The Office of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) Affairs has announced the recipients of the 2025 SBU-BNL Seed Grant Program. Nine awards have been given, totaling nearly $600,000.
The Seed Grant Program, now in its 27th year, aims to promote collaboration between Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory. The program encourages scientists from both institutions to work together on projects that align with their strategic plans. Funding for the program comes from the Office of the President and Office of BNL Affairs at Stony Brook University, with BNL providing matching funds for many of the grants.
This year, 39 applications were submitted for joint projects by researchers from both organizations. Awardees include faculty from several Stony Brook colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Renaissance School of Medicine, and the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.
“This program has proven to be very effective in creating new collaborations between Stony Brook and Brookhaven, many of which have provided finding for grad students and postdocs working jointly between these institutions,” said Associate Vice President for Brookhaven National Laboratory Affairs Richard Reeder.
“The Seed Grant Program continues to exemplify the power of partnership between Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory,” said Vice President for Research and Innovation Kevin Gardner. “By supporting early-stage, collaborative projects, we’re helping researchers pursue bold ideas that can lead to transformative discoveries and strengthen the shared scientific enterprise of our two institutions.”
Established in 1998 when Stony Brook began its shared management role for BNL, the Seed Grant Program is designed to help launch research that positions investigators to seek external funding. The Office of BNL Affairs manages this annual initiative.
For 2025, proposals focused on quantum information science and technology, nuclear and high-energy physics, photon sciences, microelectronics, energy security, artificial intelligence (AI), as well as accelerator science and engineering received priority consideration. In previous years, successful proposals have resulted in significant external funding and progress in research areas important to both SBU and BNL.
