Research & Innovation

About the Program

The program is stewarded by the Teevens Center Academic Advisory Board as part of the Center’s broader research and innovation strategy. Through this program, the Center seeks to advance impactful scholarship, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and translate research into tools, programs, and practices that support student thriving.

The Center's grants advance research and innovation in human performance, leadership, and well-being, the Center's primary focus and a distinctive, interdisciplinary field in its own right. This work spans the full range of methods, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches. Proposals are valued first and foremost for the insight and impact they generate, not for adherence to any one methodological tradition. Projects that also connect to one or more of Dartmouth's six university research priority areas (listed under Application Components) link this work to the University's five-year research strategy, though that alignment is optional and not part of the eligibility criteria.

These seed grants are designed to:

  • Spark new ideas and exploratory research
  • Strengthen collaboration across academic, athletic, health, and creative disciplines
  • Encourage projects that integrate research, practice, and lived experience
  • Support student learning through hands-on research opportunities
  • Generate insights, tools, and practices that enhance performance and thriving
  • Contribute to Dartmouth’s leadership in human performance research and innovation

Projects may include applied research, pilot interventions, technology or product design, data-driven innovation, creative or artistic inquiry, or program development that expands the boundaries of human performance at Dartmouth.

Guiding Principles

Grant-supported projects should strive to:

  • Explore meaningful questions: Address challenges or opportunities related to human performance, leadership development, health, well-being, or student thriving.
  • Translate research into practice: Develop tools, programs, or practices that meaningfully support student well-being, performance, and thriving.
  • Strengthen Dartmouth’s research ecosystem: Foster interdisciplinary partnerships that connect faculty, clinicians, coaches, students, and external collaborators across academic, clinical, athletic, and student life domains.
  • Highlight Dartmouth’s strengths: Showcase the creativity, curiosity, and interdisciplinary energy that characterize academic and co-curricular life at Dartmouth.
  • Create lasting impact: Generate knowledge, resources, partnerships, or systems that extend beyond the grant period.
  • Use resources responsibly: Demonstrate thoughtful budgeting, feasibility, and potential for future growth or external funding.

Grant Overview

Eligibility

Open to Dartmouth faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and students (undergraduate and graduate) across Arts & Sciences, the Geisel School of Medicine, Thayer School of Engineering, the Tuck School of Business, and the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, including clinical faculty at Dartmouth Health. Collaborative and cross-departmental teams are strongly encouraged and prioritized. Projects that provide meaningful research roles for students as co-investigators, collaborators, or assistants are highly encouraged. Applications are considered in three categories: student-only teams, faculty/staff-only teams, and student-faculty/staff collaborations, each with its own award range (see Funding Amount below).

Ineligible Projects

Projects that are primarily administrative, clerical, curricular, commercial, or tied to institutional initiatives are not eligible. 

Advisory Board Conflicts of Interest

Academic Advisory Board members may apply but must recuse themselves from review and discussion of any proposal on which they are named.

Multiple Proposals

Individuals may be named on no more than two proposals and may serve as lead applicant on only one.

Graduating Students

Projects led by students who will graduate before the end of the funding period should either propose a compressed timeline that concludes before graduation or name a continuing team member or faculty mentor to steward the award through completion.

Funding Amount

Tiered by team type (see below). For the 2026–27 pilot year, approximately $50,000 is available across all categories, and we anticipate funding approximately 8 to 12 projects. All tiers share the same $2,000 minimum request. Award size is matched to project scope and budget justification, and need not reach the tier maximum.

  • Student-only teams: $2,000–$5,000
  • Faculty/staff-only teams: $2,000–$8,000
  • Student-faculty/staff collaborations: $2,000–$10,000 (the program’s priority category)

Please note: Category is determined by the level of faculty involvement, not merely its presence. Student-only teams are independent projects with no faculty involvement; this option exists so students are not required to secure faculty sponsorship to apply. A project should be submitted as a student-faculty collaboration when a faculty member's involvement is substantive, such as shaping the research question or design, providing the methodology or tools the study depends on, or offering ongoing mentorship throughout the project, rather than incidental, such as a one-time consultation or basic access to a resource. Applicants unsure which category fits are encouraged to contact the Center for guidance before applying. 

Funding Period Key Dates

  • Call for Proposals Released: September 2026 
  • Applications Due: Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 11.59 p.m. ET
  • Notification: Tuesday, December 8, 2026 (following the Advisory Board review)
  • Funding Begins: Award period begins December 14, 2026, with funds accessible once accounts are established. 
  • Funding Period: 12 months, December 14, 2026 to December 14, 2027. Extensions require approval.
  • Interim Progress Report: June 14, 2027 (project midpoint), 500–750 words
  • Project Completion: December 14, 2027
  • Projects Contingent on IRB Approval: For projects funded contingent on IRB approval, the 12-month funding period begins on the date of approval.
     

Apply for a Grant

Apply for a Grant

Questions?

Contact Dr. Duncan Simpson, Director of the Kirsten and Eugene F. “Buddy” Teevens Center for Peak Performance, at Duncan.simpson@Dartmouth.edu.