Stanford C-ShaRP
c-ShARP Community of Shared Advanced Research Platforms .

FY26 C-ShaRP Proposal Format

The proposal should be submitted online via Stanford’s Seed Funding website, where you will be asked to enter the information below.

1. Primary applicant

All Stanford faculty and shared facility staff are eligible to apply. A proposer can only be the primary applicant on a single proposal. Shared facilities submitting multiple proposals are encouraged to do so with  distinct primary applicants, i.e., other staff and faculty members. Primary applicants may serve as a co-applicant on additional proposals.

2. Co-applicants

Co-applicants are people who may contribute to the proposed activities. Any Stanford faculty and staff can be included as a co-applicant, including a primary applicant on another proposal. At least one of the co-applicants must represent the shared facility (e.g., faculty director, facility manager, technical staff) where the proposed activities will be performed, unless the primary applicant is also the representative.

3. Brief title

Keep to fewer than 60 characters.

4. Oversight shared facility and school 

Indicate the shared facility and the school where the proposed activities will be performed.

5. Proposal (PDF upload)

5i) Title page (limit: 1 page) 

  • Proposal title
  • Names, departments, and e-mail addresses of the primary applicant and all co-applicants. For each co-applicant, provide a one-line summary of their contribution to the proposed activities.
  • Instrument description
  • Total budget request, including the breakdown of cost by year if the cost will span multiple years
  • Space requirements, including estimated room renovation cost if applicable
  • Proposed home facility and facility point-of-contact
  • Primary benefiting school(s)

5ii) Proposal Narrative 
(limit: 2 pages for request ≤ $600K; 3 pages for request > $600K)

Format: letter paper size (8.5 x 11 inches), 1-inch margin in all directions, Arial 11 point font, single line spacing. Figures, tables, formulas, and equations can use any font or size as long as it is readable. 

Proposal Page Limits: for proposals between $50K and $600K: text and figures are limited to 2 pages in total. For proposals over $600K: text and figures are limited to 3 pages in total. Proposals exceeding page limit will not be considered. Citations should be on separate pages following the narrative. There is no page limit for citations. 

Section Titles: the narrative must include the following section titles in the order that they appear and must address all applicable prompts.

  • Purpose (no more than 3 lines):  
    • Describe the nature, mission, and location (if applicable) of the proposed enhancement. 
  • Overview of Need and Significance:  
    • Describe the background, necessity, and/or urgency of the proposed enhancement. Why is this a critical enhancement for Stanford? If applicable, briefly describe the research activities and progress that are hindered by the lack of this enhancement (to be elaborated in the following section). 
      • If this is an upgrade or replacement of routine but aging capabilities, describe the current situation, severity of the need, and typical lifecycle of the capabilities. 
      • If this is an acquisition of new capabilities, describe why it is transformative, and if applicable, how Stanford is put at a disadvantage without it. 
      • If this is an urgency and funding must be secured within this fiscal year, clearly state so and explain why.
      • If the proposed enhancement has no known alternatives or substitutes on campus, describe its uniqueness.
      • If the proposed enhancement is for expanding current capabilities, show data and evidence of overuse of the current infrastructure. 
      • If a proposal includes multiple tools, the PI should prioritize and list the tools in priority order
    • Summarize at a high level the impacts of the proposed enhancement. How will this grant resolve the issues faced by the proposer(s) and augment the quality of science and/or education? Briefly describe the impact on research, education, and/or translation. Use the section below to elaborate on these impacts.
  • Impact on Research and Education: 
    • Describe in detail the impact of the proposed enhancement on research. Here you may elaborate on how the lack of the proposed enhancement hinders research activities and progress, and how this grant will augment the research. Provide sufficient specificity and evidence to demonstrate the expected impact.
      • Letters of support from faculty members can serve as evidence and provide additional details of the specific needs and impact.
    • Describe the breadth and depth of the expected impact on research. 
      • Provide the number of beneficiaries, which may include students, PIs, labs, departments, schools, and non-Stanford users. If known, describe the diversity of disciplines and research areas that will benefit. 
      • Estimate the number of hours of use per week for the proposed enhancement, and justify based on historical data on existing or comparable tools. If this proposal is to upgrade or replace existing capabilities, historical data on user numbers and hours must be provided. Compare historical and projected numbers, and justify any change. 
      • If you have additional means of demonstrating the depth of impact, describe them here, especially if the proposed enhancement is expected to benefit a small group of researchers.
    • Describe the impact of the proposed enhancement on the education of Stanford students and trainees, which may include undergraduate students, graduate students, and/or postdoctoral scholars. How will the proposed enhancement improve, expand, and/or impact the educational activities? If the proposed enhancement will support classes, specify them and state the estimated number of students.
  • Operational Plan
    • Briefly describe a multi-year financial plan to support the operation and maintenance of the proposed enhancement, and/or any staffing needs (in particular, whether proposers can leverage existing staff or need new expertise). Describe any user fees and other potential or confirmed sources of funding. If known, describe the expected maintenance costs. If the proposed enhancement has a low maintenance cost or does not require significant continuing support to be self-sustaining, clearly state so and explain.
    • If the proposed enhancement requires new space or renovations to existing space, describe them in the operational plan. Explain how they will be funded, if not through this program.
    • Describe any established use models, experience with the proposed enhancement, and/or track record of meeting operational goals. If such models or experience are lacking, describe how the proposers will successfully implement the operational plan.

6. Response to Critiques from Prior Submission (if applicable, PDF upload)

 If the application is a resubmission of a prior C-ShaRP application, the applicant may optionally respond to any feedback in the prior review in an additional document. Please cut and paste the entirety of the reviewer comments from the previous review and respond succinctly inline. 

7. Budget (Excel upload): 

  • The budget should include and break down estimates for the cost for acquisition, site preparation (if any), installation, service contracts (if any), repair cost, lease cost (if leasing instead of buying), taxes (CA exemption for research tools), and staff time necessary to setup/onboard the equipment, together with the estimated number of hours the instrument will be used and the anticipated hourly rate.
  • Applications must summarize how ongoing operations will be managed and funded; include any projected annual financial shortfall and planned cost recovery via recharge.
  • Applicants must prepare a budget table using this C-ShaRP Instrumentation Program Budget Template. 

CA tax exemption: for qualifying research equipment, 3.9375% of the regular sales and use tax rate is exempt. Effective 10/01/2024, the regular rate in Santa Clara County is 9.125%, therefore the applicable rate for partially exempt equipment delivered to Stanford main campus is 5.1875% (which is the 9.125% SC County rate minus 3.9375%).Additional details can be found at the CDTFA website here: https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/industry/manufacturing-exemptions.htm

8. Instrument Acquisition Details (if applicable, PDF upload)

For instrument proposals, please upload specifications/list of features and price quotes as PDFs. 

9. Appendices (e.g. letters of support, lists of users, cost-sharing, etc., PDF upload)

Upload as a PDF. Acceptable appendices include letters of support, budget documents, spreadsheet list of users and anticipated instrument usage, etc.  Further narrative or exposition should not be included. 

Letters of support from University faculty and/or leadership, although strongly recommended, are not mandated, but may help reviewers evaluate new applications or technologies. 
There is no limit to the number of letters submitted.