Student and Faculty Summer SEED Grants now available

Future of Work Student Summer Research Grant

The Center for Future Work Places and Practices (CFWPP) is a transdisciplinary research center at Virginia Tech. The center is committed to integrating research and education perspectives to enhance the impact of emerging technologies on the future of work. CFWPP is pleased to announce its Future of Work Student Summer Research Grant.

Eligibility: Both undergraduate and graduate students at Virginia Tech are eligible for the research grant. Interested students should identify and work with an affiliated CFWPP faculty member to develop a research project that can be completed over the summer. The research projects should align with one or more of CFWPP’s four research focus areas:

• Workforce development
• Health in the workplace
• Responsible technologies at work
• Sustainable work

Selected students will be affiliated with CFWPP and expected to give a presentation on their research projects at the start of the fall semester.

Selected students will receive a $500 award and a Certificate of “Future of Work Scholar” at the end of the project. The faculty supervisors will also receive $500 that will be paid into a research account.

Application requirements:

1. Complete the application cover page (with the faculty supervisor’s signature).
2. A research proposal of about 500 words, which answers the following questions: what is your research question and why it’s important? How is it related to the four research focus areas of the center? What do you plan to do in the summer of 2025?
3. Please submit the cover page, research proposal, your resume, and an unofficial transcript in one single pdf file to Ye Ding (yed@vt.edu).

All applications must be completed by 5:00pm on Friday May 23, 2025.

This student grant is generously supported by Professor David Wang, in loving memory of his grandmother, Yuzhi Yang, who recently passed away.

Request for Proposals: CFWPP Summer Seed Grants

The Center for Future Work Places and Practices (CFWPP) is a transdisciplinary research center at Virginia Tech. The center is committed to integrating research and education perspectives to enhance the impact of emerging technologies on the future of work. We invite proposals for projects that are creative, innovative, and show strong potential to advance the goals of CFWPP.

Eligibility: Proposals should involve teams of at least two faculty from different colleges at Virginia Tech. At least one faculty member will need to be affiliated with CFWPP. Funded projects will be expected to submit an external grant related to the Future of Work.

Funds available: The size of the seed grant is expected to be $1,000 - $2,000. Funds will be available for the summer of 2025. Eligible expenses include faculty summer salary, a graduate student stipend, expendable materials, and supplies.

Proposal format: The proposal should not exceed two page (Times New Roman 12 point, single-space),  should include a complete set of team information (i.e., the names of the PIs/co-PIs, their email addresses and home departments, and a one-sentence description of their expertise that is relevant to the project), provide a brief project description, and outline how the funds will be used. The proposal should describe how the project aligns with the four research focus areas of CFWPP. We particular welcome proposals with potential for industrial collaborations.

• Workforce development
• Health in the workplace
• Responsible technologies at work
• Sustainable work

Submission: Proposals should be submitted to Ye Ding (yed@vt.edu) no later than 5:00pm, May 23, 2025. The PIs will be notified by June 10, 2025, and funding will be made available by June 30, 2025.

Reporting requirements: A final report that outlines the activities undertaken must be submitted by August 31, 2025. The report must be at least 3 pages in length and could take the form of a draft letter of inquiry or proposal for future funding, or an industrial collaboration proposal.