Planning Grant Program

Important Updates

Due to the current federal funding environment, the CHCI@VT Planning Grant Program has been heavily revised, including:

• Required submission of an external research proposal within 12 months,
• Small and large planning grant categories,
• New program requirements and commitments for CHCI@VT faculty and their departments,
• Refined planning grant formatting and contents,
• Updated review process and criteria, and
• Update application process instructions.

This year CHCI@VT and Virginia Tech Made are happy to announce a new collaborative partnership and invite planning grant proposals that specifically focus on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) for Advanced Manufacturing (AM). 

Important Dates

• Friday, April 3, 2026 (11:59PM ET): CHCI@VT Planning Grant Program Application due (including the fully signed Cover Sheet and Planning Grant Proposal PDF).
• Friday, April 24, 2026: Notification of results

Purpose

The CHCI@VT Planning Grant Program supports teams of its faculty affiliates to prepare and submit external research proposals for sponsored projects and funding. These planning grants provide funding for targeted resources that catalyze faculty collaboration, proposal development activities, and the submission of external research proposals within 12 months.

External Research Proposals

Applicants must clearly identify the external funding program they are targeting, such as the National Science Foundation 25-543: Computer and Information Science and Engineering : Future Computing Research (Future CoRe) solicitation. Note, NSF Future CoRe is just one example. Other external funding programs and agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Office of Naval Research (ONR) are acceptable. 

Applicants must also indicate the deadline or expected submission date of their external research proposal, which must occur within 12 months of their CHCI@VT Planning Grant Program Application.

Planning Grant Categories

Applicants must select one of the following planning grant categories when applying:

• Small Planning Grant:
  • Teams awarded small planning grants will receive $10,000 to develop and submit an external research proposal within 12 months for a sponsored project with a total budget of approximately $500,000 or more. All PIs and their department heads/managers must agree that at least $125,000 MTDC of the total budget will be routed through CHCI@VT (Fund Org #033000). Upon successful submission of the external research proposal, the team will receive a bonus research award of $2,500 to continue their collaboration and further the research while the proposal is under review.
  • Small planning grants at a quick glance:
    • $10,000 grant to develop an external research proposal (available upon award),
    • $500,000 or more total budget required of the external proposal,
    • $125,000 MTDC must be routed through CHCI@VT (Fund Org #033000), and
    • $2,500 bonus research award after external proposal submission.
• Large Planning Grant:
  • Teams awarded large planning grants will receive $20,000 to develop and submit an external research proposal within 12 months for a sponsored project with a total budget of approximately $1,000,000 or more. All PIs and their department heads/managers must agree that at least $250,000 MTDC of the total budget will be routed through CHCI@VT (Fund Org #033000). Upon successful submission of the external research proposal, the team will receive a bonus research award of $5,000 to continue their collaboration and further the research while the proposal is under review.
  • Large planning grants at a quick glance:
  • $20,000 grant to develop an external research proposal ($10,000 available upon award and $10,000 after August 1, 2026),
  • $1,000,000 or more total budget required of the external proposal,
  • $250,000 MTDC must be routed through CHCI@VT (Fund Org #033000), and
  • $5,000 bonus research award after external proposal submission.
• Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) for Advanced Manufacturing (AM) Planning Grant: 
  • Teams awarded this special planning grant will receive $20,000 to develop and submit an external research proposal focused on human-computer interaction for advanced manufacturing within 12 months for a sponsored project with a total budget of approximately $750,000 or more. All PIs and their department heads/managers must agree that at least $100,000 MTDC of the total budget will be routed through CHCI@VT (Fund Org #033000). The external research proposal must be submitted in Virginia Tech’s SUMMIT system under both the ICTAS and ICAT “Sponsored Initiatives”. Upon successful submission of the external research proposal, the team will receive a bonus research award of $5,000 to continue their collaboration and further the research while the proposal is under review.
  • Other potential external funding programs relevant for this category include NSF 23-229Y: Manufacturing Systems Integration (MSI), NSF 19-088Y: Advanced Manufacturing, and NSF 24-584: Advanced Technological Education (ATE). 
  • HCI for AM planning grants at a quick glance:
    • $20,000 grant to develop an external research proposal focused on human-computer interaction for advanced manufacturing (available upon award),
    • $750,000 or more total budget required of the external proposal,
    • $100,000 MTDC must be routed through CHCI@VT (Fund Org #033000), 
    • The external research proposal must be listed under both the ICAT and ICTAS “Sponsored Initiatives” in SUMMIT, and
    • $5,000 bonus research award after external proposal submission.

Eligibility

For the small and large planning grants, teams of two or more CHCI@VT faculty affiliates are eligible to apply. Interdisciplinary teams with principal investigators (PIs) from multiple departments are strongly encouraged. 

For the special Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) for Advanced Manufacturing (AM) planning grant, teams must include at least one CHCI@VT faculty affiliate and at least one Virginia Tech Made faculty affiliate. 

All PIs and their department heads/managers must agree to the program requirements and commitments (see below) to be eligible.

Purpose of Funds

Planning grant funds should be used to support proposal development activities, including but not limited to:

• Faculty summer salary or course release (as allowable by university and department policies)
• Graduate or undergraduate student support for preliminary research
• Pilot user studies or data collection
• Acquisition of research equipment or materials
• Travel for team-building activities or federal agency engagement
• Hosting planning meetings or stakeholder engagement sessions
• Proposal development support (e.g., workshops, consultants, grant writing assistance)

Funds may not be used for purposes inconsistent with university or department policies.

