The W. M. Keck Foundation Research Program supports pioneering and fundamental scientific research in important and emerging areas of the physical, life, and biomedical sciences, including instrumentation development and engineering approaches that address basic scientific questions.
Keck seeks projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach, challenge existing paradigms, and have the potential to break open new territory in their fields. The Foundation welcomes high-risk, high-reward research with the potential for high impact.
Keck seeks to support research that is fundamental in nature and may fall outside the mission or typical funding priorities of public funding agencies.
Please review the W. M. Keck Foundation Research Program carefully before investing substantial time in developing an internal concept/preproposal.
Internal application deadline is September 18th.
Program Information
Under Keck’s new Research Program, eligible institutions may submit up to three applications per grant cycle. Applications are not limited by area of science, although the Foundation encourages institutions to submit projects representing a diversity of scientific areas. Applications must be submitted to the Foundation by the institution’s designated liaison.
Two (2) applications may be submitted from WSU—one for Medical Research and one for Science & Engineering.
Keck Foundation Research Program grants are typically $1 million–$1.3 million over three years. The Foundation does not provide indirect costs. Additional budget parameters apply to Keck proposals, including limits on faculty salary support and student tuition. Applicants selected to advance through WSU’s internal process will receive additional guidance on budget development.
From the sponsor: The W. M. Keck Research Program seeks to benefit humanity by supporting Medical Research and Science & Engineering projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach, question the prevailing paradigm, or have the potential to break open new territory in their field.
Faculty at Washington State University may submit an internal concept/preproposal for consideration through WSU’s limited submission process. Principal investigators must be tenure-track faculty or equivalent who are normally eligible to submit proposals without exceptional approvals.
Past Keck grantees may apply with significantly different projects. Keck does not accept resubmissions of declined proposals or follow-on funding requests for previous awards. Faculty should carefully evaluate potential projects against the Foundation’s current Research Program criteria before submitting an internal concept/preproposal.
| Announcement | September 8 |
| Internal deadline | September 18 |
| Internal review | September 21 – October 2 |
| Notification of applicants | Week of October 5 |
| Deadline for final proposal submission to ORSO | November 30 |
| Deadline for final proposal submission to Keck | December 7 |
Application Process and Instructions
WSU faculty interested in pursuing a Keck Foundation Research Program application must first participate in WSU’s internal limited submission process. Faculty can submit their interest through this InfoReady form.
The Office of Foundation Relations, with support from the Office of Research, facilitates WSU’s internal selection process for the W. M. Keck Foundation Research Program.
WSU will solicit internal concepts/preproposals and conduct an internal review to identify the projects that are strongest in relation to the Foundation’s programmatic priorities, funding criteria, and patterns of support. WSU’s internal process is a limited submission process and is separate from Keck’s external application process. For WSU’s internal application requirements, see the information below.
Once the internal interest deadline has passed, the Office of Foundation Relations will collect the applications and forward them to a team of internal reviewers to determine the project(s) to move forward.
Faculty whose projects are selected to advance will work with the Office of Foundation Relations and the Office of Research to develop the application for submission to the Keck Foundation.
Additional application requirements and proposal-development guidance will be provided once the Foundation releases its new application instructions and templates.
Kristin Liszkowski at the Office of Foundation Relations serves as WSU’s institutional liaison for the W. M. Keck Foundation.
The Office of Research provides support for the internal review and proposal submission process.
Questions about the WSU internal selection process or the development of a potential Keck Foundation proposal should be directed to:
Kristin Liszkowski
kristin.liszkowski@wsu.edu