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MARL Seed Award Program

Call for Applications

The Music and Audio Research Laboratory (MARL) is pleased to announce its annual call for seed award applications! MARL is committed to funding new projects that bring together scholars working at the intersection of music, sound, science, and technology. This year, MARL and the Center of Health and Rehabilitation Research (CoHRR) will be partnering for a joint seed award that addresses the intersection of Sound+Health (broadly construed). This seed award targets new research and research collaborations that cut across the research focus and expertise in CoHRR and MARL. Regular projects will range from $10,000 - $12,000 and will not exceed $15,000. Joint MARL-CoHRR projects will be funded by up to $20,000. Applications are due by 5pm on March 31st, 2025. Full instructions for application materials and grantee expectations are available below.

 

Apply Now for the MARL seed award

Proposed research projects must include collaboration with at least one MARL faculty member. One seed award will fund a project run collaboratively by at least one faculty member from MARL and one from CoHRR. All projects should focus on interdisciplinary research combining a minimum of two of the following research areas:

  • Sound and Computing
  • Cognition, Neuroscience, and Perception
  • Human Technology Interaction
  • Technology Mediated Creativity
  • Health and Wellbeing

If you have questions regarding the ways in which your scholarly work fits within the mission of MARL, please do not hesitate to contact us.

  1. Proposed research teams must include at least one MARL faculty member with PI status. If proposing a collaborative project between MARL and CoHRR, teams must include at least one faculty member affiliated with each center. Projects led by early career faculty / investigators are encouraged.
  2. Proposals must draw upon at least two distinct disciplines.
  3. Previous MARL seed grant awardees cannot reapply for funding for the same project. 

An interdisciplinary group of faculty reviewers will evaluate proposals based on quality, feasibility, and the following other criteria: 

  1. Interdisciplinary nature:  Proposed research projects must be interdisciplinary in nature. This criterion is often met by an investigator working collaboratively with one or more researchers in other disciplines, departments, or schools, where the theory and tools of two or more disciplines will be used.

    Collaboration with faculty or researchers at NYU is strongly encouraged and will be prioritized, but external collaboration is also acceptable. If partnering with an external organization, please note that this is an internal funding opportunity and the funding will remain within NYU.

  2. Fit with MARL and in the case of the joint award, with CoHRR priorities: Reviewers will evaluate whether the project is a fit within the focus areas and funding priorities of MARL.
     
  3. Pilot for future study:  This RFA is specifically targeted as “seed” or “pilot” support for projects that are large in scope, where faculty members hope to secure future external funding. High priority will be given to investigators with a well-articulated plan for submitting grant applications for external funding (including 2-3 potential funders with submission timelines identified). MARL (and in the case of the joint award, CoHRR) will provide administrative support and mentorship opportunities to seed award recipients during the preparation of a full proposal to secure external funding. Please note that seed award recipients will be required to submit related external proposals through MARL, and in the case of the joint award, through CoHRR as well.

Awardees of the MARL Seed Awards are expected to:

  1. Participate in MARL-sponsored activities whenever possible, including attending center-sponsored seminars and MARL thematic area meetings on topics related to the project, and giving at least one presentation about the project at a MARL event.
  2. Meet with MARL staff to discuss external funding possibilities and plan for future proposals. Awardees will be expected to submit proposals for external support for the project through MARL.
  3. Alert MARL staff of any external publications or media coverage resulting from the funded project.
  4. Submit a final report.

How to Apply

Applications will be submitted via the NYU InfoReady portal. Applicants will be prompted to enter personnel and project information into text fields within the portal and will also be required to upload PDF attachments. A summary of required sections is as follows:

  1. Personal Details: Applicant name and contact information (Text field)
  2. Key Collaborator Information: Include names, affiliations, and project titles (e.g. Co-PI, Co-I, Advisor) for key members of the project team (Text field)
  3. Proposal Title (Text field)
  4. Project Period: Enter a start and end date. Projects are typically 12 months. The earliest possible start date is June 1, 2025. (Text field)
  5. Human Subjects Information: (Dropdown question and text box)
    • All funded proposals that include the participation of human subjects as part of their research design must be reviewed and approved by the New York University Committee on Activities Involving Human Subjects (UCAIHS). Please indicate in the provided InfoReady fields whether human subjects will be involved in your research, and if so, the status of your human subjects application. Approval is not required at the time of application submission but will be required before any project activities involving human subjects can start. 
  6. Project Description and Budget (Attachment)
    • The project description should be limited to 3 single-spaced pages including all pictures, graphs, tables, references, and the budget. References should be included within this attachment as well but will not count toward page limits. Please be succinct, avoid jargon, and spell out acronyms when used for the first time.
    • Please include responses to the following sections within your proposal:
      • State of knowledge: What is the current state of knowledge regarding the proposed research?  What are the relevant disciplines?  What impact might the project have on the state of knowledge across these disciplines?
      • Program overview and design: Please describe the project’s scope, size, and components. What methodology will you employ?  How is your program multidisciplinary? What is the project’s duration and timeline?
      • Statement of potential impact: What impact might your project have at NYU or in the broader community?  What will be the product of your research? How will your project inform education and broaden participation? How will your project impact society?
      • Plans for future study: How will the requested seed funding contribute to your longer-term research, impact, and funding goals? How will future submissions for sponsored research be strengthened by the seed award? Please also list 2-3 potential funder targets for continuing your project after the seed award has concluded.
      • Budget
        • Project support will range from $10,000-12,000 and will not exceed $15,000. For the joint MARL-CoHRR award the maximum budget allowed will be $20,000. Award size depends on the proposed scope of work. Funds are not permitted for faculty salary expenses. Budgeted expenses may include wages for student assistants, fringe benefits, travel related to data collection, fieldwork expenses, consultation, hourly assistance, etc. Proposed budgets should consist of a bulleted list of expenditures.
  7. Other Attachments (Attachment)
    • BioSketch or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
      • Include a CV (no more than three pages) for each investigator involved in the proposed project.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. on March 31st, 2025

Apply Now

Learn More About MARL

Music and Audio Research Laboratory

Music and Audio Research Laboratory brings together scholars from music theory, technology and composition, computer and information science, interactive media and media studies, to explore the intersection between music, computation and science.

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