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Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences
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CHIRP Grants

College High-impact Research Program Grants
BYU College of Computational, Mathematical, & Physical Sciences

College High-Impact Research Program

CHIRP grants are typically small grants (tens of thousands of dollars) meant to provide short-term funding for high impact projects that cannot be funded by other means. They can be seed grants likely to lead to external funding, but do not necessarily have to be – proposals will be judged simply by how much they will benefit BYU. New faculty who have unspent startup funds are unlikely to be awarded a CHIRP grant.

Grant Amounts
There is no set amount. We want you to ask for what you need to succeed. Historically, the average requests have been around $15,000-20,000.

Proposals submitted to external agencies can be submitted to the CHIRP, although the format and content will need revision and the funding amount will be less. For example, if the research is time critical and shows exceptional promise of high impact, CHIRP funding could be used to get a jump on the research while waiting for external funding. In such a case, the PI may be asked to return unused CHIRP funds when the external grant issues. Another example is a proposal to an external agency which receives very high reviews but is rejected because it is too risky or too preliminary. Proposals that have not been submitted to external agencies should explain why they have not been.

Submission Deadlines

    Spring & SummerFebruary 15
    Fall SemesterJune 15
    Winter SemesterOctober 15

    Email the proposal to mallardk@byu.edu and your department chair. Before writing a CHIRP proposal, you are welcome to discuss your proposal idea with Associate Dean Kevin Seppi.

    Funds: Funds can be used for student wages (but not faculty salary), supplies, travel, equipment. Funding is available as soon as the proposal is approved.

    Proposal Format

    The proposal should be 2-3 pages and should include the following:

    1. Project description written to a general scientific audience. This summary should overview the project and its potential impact for BYU and its students.
    2. Detailed budget and budget justification. Explain why you cannot pay for your proposed project with existing funding.

    3. Detailed plan for leveraging CHIRP funding to establish a long-term impact for BYU. Proposals that cannot be understood by a scientific audience of non-specialists will likely not be successful.

    Possible Additional Information

    • If your proposal is aimed at commercialization, provide an estimate of the royalty potential (including market size and competition) and discuss your project with the Office of Technology Transfer.
    • If your proposal is a springboard for external funding, explain why the potential impact of your topic is clearly above average, and why an external proposal is not currently feasible.
    • Anything that makes your proposal unique

    Final Report


    A two-page final report should be submitted to the college after a CHIRP-funded project ends. This report describes what was accomplished relative to what was proposed, including such items as how the funds were spent, student participation, and external proposals or commercialization efforts, as appropriate.