UCLA DataX welcomes applications for the 2026 Pilot Projects Grant Program.
We invite interdisciplinary, UCLA faculty-led research proposals with strong potential for future extramural funding. Projects should align with and advance the mission of DataX and be designed to launch new research directions or collaborations, rather than extend existing work.
What We’re Looking For
Proposals should be “shovel ready,” and must proceed immediately upon award of funds which should be used to generate proof-of-concept results that can support extramural funding applications.
We also invite proposals to curate large existing datasets into resources that meet FAIR data standards. These projects should focus on cleaning, documentation, and preparation of datasets for public release and Data Science/AI research. Data-curation projects are encouraged to establish benchmarks, including training/validation/test splits, and appropriate evaluation metrics.
Eligibility Criteria
To be competitive, proposals must:
- Be interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary, involving faculty from at least two UCLA departments, units, or colleges. Single-investigator proposals are not eligible.
- Be led by a UCLA faculty member who is eligible to submit proposals to external funding agencies.
- For hypothesis-driven research: clearly state the hypothesis.
- For methodological or computational projects: focus on specific, substantive interdisciplinary problems.
Engage at least two of the three DataX pillars:
Budgets
Project budgets should be in the range of $25,000–$40,000.
Project Progress and Review
Awarded project activity must be completed—and all funds expended—by June 30, 2026.
Awardees will be expected to provide three brief progress updates (via short email or virtual meeting).
Review Dates
Proposals will be reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis.
- First review date: January 9, 2026
- Final review date: January 23, 2026. All submissions will receive a decision response no later than February 2, 2026.
Application Submission Guidelines
Please submit one PDF document that includes all of the following:
- A one- to two-page proposal
- A budget outlining how the funds will be used
- A one-page biosketch for each PI. A biosketch (biographical sketch) is a streamlined version of your CV, including positions you have held, your publications and projects, and funding you have received. Various formats will be accepted. Please include the best contact email and phone number for each PI.
How to Submit
Submit the PDF to: information@dataX.ucla.edu. Questions may also be directed to this email address.