The Office of Research and Innovation is seeking applications for the Neogen Land Grant Prize. Funded by a gift from former Provost and Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, Dr. John E. Cantlon and his wife, Carolyne Irene Cantlon, this endowed award program seeks to advance the work of an MSU graduate student whose research has the potential to contribute to economic and scientific improvements in society, with a promise of practical applications that benefit U.S. economic interests.
Applicants must be graduate students in good standing who have successfully completed their preliminary exam, have a track record of research accomplishment, and a project that is ripe for translation to impact through a commercialization/dissemination pathway. The preliminary research leading to the proposed work should be ongoing or have been completed in the last two years and must be the work of the applicant. The application must be written by and support the proposed work of the applicant graduate student. The student’s research mentor must write a letter of support, describing their significant commitment to foster and nurture the proposed line of translational research.
One (1) Prize in the amount of forty thousand dollars ($40,000) will be awarded annually. The use of funds will be restricted to direct costs of research and up to $10,000 in salary or stipends. These can include supplies and services, prototype development, market studies, and other reasonably related activities (such as conference travel or publication expenses). The proposed work should occur over the period of six months to a year. Extension to the spending period (without commitment of additional funds) may be requested for an additional year, after which unspent funds will be returned to the endowment.
Applications are restricted to seven (7) pages, and should contain the following sections:
- Background Findings – detailing the foundational work already accomplished.
- Description of Potential Economic Value – description of how this work will eventually create economic value and impact. To the extent possible - present evidence that validates the potential economic impact.
- Work proposed with these funds – detailing the experiments/development work to be accomplished in the term of the study.
- Path to Impact - describing the follow-on work (plan and anticipated funding beyond this award) required to achieve economic impact.
- Anticipated Pitfalls – what risks underlie the proposed project, and how may they be mitigated.
Links to external information may be included in the text, but reviewers may choose not to view those materials; the application should stand on its own merits, within the seven pages.
Curricula vitae for all key personnel in the application, and an itemized budget and narrative justification detailing anticipated expenses must be submitted with the application and does not affect the page count of the application.
The review process will judge applications on:
- The quality of the preliminary research:
- Does the applicant clearly describe the preliminary research?
- Are the preliminary findings sufficiently sound (based on peer review, or sufficiently demonstrated in the application) to warrant further investment?
- The potential to contribute to economic and scientific improvements in society, with a promise of practical applications that benefit U.S. economic interests:
- Does the application clearly articulate the value proposition of the proposed endpoint for this work and differentiate this work from other solutions?
- If the work proposed was successful would the result make a significant impact to society?
- If the work proposed was successful would the result deliver an economic value to MSU/Michigan/USA?
- The quality and clarity of the proposed work and its likelihood of success
- Does the application clearly articulate the plan of work, in sufficient detail to judge the merit of the plan?
- Will the proposed budget enable the proposed work, is the budget cash efficient?
- Will the work proposed significantly advance the project toward a useful endpoint?
- To the extent that the project anticipates falling short of the useful/impactful endpoint, does the application articulate the follow-on work required to achieve that useful endpoint?
- Does the application articulate a credible strategy to secure funding for this follow-on work?
A panel of reviewers will be convened, complementary to the subject matter of the proposals received. Reviewers may include persons external to MSU, and all reviewers will be bound by confidentiality, to protect the materials disclosed in all applications.
Proposals are to be submitted electronically through the Neogen Land Grant Prize link within the grant proposal system. If you have any questions after reviewing the website, please contact us at: proposal@msu.edu or 432-3773.
The Neogen Land Grant Prize submission deadline is Thursday, February 26, 2026. An award will be announced in late April, with funds made available on July 1, 2026. A final report will be required at the conclusion of funded projects.