Organic Syntheses Inc. invites applications for summer research grants from faculty at principally undergraduate institutions. Each grant award will provide $8,000 total costs per summer to a PUI faculty member who will subsequently choose their undergraduate coworker for the project from among the students in their department. The budget will include a stipend for a minimum of ten weeks of summer research by the student coworker with the remainder employed for materials and supplies. No indirect costs will be allowed. The award will be for $8,000 for the summer of 2026 and $8,000 for summer 2027, with the second summer of funding contingent on submission of a report in September 2026 describing satisfactory progress during the first summer of funding.

We recommend that $5,000 be allocated for the stipend to the Org Syn Summer Scholar and $3,000 be used for materials and supplies, however, in order to provide flexibility, faculty may rebudget funds as they feel appropriate without prior authorization from Organic Syntheses.

In accord with the mission of Organic Syntheses, Inc., the proposed research should be in the area of synthetic organic chemistry, broadly defined. Special consideration will be given to the submission of proposals on the development of reliable synthetic methods that have the potential to eventuate in an article appropriate for publication in the journal Organic Syntheses.

Recipients of Organic Syntheses Summer Grants prior to 2025 may apply for 2026 grants provided they meet the following conditions: (a) They submitted timely progress reports for each year of prior OS funding. (b) The new research proposed is not a closely related extension of their previously funded Organic Syntheses summer research project. (c) The new proposal includes a paragraph summarizing the tangible results of the prior funding, including publications, presentations, and the number of students who were involved in the research and moved on to professional programs.

Only faculty at institutions in the United States and Canada that do not grant doctoral degrees in chemistry are eligible to apply.

The prioritization of proposals for funding will be based on the following criteria:

· Novelty and significance of the proposed research will be primary considerations, with some consideration given to potential for publication in Organic Syntheses.

· The track record and potential of the faculty supervisor will also be considered, particularly for their ability to advance undergraduate research projects and provide proactive mentorship of undergraduate students, including those who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM. While not required, we encourage students and faculty supervisors to present their research at a national or local conference.

·Preference will be given for support of PIs who do not have a concurrent major grant (NSF, NIH, etc) support.

Applications should be submitted by November 1, 2025 as a single PDF file attached to an email sent to ospui@mit.edu. Applications must consist of the following components.

· Completed Faculty Cover Sheet (download the form from this webpage).

· Curriculum Vitae including list of publications and all current and prior academic appointments. Please underline the names of undergraduate coworkers in your publication list.

· List of most recent undergraduate coworkers (10 maximum) including their first position after graduation and current employment (if known).

· Description of proposed research (maximum 3 pages including figures, schemes, and references).

· Letter of support from the Chair of your department confirming the availability of space, equipment, and administrative support for the proposed research and confirming that undergraduate researchers will receive appropriate training in laboratory safety.

Applicants will be notified of decisions on funding in February 2026. Announcement of the awards will be made on the Org Syn website in the homepage slideshow with a link to a page with biographies of the PUI faculty supervisors. Following each summer of funded research, the faculty supervisor and student will jointly prepare a brief (1-2 page) report on the research accomplished and a summary of funds expended. The report will be due by September 30 of that year and will be submitted to the office of the Editor in Chief. We will also request a follow-up letter one year after the summer of research describing any publications and conference presentations and reporting on the subsequent career of the student supported by the grant.