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MISTI Global Seed Funds

MISTI Global Seed Funds enable MIT faculty and researchers to launch early-stage international projects and collaboration with colleagues abroad. Applicants are encouraged to involve MIT undergraduate and graduate students in their projects.

MISTI GSF includes a general fund for projects in any country and several country funds with their own requirements (details).

Projects that match the requirements of a country fund must apply to that fund; all others should apply to the general fund.

Eligibility
MISTI GSF is open to all MIT faculty and members of the research staff with principal investigator privileges (principal research scientists and senior research scientists). If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact us.

Students
MIT students and postdocs are encouraged to participate in projects but may not apply directly for funding. MIT students participating in projects will be expected to attend country-specific training through MISTI. (MIT undergraduate and graduate students wishing to intern or conduct research abroad are encouraged to apply for the MISTI internship program.)

Funding available

  • Funding may be used to cover travel, meeting and workshop costs to facilitate international projects and collaboration.
  • Funds may not be used to cover salaries or materials.
  • Funds are not intended to be used for long-term stays (over two months) abroad or at MIT.* However, MISTI may be able to send MIT undergraduate and graduate students to work on faculty led projects abroad through our internship program. Contact us to learn more.
  • Funds may not be used to cover MIT Visiting Student fees.*
  • Applicants should include 10% for MIT overhead in their grant requests.
  • Maximum award amounts vary depending on the fund (details).

    *An exception: MIT-Italy Seed Funds may be used to cover long-term stays at MIT and the MIT Visiting Student fees.

Travel expense guidelines
Awards may cover up to 75% of the US Department of State maximum per diem rate for the proposed travel abroad plus a reasonable estimate of the economy-class airfare. For instance, if the maximum per diem rate for Paris is $454, you may request up to $340 per day for a trip to Paris, plus airfare. For travel to MIT, applicants are eligible for up to $250 per day in expenses, plus economy-class airfare. If you have any questions about these guidelines, please contact us.

Application process and deadline
Please complete the PDF application form (download here) and email it to misti-gsf@mit.edu. If you wish to include images or figures, please send them in a separate PDF attachment along with your application form. If you have trouble with the PDF form, please contact us.

Awards for the 2012-2013 grant cycle will be announced in early December 2012. Funds will be available for use starting in January 2013 through August 2014. Grantees will be asked to submit a short financial and activity report at the end of the grant period. 

Review and selection process

  1. Projects will first be evaluated by MIT faculty knowledgeable about the field within which the proposal falls. These evaluators will review a proposal taking into consideration the importance of the scientific problem or project and its potential contribution to the field.
  2. The finalists will then be identified by a selection board composed of MIT faculty from each of MIT's Schools. The selection board will review proposals based on the requirements and priorities of the specific fund (details). In addition, for all funds, priority will be given to:
    1. new projects or projects that are entering a new phase
    2. projects that involve students
    3. projects that are likely to be sustainable beyond the grant period.

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