed:
| Brief Title | Funding Org. | Amount | Start/End Dates |
Total Grant Request (not to exceed $60,000 if COLLABORATIVE or $30,000 if INDIVIDUAL)
Proposal Budget. Insert additional rows as needed:
| Item | Purpose | Expenditure |
If an alternate related proposal is submitted, or is being planned for submission, the VMEC Executive Director must be notified. If an alternate related proposal is externally funded, within two years after the seed grant, the VMEC Executive Director needs to be notified.
By signing below, I/we certify that this proposal has not been previously funded.
Signed: ___________________________________ Date: _____________
Include signatures of all Collaborative investigators at each participating University
APPENDIX C
VMEC SEED GRANT RESEARCH SUMMARY
PROPOSAL TITLE:
RESEARCH SUMMARY:
The Research Summary section of a VMEC Seed Grant proposal should provide a clear overview of the work to be conducted and outline the budgeted expenditures. It should include a concise description of the purpose and significance of the research, the problem being addressed, the specific approach to be undertaken, and the expected outcomes. If equipment acquisition is included in the proposal, explain how the equipment is used to carry out the research. The summary should also address the elements of risk associated with the project and address mitigation approaches. This section should also include an overall schedule for the planned research. Anticipated expenditures should detail how the funds will be allocated, including items such as personnel, services, and equipment. It is also important to include the potential impact of the outcome of the proposed research in the overall fields of microelectronics/nanoelectronics and specifically in the related industries in the Commonwealth. Finally, the proposal should describe how the proposed work relates to existing or other planned projects and clearly differentiate the scope of the seed grant effort.
For Collaborative Proposals, each participant’s role must be clearly defined and substantively contribute to the project.
General Format Limitations:
Page Limit: 3 pages (including all figures). Bibliography, Letters of Support and other materials not included in the page count limit)
Font: 12-point
Margins: 1”.
Appendix D – Project Final Report Template
- Cover sheet
- Project Number and Title
- Period of Performance
- Principal Investigator, University and Department Affiliation
- Co-PIs, University and Department Affiliations
- Indicate if any PI or co-PI is a VMEC Professor
- Indicate if any PI or co-PI has received prior funding from VMEC
- Executive Summary (1 page maximum, single space, 0.5” margin, Times 11 or Arial 10)
- Problem statement
- Approach with emphasis on micro/nano fabrication and characterization
- Key figures and tables
- Results/Conclusion
- Impact Statement (1 page maximum, single space, 0.5” margin, Times 11 or Arial 10)
- Name, degree, department and related information about students supported by the seed grant
- Other students involved in the project but not supported through VMEC funding
- List of accepted and peer-reviewed conference presentations and journal publications (VMEC support must have been acknowledged)
- List of proposals submitted (or to be submitted in near future) in which data generated by VMEC seed funding is used
- Note: VMEC expects that the support of VMEC seed funding will be mentioned in the proposal.
- Note: In any press release by the corresponding university for the awarded grants, it is expected that VMEC support funding enabling the PI to receive the award be acknowledged.
- Any deviation from these can cause the university to lose the opportunity to apply for VMEC seed funding for three years.
- Other significant items (e.g. new collaboration established, new students recruited), as directly related to VMEC support.
