The 2022 Research & Innovation Seed Grants, announced by the CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office (RIO) and the Office of the Provost, are funding 25 new projects for up to $50,000 each, including three new CU Boulder Grand Challenge projects.

The seed grant program is designed to stimulate new and exciting areas of research and creative work on campus, as reflected in the projects of the 2022 Research & Innovation Seed Grant Program winners.

About the 2022 program

The 2022 program attracted 81 proposals, which were evaluated by ten review panels.

The program and projects signify an investment in the future research and scholarly or artistic vitality of the university. Awardees come from disciplines across the university—including ventures involving interdisciplinary work that will foster collaborative interaction among faculty—as well as disciplines not traditionally connected to sponsored research.

A selection of awardees and projects illustrates the breadth of this year’s awardees:

• Longhi Cui (Mechanical Engineering)—Gapless Thermo-photovoltaics: A New Paradigm for Renewable Power Generation Using Waste Heat
• Kathryn Goldfarb (Anthropology)—Mobility and Environmental Health in Wildfire Response Communities
• Andras Gyenis (Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering)—Novel Error-protected Superconducting Circuit for Next-generation Quantum Processors
• Yumi Janairo Roth (Art and Art History)—Ang Walong Pinoy (The Filipino Eight)
• Tiera Tanksley (Education)—Engineering Programs Impact the Career Development and Aspirations of Humanitarian Engineering Students

Long-term impact

Including the 2022 investments, the program has provided more than $15.5 million to fund 345 innovative projects across campus since 2008.  

Seed grant projects have resulted in measurable impacts including published manuscripts, artist residencies, inventions and tens of millions of additional funding dollars for CU Boulder research, scholarship and creativity.

Other seed grant impacts across campus are equally powerful. New data, partnerships and research directions are often achieved, yielding opportunities that may otherwise not be available. Funded projects also provide undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and other investigators with critical research development and creative work experiences.

For more information on this program and other funding opportunities, visit the Research & Innovation Office Seed Grant webpage or subscribe to the bi-weekly RIO Bulletin.