ESDRI Grant Awards and Funding
The Environmental Science and Design Research Institute provides research support grants for affiliated faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students.
Seed Grant
Each year the Institute awards Seed Grants of up to $12,000 to kick off promising research projects proposed by multidisciplinary teams of ESDRI-affiliated faculty from across the KSU community.
These grants are intended to support early research efforts in acquiring preliminary data, upon which the team can build further research, propose more robust projects, and apply for external research funding.
Click here to learn more about past Seed Grants and how to apply
Seed Grant projects in the news:
Graduate Student Award
Kent State University graduate students advised by an ESDRI-affiliated faculty member from any campus are eligible to apply for up to $3,000 for funding new research projects. Students can be awarded once during their degree program, and not during their final semester.. Proposals will be accepted bi-annually, typically in September and February, and funded on a competitive basis, subject to availability of funds and scholarly merit.
The Spring 2026 proposal submission window is open and closes on February 27th at 5 pm.
Click here for proposal guidelines and rubric
ESDRI Fellows Funding
As part of the ESDRI Undergraduate Fellowship program, Fellows are eligible for up to $3,000 in funds over the course of their Fellowship to support their research or creative activities.
Fellows must maintain an active status and an ESDRI-affiliated faculty mentor to be eligible to submit a proposal for funding.
Click here to learn more about the Undergraduate Fellowship Program