Petroleum Research Fund - Undergraduate New Investigator Grants

Petroleum Research Fund - Undergraduate New Investigator Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: American Chemical Society
Amount: US $55,000
Last Updated: January 22, 2026

Summary

The Petroleum Research Fund offers Undergraduate New Investigator Grants to support emerging scientists in petroleum-related research. With an award of $55,000 over two years, these grants aim to provide seed funding for projects that have not received prior financial backing. This initiative fosters innovative research and encourages the involvement of undergraduate students in high-quality scientific education, thus contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the petroleum field.

Overview

Background The Petroleum Research Fund is an endowed fund, managed by the American Chemical Society that supports fundamental research directly related to petroleum or fossil fuels at nonprofit institutions (generally colleges and universities) in the United States and other countries. ACS Petroleum Research Fund (ACS PRF) grants are intended as seed money, to enable an investigator to initiate a new research direction. The investigator should not have published or received financial support from another funding agency for the proposed research. Also, proposals that the ACS PRF Committee feels are a logical extension of an investigator’s previous research may be denied as “not a new direction.” Since the first ACS PRF grants were approved in 1953, several grant programs have evolved to serve segments of the scientific community, including “new investigator” grants and grants to support researchers in departments that do not award doctoral degrees. Scope of the Fund Proposals must be for fundamental research in “the petroleum field,” which is defined in our founding document as “petroleum, natural gas, coal, shale, tar sands and like materials.” Fundamental research encompasses the properties of these materials, whereas the petroleum industry undertakes “applied research,” which is outside the scope of ACS PRF. However, please note that while the PRF Trust imposes certain restrictions, PRF currently funds many topics of current interest in sustainability and green chemistry. These include, for example, new catalysts and upgrading/utilization of methane and carbon dioxide. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact a PRF program officer or prfinfo@acs.org for more information regarding areas. Undergraduate New Investigator Grants Undergraduate New Investigator (UNI) grants provide funds for scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent careers in academia and have limited or no preliminary results for a research project they wish to pursue. The UNI grants are to be used to illustrate proof of principle, i.e., feasibility, and accordingly, are to be viewed as seed money for generating preliminary results that can be used to apply for continuation funding from other agencies. Award information Amount: $55,000 over 2 years Estimated number of awards: ~ 25 each year Nature and Scope of Research ACS PRF research grants are made to non-profit institutions for regularly appointed scientists whose research may be sponsored in accordance with the ACS PRF Transfer Agreement: “The recipient (ACS) shall use all funds exclusively for advanced scientific education and fundamental research in the ‘petroleum field,’ which may include any field of pure science which in the judgment of (ACS) may afford a basis for subsequent research directly connected with the petroleum field.” Note that fundamental research is required as opposed to applied research or methods development. When submitting an application, you will be asked to select a scientific discipline that PRF supports. The UNI grant program is designed as a source of funds for faculty members at the inception of their careers. The principal investigator must demonstrate to the PRF Program Managers, PRF Committee members, and to the scientific or engineering community of reviewers that their research projects will generate preliminary data that can be used by the PI to seek continuation funding from other agencies. Poorly crafted proposals that are deemed to be “noncompetitive” will be denied without external review.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Eligibility for a UNI grant requires that a PI is in a department without a doctoral program in the United States.The students receiving stipends for the work to be done are undergraduatesM.S.-level students can also be supported provided one or more undergraduates are also supported from this grantThe research being proposed need not be high risk but it should be of publishable quality. The research opportunities afforded must be of the highest caliber, and provide a compelling educational experience for the student.  To be an eligible PI:The applicant must be a member of the faculty of a college or university within the United StatesBe within the first five years of their first academic appointment as a regular faculty memberHave completed all requirements for the Ph.D. (however, an application may be submitted before the degree has been awarded)Be appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor or the equivalent.In addition, applicants must meet the following criteria:The non-profit institution submitting the UNI proposal must certify that the person listed as a principal investigator on the cover page qualifies as a principal investigator under the institution’s policies.In view of the long-standing policy of The ACS Petroleum Research Fund to give priority to support of students, the principal investigator must be eligible to serve as the formal, official supervisor of undergraduate students.The term of appointment of the principal investigator must promise reasonable continuity of service. The appointment should continue at least through the period of funding requested in the UNI proposal.Generally the above criteria are automatically met by tenure-track principal investigators. If you are not tenure-track, attach a brief statement to your application describing your appointment and include a Department Chair’s letter affirming that you meet all three of the above criteria. Finally, no co-PI can be involved but one or more collaborators can participate on the project. Read more about Eligibility,Terms and Conditions for UNI Grants.

Ineligibility

A principal investigator may submit only one research proposal per meeting and may not hold more than one active PRF research grant at a time.New investigators may have only three (3) UNI grant applications considered and/or one (1) UNI grant funded in their career. Thereafter, the new investigator may apply to the Undergraduate Research (UR) program.A principal investigator with an active PRF research grant, including a grant on time extension, may not submit an application for a new grant.