Every day, scientists and scholars in Iowa State’s academically diverse College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) positively impact Iowa, the nation and the world with innovative research that pushes the boundaries of science, technology and the humanities.
Whether it’s in one of our virtual reality or robotics labs or in a state-of-the-art classroom, our community of LAS researchers is forging new paths—both individually and collaboratively.
The LASERS team can assist with all grant proposals. Faculty are encouraged to contact the LASERS team at any point in the research process, from searching for funding opportunities to proposal development and submission.
All grant applications are due in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Office (202 Catt Hall) on the dates indicated. Include your name in the title of the data file. For more information on grant applications, please email las-assoc-deans-assistant@iastate.edu.
All grants will be awarded on a competitive basis.
The Frontier Science Fund advances and accelerates high-risk, high-reward scientific research projects in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Contact: Potential applicants are encouraged to reach out to Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education Gustavo MacIntosh with any questions.
LAS is collaborating with the Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities (CEAH) to provide research grants to faculty in the arts and humanities disciplines. LAS applicants who apply for CEAH research grants will also be considered for LAS HSEI funding. Additional information on the application process is on the CEAH website.
The LAS Research and Travel Grants program provides modest funding to support research or scholarly activities for tenure-eligible faculty in the arts and humanities who have limited opportunities to secure external research funding. Examples of the types of funding requests that will be considered include travel to present scholarly efforts or to conduct scholarly work, the purchase of small equipment or supplies, and hiring of undergraduates to assist in research activities.
The LAS Research and Travel Grants program will be offered twice per fiscal year. Proposals should be submitted electronically, acknowledging a department cost share of at least 10% (template provided).
The LAS Seed Grants for Social Sciences provide competitive funding to enhance scholarly research in the social sciences and enable collection of preliminary data in support of future extramural grant proposals. Criteria for funding of SGSS proposals include evaluation of the merit of the research, its potential impact, the potential to generate preliminary results enabling future competitive external funding, and its potential to enhance areas of research excellence in the college.
Interested faculty should prepare a proposal as well as a budget justification table (template provided). A departmental cost-share commitment of at least $1,000 in support of this project is required from the home department of the principal investigator (PI), or jointly of the PIs if the SGSS proposal is collaborative.
The LAS Term Faculty Travel Grants program is intended for non tenure-eligible faculty that have limited opportunities for obtaining external funding to support professional development that is consistent with the expectations of their PRS. Thus, the focus of the program is on supporting teaching activities.
The LAS Term Faculty Travel Grants program will be offered twice per fiscal year. Proposals should be submitted electronically, acknowledging a department cost share of 10% and that the request is consistent with the applicant’s PRS (template provided).
This award was established with a generous estate gift from Carl A. and Grace A. Bailey. The overall goal of this program is to foster research that is innovative (outside of an established research program) and not only increases knowledge but also has practical applications. It is expected that the Bailey award will allow faculty to devote time toward high-risk, high-impact research addressing emerging scientific, technical, and/or societal problems resulting in practical applications and, in appropriate disciplines, extramural funding.
The deadline to submit the Full Proposal is October 1, 2025, and should be submitted as per the Program and Application Information.
Faculty Professional Development Assignments allow faculty time to advance work on research and scholarship that is difficult or impossible to perform in conjunction with one’s on-campus responsibilities. FPDAs provide faculty with a release from teaching and service responsibilities, however the responsibility to continue mentoring current graduate students and post-doctoral research associates remains. Professional development assignments may also entail international travel and/or familiarization with new or specialized training in or related to the faculty member’s discipline. FPDAs are expected to result in publications, grants, scholarly innovation and enhanced learning opportunities for students.
FPDA applications will be reviewed at the college level before being forwarded to the Senior Vice President and Provost. Interested faculty should prepare the FPDA application, a 2-5 page CV, as well as a completed Replacement Cost worksheet. Applications must be ranked by the department before submission to the college, so departments may have an earlier deadline.
Financial support for university-related travel to foreign countries, in some instances, may be obtained through the Foreign Travel Grant Program. Because funds in this program are limited, grants are awarded on a competitive basis and for no more than 75 percent of the least expensive round trip air fare between Des Moines and the individual’s destination or 75 percent of the lowest appropriate air fare between two destinations, whichever is less at the time the quote is obtained.
Applications are reviewed and grants are awarded three times a year. Award periods for 2026-2027 are:
• Round 1: Travel starting between November 1, 2026-June 30, 2027
• Round 2: Travel starting between March 1, 2027-October 31, 2027
• Round 3: Travel starting between June 1, 2027-January 31, 2028
FTG applications will be reviewed at the college level by the LAS Faculty Development Committee before being forwarded to the Faculty Senate Committee. Interested faculty should prepare the application, including the department chair’s signature, as well as a separate PDF copy of their CV. If you have other funding sources that could be used for this travel or look like they could be used for this travel, please consult with the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education before beginning application. The dean’s signature will be obtained following the FDC’s review and recommendations.
Applications must be submitted to LAS by the due dates posted below – the due dates on the FTG application refer to the due dates for LAS to submit recommendations to Faculty Senate. Applications submitted after the LAS due dates for the respective round will not be considered.
