LEAP FORWARD
Letter of Intent: January 21st 2026 Full Proposal Due: February 17th 2026
Reviewed and Faculty informed by April 27th 2026
We want to help you prepare your big ideas for external award competition. Leap Forward seed funds will award up to $75,000 to existing interdisciplinary research teams (at least two faculty from different departments) who demonstrate that they have partnered together on a research idea or creative activity, be it a publication, proposal, award, etc. All good ideas are welcome, but we encourage you to consider how yours fits within the scope of at least one of our 13 Big Ideas as identified by Texas and national agencies:
- Advanced Manufacturing & Materials
- Energy Evolution
- Food & Livestock Products
- Hospitality, Tourism, & Culture
- Cyber Security & Information Technology
- Life Sciences & Biotechnology
- Petroleum Refining & Chemicals
- Professional Services & Corporate Operations
- Rare Earth Elements & Mineral Mining
- Transportation & Logistics
- Artificial Intelligence
- Quantum Computing
- Space
