Discovery Awards
Key Dates
Concept papers for award consideration due at 11:59 p.m. Nov. 12.
Semifinalists will be announced Nov. 23. Final full proposals are due 11:59 p.m. Jan. 8, 2027.
SIGN UP for starter workshops that introduce the awards, the rubric, and Foundations and Nexus tracks.
- “Understanding the Challenge”
- “Building the Team”
- “From Ideas to Opportunity”
Driving Interdisciplinary Research
The Discovery Awards are East Carolina University’s premier investment in bold, interdisciplinary teams advancing what’s next through research, innovation, creative activity, engagement, workforce development, and economic development. Through a biennial investment of up to $500,000, the program helps ECU teams translate knowledge into solutions that benefit communities, industries, and society.
Connect. Collaborate. Compete. Start by registering for Workshop 1 on October 5th or October 13th.
Contact Angela Lamson, assistant vice chancellor research strategy, at lamsona@ecu.edu, and your associate dean for research for more information.
Two Tracks. One Vision.
Foundation creates opportunity. Nexus accelerates opportunity and strengthens partnerships.
Foundation Track | Create the Opportunity
Foundation supports promising ideas, emerging interdisciplinary teams, and early-stage collaborations with strong potential for growth. This track helps teams define an opportunity, build the right collaboration, generate preliminary evidence, engage students and external stakeholders, and become more competitive for future external funding.
- Best fit for new or emerging teams
- Emphasis on idea quality, originality, and future potential
- Limited preliminary data or a prior history of working together is not required
- One-year projects expected to begin in spring 2027
Potential uses include team formation, planning, preliminary data, student engagement, stakeholder engagement, and early development of shared capabilities
Nexus Track | Accelerate the Opportunity
Nexus supports established interdisciplinary teams that are ready to accelerate a significant opportunity. This track invests in teams with demonstrated momentum while also considering new and meaningful partnerships that can accelerate impact. Nexus teams should be competitive for major external funding that may yield high impact discoveries, commercialization, or broad societal impact.
- Best fit for mature teams with evidence of readiness
- Emphasis on execution capacity, external competitiveness, and strategic partnerships
- Teams should identify the major external opportunity or impact pathway they are positioned to pursue
- The award should deepen, formalize, or expand partnerships and leave the team better positioned for implementation and external competition
- Project periods may continue through 2028, subject to final award terms
Who May Participate
Fixed-term, tenure-track, and tenured faculty may participate on project teams. Teams may also engage students, staff, community organizations, industry, government, health care, military, nonprofit, and other partners when those participants strengthen the work.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Teams should demonstrate meaningful integration of expertise across disciplines, including STEM and Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) when that integration strengthens the project. Contributions should be substantive and evident in the project’s design, implementation, outcomes, or pathway to impact. Teams are also encouraged to leverage ECU centers, institutes, facilities, equipment, infrastructure, and partnerships when those assets improve competitiveness or long-term sustainability.
How the Competition Works
The Discovery Awards use a developmental process designed to help teams improve their ideas, collaborations, and external competitiveness before ECU makes a major institutional investment.
- Explore the opportunity through introductory and team-formation workshops.
- Submit a short concept paper.
- Receive developmental review and, if invited, advance to the Proposal Development Institute.
- Develop and submit a full proposal.
- Participate in review and leadership selection.
- Launch the award and join the program’s continuing community of practice.
Concept Paper Requirements
Submit a concept paper of no more than three pages, single-spaced. The concept paper should give reviewers enough information to assess the opportunity and determine whether the team should advance. A detailed or line-item budget is not required at this stage.
- Opportunity and significance: What problem, opportunity, or emerging area will the team address, and why does it matter?
- Project idea and anticipated approach: What is distinctive about the concept, and what would the team do?
- Team formation, readiness, and capacity: Who is involved, what expertise is represented, and what additional expertise or partners may be needed?
- Expected impact and outcomes: Who benefits, and what would success make possible?
- Strategic alignment: How does the concept build, expand, or leverage an ECU strength or priority?
- External funding pathway: What future sponsor, program, or funding direction could the work support? A fully developed funding strategy is not required for Foundation concepts.
- Key resources and support needed to advance the project: What resources, capabilities, facilities, expertise, partnerships, or institutional support would most significantly accelerate progress?
