Google Research Awards in Computer Science and Engineering for Researchers (Up to $150,000 funding)


Google Faculty Research Awards Program

Course(s) Offered: Comp sci., Engineering, related fields
Course Level: Graduate (research)
Provider: Google Inc.
Country to Study in: Any country

Scholarship Description
The Faculty Research Awards Program, sometimes referred to as the Research Awards Program, supports academic research in computer science, engineering, and related fields.

Through the program, Google funds world-class research at top universities, facilitate interaction between Google and academia, and support projects whose output will be made openly available to the research community.

Google Faculty Research Awards are structured as seed funding (up to $150,000 USD) to support one graduate student for one year and are awarded as an unrestricted gift. The award is highly competitive - only 15% of applicants receive funding - and each proposal goes through a rigorous Google-wide review process.


Google Faculty Research Awards Program

Eligibility
Who is eligible to apply for a Faculty Research Award?

1). Institutions
  • Applications are accepted from permanent faculty at universities around the world. Funding is focused on supporting PhD students, so applications are allowed from faculty at research institutions that award research degrees to PhD students. Google does not allow applications from professors, researchers, or faculty members at non-degree-granting research institutes. Researchers at such institutes who are also faculty at a degree-granting university may apply through that university.
  • Funding is structured as unrestricted gifts to universities. Google cannot process awards to other institutions (e.g. not-for-profits institutions, hospitals, non-degree-granting research institutes, etc) even if they are affiliated with a university. A Principal Investigator must apply in his or her capacity as a university professor and must be able to accept an award through that university.
2). Principal Investigators
  • Each Principal Investigator on a proposal must be a permanent faculty at a university or a degree-granting research institution.
  • Google allows assistant professors, associate professors, and full professors to apply. It does not allow applications from professors on behalf of students, postdocs, or others who are not eligible to apply themselves--the research must be directed primarily by a permanent faculty member.
  • Google understands that titles may differ globally. In order for someone without the title of professor to apply, he or she must be a permanent faculty member at an eligible institution and serve as a formal advisor to masters or PhD students. Google may, at its discretion, provide funding for Principal Investigators who advise undergraduate students at colleges that do not award advanced degrees.
  • The same eligibility requirements apply to both the primary Principal Investigator and any co-Principal Investigators. Google does not allow students, postdocs, or non-professor researchers who do not meet the criteria above to serve as Principal Investigators or co-Principal Investigators.
  • The primary Principal Investigator on a proposal is the point person for all communications regarding the proposal, including funding decisions. All emails regarding the application will go to the primary Principal Investigator, who is responsible for notifying any co-Principal Investigators and university administrators if needed.
  • There are no limits on the number of proposals that can be submitted by different Principal Investigators (or co-Principal Investigators) from the same university.
3). Past Applicants
  • An applicant may only serve as Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator on one proposal per round.
  • If an applicant’s proposal was not selected for funding the previous round, they are welcome to apply with a new proposal (or substantively revised proposal) the following round.
  • Google asks that Principal Investigators not submit the same proposal to multiple rounds of the Research Awards. If a proposal is not selected for funding and the Principal Investigator resubmits it the following round without substantive revisions, Google will not fund it. If a Principal Investigator is submitting a revised proposal, he or she should check the appropriate box on the application form to let us know.
4). Restrictions
  • All award payments and recipients will be reviewed for compliance with relevant US and international laws, regulations and policies. Google reserves the right to withhold funding that may violate laws, regulations or our policies.
Eligible groups
Citizens of ALL countries worldwide

Participating Institutions
Academic institutions, research institutions and universities worldwide

Fields of study
Funding is for work in Computer Science, Engineering, and related fields. Awards tend to go to projects that are highly technical. The work funded through Faculty Research Awards is very high caliber, and research results are often published at top conferences and in top publications in Computer Science

Scholarship benefits
Faculty members can apply for up to 150,000 USD in eligible expenses, but actual award amounts are frequently less than the full amount requested. Most awards are funded at the amount needed to support basic expenses for one graduate student for one year.

Method of Application
The application process includes filling out an online form requesting basic information and uploading a PDF proposal via the form. As part of the online form, you will be asked to select a topic area from approximately 20 areas. Please select carefully, as this will help Google in ensuring your proposal is read by the appropriate review committee.

Before submitting a proposal, please carefully review all the instructions, including the FAQ and proposal advice. To submit a proposal, please fill out this application form by the deadline date below.

DEADLINES:
The next submission deadline is 11:59pm PDT on September 30th, 2016

PLEASE NOTE:
Applicants will be notified of decisions in February 2017.

Google is committed to developing new technologies to help its users find and use information. While Google does significant in-house research and engineering, it also maintains strong ties with academic institutions worldwide pursuing innovative research in core areas relevant to its products and services. As part of this, the Google Faculty Research Awards Program aims to recognize and support world-class, full-time faculty pursuing cutting-edge research in areas of mutual interest. Google's goal is to identify and strengthen long-term collaborative relationships with faculty working on problems that will impact how future generations use technology.

Application Deadline: 30 September 2016
Open to International students: Yes