Win $10,000 to pursue your research idea!


The College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station will host a research pitch competition open to all College faculty at the all-faculty meeting on 11 January 2023. There will be two $10,000 awards.

Come with your idea for a $10 million grant to your agency of choice: USDA, NSF, or NIH. Submit an abstract, objectives, and a list of potential funding sources via InfoReady by 2 January 2023. Selected PIs will be notified by 6 January that they are invited to submit their proposal to the pitch competition. The lead PI will have three minutes and one infographic (PowerPoint slide) to sell their idea to a panel of experts.

Opportunities and requirements:

  • Funds can be used for research-related needs. Course buy-outs are not allowed. Funds must be spent by 30 December, 2023. 
  • At least one PI needs to hold a MAES appointment. 
  • PIs will have 12 months to prepare their idea for submission with the assistance of the Office of Research Development and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. 
  • PIs will need to have at least two meetings with the Office of Research Development to assist with proposal submission and any training needed.  

Proposal guide: 

Note: No course buy-outs, limit proposal to one page

  • Name and Department
  • Abstract  
  • Objectives  
  • Budget narrative
  • Agency and RFAs to apply to 

Download Proposal Template here

Apply through Infoready here

Criteria for Judging