[American Chemical Society](https://www.acs.org)

March 2026 | October 2026

$55,000 total over 2 years; no overhead allowed; at least 40% must support undergraduate students.

Supports early-career faculty at U.S. undergraduate institutions to launch new, fundamental petroleum-related research with strong undergraduate student involvement.

Forecasted dates—verify on the program page before applying.

--- ## Description The American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (ACS PRF) Undergraduate New Investigator (UNI) Grants are designed to help faculty in the first five years of their academic careers at U.S. institutions without doctoral programs initiate independent research in fundamental petroleum-related science. The program provides seed funding for projects that are distinctly new directions from the principal investigator’s prior work and are intended to generate preliminary data, enabling future applications for continued funding from other agencies. A key emphasis is on supporting undergraduate student research experiences and advanced scientific education. Projects should be of publishable quality and must not overlap with previous research or funding. --- ## Due Dates - March 2026: Submission deadline — end of Spring 2026 UNI proposal window (anticipated) - October 2026: Submission deadline — end of Fall 2026 UNI proposal window (anticipated) *All dates are projected based on the annual cycle; check the program page for updates.* --- ## Funding Amount - **Total Award:** $55,000 over a two-year period - **Budget Constraints:** - At least 40% of the budget must directly support undergraduate (and optionally MS) students each year - PI summer salary capped at $8,000 per grant year (max $16,000 total, including fringe) - Travel capped at $2,000 per year ($4,000 total) - Publication costs capped at $2,000 total - Equipment requests discouraged (≤ $5,000 if included, with justification) - No overhead or indirect costs allowed - **Estimated Awards:** Approximately 25 awarded annually --- ## Eligibility - **PI Requirements:** - Assistant Professor (or equivalent) within the first five years of first academic appointment - Faculty member in a U.S. department that does not offer doctoral degrees - Completed all Ph.D. requirements (may apply before degree is awarded) - Eligible to serve as the sole formal supervisor of undergraduate students - Appointment must continue through the proposed funding period - **Institution:** U.S. non-profit colleges/universities without doctoral programs - **Other:** - Only one active ACS PRF grant or proposal under consideration at a time - Limit of three UNI applications considered and/or one UNI grant funded per career - No co-PI allowed, but collaborators are permitted --- ## Application Process - **Registration:** - Obtain an ACS ID (free, ACS membership not required) - Complete PRF Portal pre-registration ([PRF Pre-Registration Form](https://prfgrant.acs.org/register/s/)) - Institutional email required for registration - **Eligibility Quiz:** Must be completed and passed in the PRF Portal before application creation - **Submission:** - Prepare and submit the application online via the [ACS PRF Portal](https://prfgrant.acs.org/login) - Required documents include: cover page, budget and justification, abstract, petroleum relevance statement, safety statement, PI CV, current/pending support, publication list, suggested reviewers (at least six), and a technical proposal (≤ 4,000 words) - Download signature pages, obtain required signatures (PI and institutional official), and upload signed documents - Validate and submit the application before the deadline - **Proposal Requirements:** - Research must be fundamental, petroleum-related, and a new direction for the PI (not a logical extension of previous work) - Must include support for undergraduate students each year - No overlap with other funded research --- ## Additional Information - Proposals are reviewed based on scientific merit, educational impact, newness of research direction, and PI qualifications. - Only one proposal per PI per cycle; no multiple submissions. - No late submissions or document changes after the deadline. - Time extensions (up to two years) are possible for funded grants if reporting is current. - All patents arising from ACS PRF-funded work must be dedicated to the public, royalty free. --- ## External Links - [Program Page: Undergraduate New Investigator (UNI) Grants](https://www.acs.org/funding/grants/petroleum-research-fund/programs/undergraduate-new-investigator-grants.html) - [Eligibility, Terms & Conditions (PDF)](https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/funding/grants/prf/programs/uni/uni-etc-07252024.pdf) - [UNI Application Instructions (PDF)](https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/funding/grants/prf/programs/uni/uni-instructions-oct-2022.pdf) - [Proposal Submission Overview](https://www.acs.org/funding/grants/petroleum-research-fund/applicants/salesforce-proposal-submission-help.html) - [PRF Research Areas](https://www.acs.org/funding/grants/petroleum-research-fund/about/research-areas.html) - [Application Submission Top 10 Tips (PDF)](https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/funding/grants/prf/online-help/prf-openhouse-applicationsubmission-v1-071724.pdf) - [UNI & UR FAQ](https://www.acs.org/funding/grants/petroleum-research-fund/programs/uni-ur-faq.html) - [PRF Portal Registration Help](https://www.acs.org/funding/grants/petroleum-research-fund/applicants/salesforce-registration-help.html) - [Submit Your PRF Proposal](https://prfgrant.acs.org/s/) --- ## Contact Information | Role | Name/Email | |-----------------------|------------------------------------------------------| | General Inquiries | [prfinfo@acs.org](mailto:prfinfo@acs.org) | | Technical Support | [prfsupport@acs.org](mailto:prfsupport@acs.org) | | Program Officers | [See list on program page](https://www.acs.org/funding/grants/petroleum-research-fund/programs/undergraduate-new-investigator-grants.html) | | ACS Contact | [help@services.acs.org](mailto:help@services.acs.org) | | Phone | +1 800-227-5558 | ---

Undergraduate New Investigator (UNI) Grants

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