ISCBRM Stinehart-Reed Collaborative Seed Grant Program

Open to Principal Members of the Institute in collaboration with a Stanford faculty member outside the Institute. The seed grant will provide up to 2 years of support for new and innovative stem cell research projects that can be best performed by faculty from different disciplines. The program is designed to foster interdisciplinary collaborations and to bring new research directions and methods into the Institute.

All projects must be significantly related to basic and/or translational research in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, and proposals should clearly articulate how the research will advance these disciplines.

Of particular interest are projects addressing the Institute’s high priority topics:

Single Cell Methods: Stem cells fundamentally function as single cells, and historically investigating single cells has presented technological challenges. Thus, development, implementation, and application of single cell techniques to the investigation of stem cells is a research priority for the ISCBRM.

In Vivo Modulation of Cell Fate and Function: For many translational applications to the disease setting, key approaches will involve modulating, changing, or recovering cell functions directly in the living individual. The development and implementation of novel methods for the in vivo modulation of cell fate and function, such as the delivery of RNAs, is a research priority for the ISCBRM.

Immune Modulation: In order to have the broadest impact, stem cell and other cellular therapies need to be available “off-the-shelf”, rather than generated and manufactured for each individual patient. Thus, the investigation and development of methods to modulate immune system interactions with stem cell and cellular therapies is a research priority for the ISCBRM.

Funding Level:

The award will fund up to $150,000 direct cost per year (split between investigators), for up to two years.  

Eligibility: 

All ISCBRM Principal Members are eligible to apply. 

Project must utilize a multi-PI approach and include a non-member Stanford faculty collaborator.

A list of current ISCBRM members can be found HERE

Awardees who are non-members of the Institute will be expected to attend and present (either poster or oral presentation) at the ISCBRM scientific retreat in September after the end of the grant term.

*Instructors and Post-docs may not serve as PI or Co-PI

Proposal Review Process:

Proposals will be reviewed by the leadership team at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (ISCBRM) to ensure compliance with the RFP and alignment with the overall goals of the funding program. The leadership team will evaluate submissions and make recommendations to the Director for the final selection of awardees by the end of July.

Reporting Requirements:  

Recipients must submit an interim report due one month prior to the end of the first year. The second year of funding will be dependent on the research progress as detailed in this report.

A final report is due within 2 months after project completion. The final report should contain research results, usage of funds, a list of publications, conference talks, or grant applications emerging from the research, and include a lay abstract summary of the project and outcomes.  

Non-members of the Institute participating in a collaborative project will be expected to attend the ISCBRM scientific retreat in September and present this work (either with a poster or oral presentation).

Awardees will be expected to acknowledge the funding source in abstracts and publications.

How to Apply:

Applications must be completed and submitted to iscbrm-seedfunding@stanford.edu by end of day on May 31, 2025. Applicants will receive a confirmation email once their application has been submitted, and award decisions will be communicated following the faculty advisory committee's review. Application materials will not be returned.

Applicants are required to submit the following items as a single pdf file: 

• Cover Sheet
• Two-page proposal + 1 page of figures (references do not count towards page limit)
• Biosketches of PI and Co-PI