Discovery Prize 2027
Call for Proposals
To apply for the Discovery Prize, an individual must be an early career faculty member who, at the time of application, has a tenure-track or non-tenure-track assistant professor level–appointment, or is no more than five years beyond tenure and promotion at the associate professor level at Stony Brook University (SBU). The proposed research project may emerge from a single discipline or may be interdisciplinary, involving multiple SBU faculty. The lead PI, however, must fit the eligibility criteria described above.
The proposed work must be basic research that is discovery-driven, creates new knowledge, and has the potential for broad impact on society or the Stony Brook University community. Research that is primarily translational in nature (i.e., seeks to apply existing knowledge) or that has been funded in the past is not eligible.
The application process for the 2027 Discovery Prize Competition is now closed.
- Concept Papers due: September 9, 2026
- Semi-finalists notified and invited to submit full proposals: October 7, 2026
- Full proposals due: November 4, 2026
- Finalists notified: December 2, 2026
- Oral presentations by finalists and award announcement: TBD
The Office for Research and Innovation will lead the proposal review process. Review of concept papers will involve a multidisciplinary panel of senior SBU faculty with accomplished research records. Following review of concept papers, a subset (no more than five) will be invited to submit full proposals. Review of full proposals will involve both written and oral presentations (i.e., TED-style talks) to be judged by a second panel of distinguished external and SBU scientists. Names of panelists will be posted on the Discovery Prize website prior to the proposal deadline.
Please direct questions to the Office of Proposal Development at OPD_OVPR@stonybrook.edu