About the Working Groups

The Rice Sustainability Institute supports interdisciplinary faculty-led working groups to seed innovative research collaborations focused on sustainability challenges. These working groups serve as incubators for bold ideas, supporting teams as they pursue major external funding and build long-term impact.

The call for proposals remains open on a rolling basis, with priority given to proposals submitted by April 4, 2025.

Apply Now: Download the full Call for Proposals PDF (Spring 2025) | Submit all materials as a single PDF to si@rice.edu

Call for Proposals: Spring 2025

Purpose

The Rice Sustainability Institute invites proposals for working groups that:

  • Tackle pressing sustainability issues across disciplines

  • Aim to develop center-level proposals or secure external funding (e.g., NSF, DOE, foundations)

  • Foster collaborations across schools and departments

Award Details

  • Maximum request: $15,000 per group for one year

  • Eligible expenses: travel for funding engagement, meals for meetings, proposal development support, conference attendance, and well-justified data generation

  • Funds cannot be used for faculty salary, student stipends, subcontracts, equipment, or teaching release

Eligibility

  • Must include at least 3 full-time, tenure-track Rice faculty from at least two different schools

  • Additional members (non-tenure track faculty, staff, external collaborators) are encouraged

Deliverables

Awarded working groups are expected to provide:

  • 1-page research summary (for internal and external partners)

  • Up to 5 promotional slides

  • Poster for internal and external events (template and design support provided)

  • Brief progress updates for RSI-hosted meetings

How to Apply

Download the full Call for Proposals PDF (Spring 2025)
Submit all materials as a single PDF to si@rice.edu

Proposal Requirements:

  1. Working group title, faculty lead(s), and contact info

  2. List of team members with roles and expertise

  3. 1-page budget

  4. Description including:

    • Research vision (500 words)

    • Thematic alignment with Rice initiatives

    • External funding strategy (500 words)

  5. Support letters from aligned initiatives (if applicable)

  6. CVs for each team member (max 3 pages)

For questions or assistance, please contact si@rice.edu.