How Concept Papers Will Be Reviewed
Foundation and Nexus concept papers use differentiated 100-point scorecards. Foundation places greater weight on the quality, originality, and potential of the idea. Nexus places greater weight on team readiness and external funding competitiveness. Reviewers will score the evidence presented and calibrate expectations to the purpose of each track.
| Criterion | Foundation | Nexus |
|---|---|---|
| Project Quality, Innovation & Significance | 30 | 20 |
| Strategic Alignment | 15 | 15 |
| Impact & Potential Outcomes | 15 | 15 |
| Team Formation, Readiness & Capacity | 15 | 20 |
| External Funding Competitiveness | 15 | 20 |
| Future Growth, Partnerships & Strategic Leverage | 5 | 5 |
| Key Resources and Support Needed to Advance the Project | 5 | 5 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
What Happens After Concept Review
Concept papers will receive high-level developmental review. Selected teams will be invited to the Proposal Development Institute and full-proposal stage. The institute will provide support related to proposal development, external funding strategy, team science, commercialization, community engagement, and budget development. A detailed budget belongs in the full proposal, not the concept paper.
Workshop 1: Understanding the Challenge
Every Discovery Awards team starts with an idea worth exploring. These introductory workshops are designed to help participants identify and refine their own research, innovation, engagement, workforce, or economic development concept before forming a team around it. Participants will examine a problem, opportunity, or emerging area of interest and consider why it matters, who is affected, and what impact a solution could have for communities, industries, or society.
Through guided exercises and discussion, participants will develop a concise description of the challenge they hope to address and begin articulating a vision for what success might look like. The goal is not to build a team yet, but to clarify the concept that could become the foundation for a Discovery Awards proposal. By the end of the session, participants will leave with a well-defined opportunity area and a clearer understanding of the expertise, perspectives, and partnerships that may be needed to advance their idea.
Workshop 2: Building the Team
Transformational ideas require transformational teams. This workshop focuses on translating individual ideas into collaborative opportunities by identifying the expertise, disciplines, experiences, and perspectives necessary to advance a concept from vision to reality. Participants will explore which colleagues, units, community organizations, industries, government agencies, and other partners could strengthen their concept and expand its potential impact. Discussions will emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the role of diverse perspectives in generating innovative solutions and competitive proposals.
Foundations Track applicants will focus on building new connections, establishing trust, and creating the shared vision necessary for future success. Nexus Track participants will assess how existing partnerships can be expanded and strengthened to support larger-scale opportunities.
Through guided activities, participants will map current and potential collaborators, clarify roles and contributions, and identify strategies for sustaining engagement over time. Participants will leave with a stronger understanding of who should be at the table and how to build a team capable of achieving meaningful impact. By the end of the workshop, participants will have identified potential collaborators and begun forming the partnerships needed to transform individual ideas into competitive Discovery Awards teams.
Workshop 3: From Ideas to Opportunity
The Chancellor’s Discovery Awards are intended to help teams translate promising ideas into opportunities for significant impact and future external investment. This workshop focuses on connecting a compelling challenge and a capable team with realistic pathways for growth, funding, and measurable outcomes.
Participants will explore potential grant programs, emerging funding priorities, and opportunities aligned with their research, innovation, engagement, workforce, or economic development goals. Teams will identify what success would look like and define outcomes that create value for communities, industries, and society. The session will also help participants assess existing partnerships, identify new relationships that must be developed, and understand how collaboration can strengthen competitiveness.
Foundations Track teams will focus on creating the relationships, preliminary data, and shared vision needed to position themselves for future opportunities. Nexus Track teams will concentrate on strategies for pursuing transformational initiatives and competing for significant external funding. By the conclusion of the workshop, participants will have a roadmap for moving from promising ideas to actionable opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should I contact for more information about the Discovery Awards?
Please contact Angela Lamson, assistant vice chancellor research strategy, at lamsona@ecu.edu, and your associate dean for research for more information about the Discovery Award program.
Do I need a full team before attending a workshop?
No. The workshop sequence is designed to help participants clarify an idea, identify missing expertise, and form or strengthen a team.
Is a detailed budget required with the concept paper?
No. Identify the major resources and support needed to advance the project. Detailed budgets and line-item requests are reserved for the invited full-proposal stage.
Can the resource request include more than money?
Yes. Teams should identify access to facilities, space, existing equipment, computing resources, data, expertise, partners, and institutional support that could remove a barrier or accelerate progress.
What is the difference between Foundation and Nexus?
Foundation creates opportunity by supporting promising ideas and emerging teams. Nexus accelerates opportunity by investing in ready teams, external competitiveness, and stronger partnerships.
Do teams need to include both STEM and HASS expertise?
Teams should show meaningful interdisciplinary integration, including STEM and HASS when that integration strengthens the proposed work. Contributions should be substantive rather than symbolic.
Must a project be affiliated with an ECU center or institute?
No. Teams are encouraged to leverage centers, institutes, facilities, infrastructure, and partnerships when doing so strengthens the project.
What will reviewers look for?
Reviewers will assess project quality, strategic alignment, impact, team formation and readiness, external funding competitiveness, future growth and partnership leverage, and the resources and support needed to advance the project.
How many Discovery Awards teams will receive funding?
We expect to award funding for up to 5 Foundation teams and up to 3 Nexus teams.