Program Requirements and Commitments

By applying for and accepting a CHCI@VT Planning Grant, all PIs and their department heads/managers must agree to the following requirements and commitments:

• Timely Proposal Submission:
  • The PIs will submit a research proposal to the identified external funding program within 12 months of being awarded the planning grant. In the event of program changes or better funding opportunities, the PIs must secure written approval (e.g., email) from the Director of CHCI@VT to change the target external funding program.
• Total Budget Commitment:
  • The external research proposal will have a total budget approximately equal to the selected planning grant category (i.e., $500,000 or more for small planning grants, $1,000,000 or more for large planning grants, and $750,000 or more for the HCI for AM planning grants).
• Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) Commitment:
  • The external research proposal will route the required MTDC (i.e., at least $125,000 for small planning grants, at least $250,000 for large planning grants, and at least $100,000 for the HCI for AM planning grants) through CHCI@VT (Fund Org #033000).
• SUMMIT Entry Requirement:
  • Prior to receiving the planning grant funds, PIs must ensure that the external proposal information and an initial budget reflecting the commitments above are entered into Virginia Tech’s SUMMIT system. 
• Additional Research Award:
  • After successful submission of the external proposal, PIs will receive the associated research award (i.e., $2,500 for small planning grants, $5,000 for large planning grants, and $5,000 for the HCI for AM planning grants).
• Resubmission Commitment:
  • If the external proposal is declined, the PIs should re-submit if possible, and any resubmissions must continue to route the committed MTDC through CHCI@VT (Fund Org #033000).
• Compliance:
  • Failure to adhere to these requirements may preclude the PIs and their students from participating in other CHCI@VT funding programs until the requirements are met or remedied to the satisfaction of the Director of CHCI@VT (chci@vt.edu).

Planning Grant Formatting

CHCI@VT Planning Grant proposals must be submitted as PDFs and should adhere to the following formatting guidelines:

• Standard paper size (8.5” x 11”)
• At least 1-inch margins
• Arial 10-pt or larger font
• Single-line spacing is recommended

A Google Doc template is available here.

Planning Grant Contents

CHCI@VT Planning Grant proposals should be no more than five (5) pages in length, excluding references (e.g., a proposal with two pages of references could be up to seven total pages).

Planning grant proposals should contain the following:

• Proposal Title:
  • Provide a tentative title for the planned external research proposal. Be sure to adhere to any directions provided by the external funding program.
•  External Funding Program:
  • Indicate and briefly describe which external funding program is being targeted.
  •  If relevant for the program, clearly indicate which subtype of proposal (e.g., RES vs. EDU) will be submitted.
  •  Clearly indicate the expected total budget for the external research proposal (e.g., $1,000,000).
  •  Clearly indicate the expected duration for the external research proposal (e.g., 4 years).
  •  Clearly indicate when the team expects to submit the external research proposal (e.g., February 04, 2027).
  •  Clearly indicate if the external research proposal will be a resubmission of a previously submitted proposal.
•  Description of Proposed Research:
  • Describe the high-level concept and goal of the research that will be proposed in the external proposal.
  •  If known, describe any specific aims or objectives that the proposed research would involve.
  •  Explain how the proposed research will be different from prior research.
  •  Describe the intellectual merit of the proposed research (i.e., the potential for the proposed project to advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields).
  •  Describe the broader impacts for the proposed research (i.e., the potential for the proposed project to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes). 
  •  If the external research proposal will be a resubmission of a previously submitted proposal, please describe how prior review comments and concerns will be addressed.
•  Qualifications of the Research Team:
  • Describe the expertise of each team member and what qualifies the team to conduct the proposed research.
  •  Explain what role each team member will be responsible for in the proposed research.
  •  If the external research proposal will be submitted to NSF, please include “Results from Prior NSF Support” information.
•  Proposal Development Activities:
  • Describe how the planning grant funds will be used to support the development and submission of the external proposal. 
  •  Include a clear timeline of the proposal development activities.
  •  Clearly indicate how the initial planning grant funds will be used by documenting and justifying each budget line item (see Purpose of Funds above).
  •  Clearly indicate how the additional research award received after submitting the external proposal will be used by documenting and justifying each budget line item (see Purpose of Funds above).
•  References (Do Not Count Against 5-Page Limit):
  • The reference information of each work cited above must be provided and must include the names of all authors (in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the article and journal title, book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication.

Review Process and Criteria

CHCI@VT Planning Grant proposals will be reviewed by an ad hoc committee of volunteer VT faculty (both internal and external to CHCI@VT) with significant external funding experience. 

Reviewers will be asked to evaluate proposals based on the following criteria:

1. What is the potential for the proposed activity to:
   • Advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit); and
   • Benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes (Broader Impacts)?
2. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?
3. Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success?
4. How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to conduct the proposed activities?
5. Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either at the home organization or through collaborations) to carry out the proposed activities?

Application Process

To apply, please complete the CHCI@VT Planning Grant Program Application. You will need to submit a fully signed Cover Sheet and PDF of your Planning Grant Proposal.

If you have any questions about applying for this program, please email the Director of CHCI@VT (chci@vt.edu).