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DSI-MnDRIVE Informatics PhD Graduate Assistantship Program

Application period: August through September each year.

Eligibility: Applicant must be a current PhD student at the University of Minnesota. Applicants must have completed their preliminary oral exam by the start of the assistantship. Post-docs are not eligible for these awards.

Summary: The Data Science Initiative-MnDRIVE Graduate Assistantship program supports UMN PhD candidate pursuing research at the intersection of the Data Science focus areas and any of the five MnDRIVE areas: Robotics, Sensors and Advanced Manufacturing; Global Food Ventures; Advancing Industry, Conserving Our Environment; Discoveries and Treatments for Brain Conditions; and Cancer Clinical Trials. 

• Funding limit: The maximum award value will be a 12-month (2 semesters and 1 summer), 50% graduate research assistantship, including tuition for up to 14 credits each semester (fall & spring) and subsidized health insurance through the Graduate Assistant Health Plan.
• Assistantship duration: 12 to 18 months
• 2023 Program Application deadline: October 6th, 2022 at 5:00pm CST.  The application window for this program will open in early August and fellowship awards will be announced by early December.

To view additional program details, click the Apply Now button below.

DSI Seed Grants 

Eligibility: The primary applicant must be faculty or research staff (P&A) at the University of Minnesota. Adjunct faculty are not eligible for funding under this program.

Summary: DSI Seed Grant funds are intended to promote, catalyze, accelerate, and advance UMN-based data science research so that UMN faculty and staff are well prepared to compete for longer-term external funding opportunities. Proposals from all disciplines and across all campuses, including interdisciplinary collaborations, intersecting with Data Science are encouraged to apply, with priority given to proposals that will enable or bridge applications to larger funding opportunities and/or create new cross-disciplinary or cross-system collaborations.  Priority will be given to proposals that align with at least one of the areas of the MnDRIVE initiative and the current DSI focus areas

These grants are divided into two funding categories, Small, and Medium/Large. Application deadlines depend on the amount of funding requested. Details concerning proposal deadlines, duration, and funding levels are described below.

Small Seed Grants 

• Funding limit: Up to $10,000
  • An additional $5,000 (for a total of up to $15,000) is available for applications involving outreach or engagement (e.g., organizing workshops, seminars, or conferences focused on exploring new areas and building new research collaborations)
• Maximum proposal duration: 24 months
• Application deadline: Quarterly.
  • Next deadline: October 6, 2023.

Medium or Large Seed Grants

• Funding limit per application: $10,000 to $120,000
  • Medium requests: $10,000 to $50,000
  • Large requests: $50,000 to $120,000 
• Maximum proposal duration: 36 months
• Application deadline: October 6, 2023.