New Industrial Collaborations

Opportunity

The New Industrial Collaborations Fund supports new research collaborations between industry and academia with the goal of fostering basic research that has the potential for leading to technologies, products, or services for societal benefit. Expenditures can include equipment, supplies, graduate student stipends, tuition, post-doctoral salary and benefits, and undergraduate student stipends. 

Eligibility

Tenured and tenure-track Princeton faculty members (Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors) in Divisions III (Natural Sciences) and IV (Engineering) are invited to submit one proposal on a new project with an industry collaborator. 

Award

The cumulative award is $275,000. Awardees will be funded with $175,000 from the University and $100,000 from industry over two years, as follows:

Internal Funding: Applicants can request internal University funding of $100,000 for Year 1 and $75,000 for Year 2 (a total of $175,000); funding for Year 2 is contingent upon matching funding by an industry partner.

Industry Funding/Commitment Requirement:  Applicants must have an industry collaborator. Award and the release of University funding for Year 1 is conditional upon a written commitment by the industry collaborator to contribute $100,000 to the project at the start of Year 2. Release of University funding for Year 2 is conditional on receipt of funding from the industry collaborator at the start of Year 2 (payable no later than July 1, 2026). The commitment from the industry collaborator is provided through a Letter of Commitment, signed by the industry collaborator, provided as part of the application package (see below). 

Award Timeline: 

  • Year 1 (July 1, 2025): $100,000 from the University
  • Year 2 (FY27): $100,000 from industry collaborator and $75,000 from the University *conditional upon receipt of industry funding.

Application Package & Key Dates

Applications must be submitted online using the Research Gateway. To begin your application, click the “Apply” button at the top right of the Research Gateway page. 

The online application requires a project description (limited to 2 pages), a brief budget statement, and a letter of commitment from the industry collaborator.

Requirement for Letter of Commitment (see the provided template on the Research Gateway): 

The Application also requires uploading a signed Letter of Commitment from the PI’s industry collaborator. This letter should acknowledge the industry collaborator’s commitment to provide $100,000 in funding towards the project by the start of Year 2, should the project be funded. The funding mechanism from the industry collaborator (whether an unrestricted corporate gift or sponsored research grant) must be specified in the Letter of Commitment. Awards that take the form of sponsored research grants are subject to overhead/indirect cost charges and must be approved by ORPA. See the “Additional Information” section below. 

A suggested template for the Letter of Commitment is provided on the Research Gateway. 

The Letter of Commitment can be submitted on Research Gateway by the industry collaborator or by the faculty member. The platform allows for drafts to be saved and shared with industry collaborators. 

Research Gateway Application Pre-Submission Checklist

  1. Project Description (1-2 pages)

  2. A budget statement

  3. Letter of Commitment, signed by industry collaborator  

Key Dates

  • Deadline to submit online application is Monday, March 10, 2025 at 5:00 pm 
  • May 2025: Award announcements
  • Award Period:
    • Year 1 - July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 
    • Year 2 - July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 

Reporting Requirements

Successful PIs will be required to submit a report to the Office of the Dean for Research (ODFR) two years from the date when the first tranche of funding is received. The report must include a narrative description of the research performed, and detail how the grant funding was used. 

Additional Information 

Limit of One Proposal: 

Submissions are limited to one proposal per PI.

Lack of Financial Interest: 

The industry collaborator may not be an entity with whom the PI has a significant financial interest. 

Funding Mechanism: 

The funding mechanism specified in the Letter of Commitment can have indirect cost implications. Specifically, if industry funding is received as a gift, then overhead/indirect cost charges are not applicable. However, if the industry funding comes to the University as a sponsored research grant, then overhead/indirect cost charges will be applied. If you have questions about this, please consult your departmental grants manager or Sacha Patera at [email protected].   

Selection Process: 

A faculty committee will review the proposals and make funding recommendations. The reviewing committee will be composed of faculty members in the natural sciences and engineering from various disciplines, thus applicants should address the technical detail level of their proposal narratives accordingly. Anonymous review committee comments may be shared with applicants upon request. Proposals will be evaluated on the quality, originality, and potential impact of the research.

Prior Applicants: 

Other things being equal, preference will be given to faculty members who did not receive funding in previous rounds of this competition.

 

Deadline and Contact

The deadline for submission is Monday, March 10, 2025 at 5:00 pm. 

Any questions may be brought to the attention of Sacha Patera, Strategic Partnerships Strategist, Strategic Partnerships & Engagement ([email protected]).   

Project Report

At the end of the project, awardees must submit a brief report summarizing the outcomes and impact of the award to the Office of the Dean for Research. Download the Project Report Template.

Call for Proposals

  • Dates
    • Proposal submission deadline: Monday, March 10, 2025 at 5:00 pm
  • Apply
    • Submit your proposal on the application portal (log in with NetID required)
    • Include a signed Letter of Commitment from industry collaborator
  • Contact
    • Sacha Patera, Strategic Partnerships Specialist, Strategic Partnerships and Engagement ([email protected])

 

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