Google Academic Research Awards

The program is open to active professors at degree-granting institutions who are advising students and conducting research.

Proposal Length:

• Maximum 5 pages for a sole Principal Investigator (PI).

• Maximum 7 pages if you have a co-PI and choose to include their CV.

Formatting:

• Minimum 12pt font size.

• 1-inch (2.5 cm) margins on all sides.

Proposal Sections:

• Overview (Maximum 3 pages):
  • Proposal Title
  • PI(s) full name, contact information, and affiliation (university, school, college and/or department)
  • Abstract (concise summary of the proposal)
  • Research goals and problem statement
  • Detailed description of the proposed work, expected outcomes, and results
  • Discussion of how the research relates to prior work (including your own)
  • Explanation of your qualifications to conduct this research
  • Proposed budget allocation (please list in the following format)
    • Description: [Brief description of the item]
    • Unit Cost: [Cost per unit] x Number of Units: [Quantity] = Total Cost: [Total cost of the item]
  • References (where applicable)
  • [For ongoing projects] Explain how this unrestricted gift would enhance your existing project.

• Data Policy (a few sentences):
  • Describe your intentions for sharing the project's output with the broader research community (e.g., open-sourcing code, making datasets public). Please note that the awards are structured as unrestricted gifts, so there are no legal requirements once a project is selected for funding. This is simply a statement of your current intentions.

• CVs (Maximum 2 pages each):
  • A CV is required for the primary PI.
  • A 2-page CV for a co-PI is optional. If included, this is the only content allowed on the additional 2 pages.

Important Notes:

• The extra 2 pages in a co-PI proposal are exclusively for the co-PI's CV, not for additional proposal content.

• If you choose not to include the co-PI's CV, your proposal should not exceed 5 pages.

Co-PIs must generally meet the same eligibility criteria as primary PIs, except in cases where the co-PI is a postdoctoral researcher.

No, we’re currently only accepting proposals within the research areas listed on our website. Please review them to ensure your proposal aligns.

Here's how to strengthen your proposal:

1. Clearly define the problem. Good research starts with a compelling question.
2. Describe a specific, achievable outcome. What will this research enable that wouldn't happen otherwise, and how? Outline both minimum expected and best-case scenarios, specifying the datasets and test cases you'll use.
3. Differentiate your contribution. Clearly explain how your work advances the state of the art, using citations and other standard practices.
4. Outline your approach. Explain your plan for addressing the research challenges, even if all answers aren't yet known. Identify potential risks and mitigation strategies.
5. Contextualize the work. Describe existing funding and how this proposal fits into your broader research goals. How will this research be used? Will it build research capability, create a tool, reproduce a result, foster collaboration, follow up on an idea, or explore a new one? We are interested in all possibilities.
6. Make it accessible to non-experts. While we try to have your proposal reviewed by a Google expert in your field, it will also be read by non-experts, so please ensure the motivation and outcomes are understandable to a broad audience.

Your proposal should ultimately demonstrate how your research aligns with our mission to recognize and support academic researchers whose work in computing and technology makes a positive difference in the world.

We completely understand the desire to receive feedback and do our best to meet this request. However, due to the high volume of applications received, you may not receive feedback on your proposal.

June: Applications open

July - September: Proposals are under review

October: Applicants are notified of decision

To ensure fairness, we use a scoring rubric for consistency across reviews. We look at the criteria below to assess proposals. Proposals must comply with the required format and other GARA guidelines.

• Faculty merit: Faculty is accomplished in research, community engagement, and open source contributions, with potential to contribute to responsible innovation.

• Research merit: Faculty's proposed research is aligned with Google Research interests, innovative, and likely to have a significant impact on the field.

• Proposal quality: The research proposal is clear, focused, and well-organized, and it demonstrates the team's ability to successfully execute the research and achieve a significant impact.

• AI Ethics principles: The research proposal strongly aligns with Google's AI Principles

Awards are disbursed as unrestricted gifts to the university and are not intended for overhead or indirect costs.

Please reach out to research-awards@google.com with any questions or concerns, and our team will be happy to assist you.