BOOTSTRP GRANTS

The four-year NSF ART grant includes internal funding for PSU researchers - Seed Translational Research Projects or STRPs - to move a project closer to partnerships, out-licensing, startup formation, or community deployment. The awards are intended to be milestone-driven, informed by feedback from experts, and include mentorship for students or post-docs. 

Year 1 Funded ProjectsYear 2 Proposal ProcessYEAR 2 PROPOSALS - KEY DATES

$25K–$75K

Per project

~ $280K

DIRECT FUNDING AVAILABLE EACH YEAR

YEAR 2 PROPOSAL
PROCESS

Key dates

Interested faculty should plan to attend at least one of the required Info Sessions or Workshops. They are listed on the Events page. Note the deadlines for the short and full proposals. 

  1. 01

    COLLEGE & DEPT PRESENTATIONS

    OCT-NOV

    Watch your department/college announcements and event calendars for information about when the PSU ART Team will be coming directly to you. Ask your Dean or Chair about scheduling an info session if you don't see one on the college or department calendar.

  2. 02

    INFO SESSIONS & WORKSHOPS

    NOV 12 & 17 · DEC 1 & 11, 2026

    Two information sessions (Nov 12 and Nov 17, 12:00–1:00pm) and two workshops (Dec 1 and Dec 11, 12:00–2:00pm) at the Propel Center will help you prepare a competitive proposal. Attending least one workshop is required to be eligible to submit the Short Form proposal.

  3. 03

    PROPOSAL DUE DATES

    SHORT FORM: OPEN DEC 15 - JAN 15

    LONG FORM: DUE MAR 31

    The short form window opens December 15 and closes January 15, and invited full propsoals are due by March 31. 

  4. 04

    Review

    Apr 1 - early May

    Full proposals will be reviewed by the ART team, ART Ambassadors, and outside partners. 

  5. 05

    Award

    DECISIONS EARLY MAY 2027 FOR PSU RESEARCH WEEK

    Awarded proposals will be formally recognized at PSU Research Week, and the ART Team will help setup follow-on activities, e.g. budgets and an internal PIAF, and additional support for the project teams.

See Workshops

ONGOING SUPPORT 

Project BootSTRP is an active partnership. To ensure your project meets the goals of the NSF ART award, funded teams will be required to participate in ART activities during their project:

  • BI-WEEKLY TOUCHPOINTS

    Meet regularly with the ART Teams, a faculty ART Ambassador, and/or other mentors to review milestone progress, address hurdles, and refine partnership or deployment strategies.

  • CUSTOMER/PARTNER DISCOVERY

    Actively collaborate with the ART Team to find feedback from potential partners, end users, or the community of practice. Many teams will participate in a regional NSF I-Corps program or other related Propel PSU validation training.

  • STUDENT MENTORING

    Graduate student or postdoctoral leads will have meaningful, hands-on roles in the project outcomes and attend translational training provided by the ART Team.

OUTCOMES

Because the NSF measures the ART program’s success based on concrete translational metrics, your project should be designed to significantly advance the project toward at least one of following milestones by the end of the funding period:

  • NEW DISCLOSURES (INVENTIONS, COPYRIGHT, OR DATA)

    Submitting high-quality disclosures to the IIP office to underpin the licensing and external partnership outcomes that should derive from the project.

  • COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS & SOCIETAL IMPACT

    A sustainable partnership with a non-profit, educational body, government entity or other community program that will benefit from dissemination of the project work.

  • LICENSING AND INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS

    Executing an option or license to an existing company, creation of a startup to further develop the technology from the project, or an industry development partnership to continue applied research with that partner.