The Research Institute for Environment, Energy and Economics (RIEEE) at Appalachian State University works to connect, support and amplify research throughout the university on mission-aligned topics and complex problem areas.
To support this mission, RIEEE offers the CONducting ComplEx Research Together (CONCERT) Program, which is a family of competitive seed funding mechanisms established to underscore the university’s dedication to sustainability by fostering related research. Through CONCERT funding, RIEEE and its constituent centers catalyze innovative research at mission-relevant intersections by enabling faculty teams to establish collaborations, spark new ideas, and develop research programs that evolve and expand Appalachian State research capacity. The CONCERT program includes the traditional one-year Research Grant, the short-term Boost Grant and the two-year Sustain Grant.
Congratulations to the FY26 CONCERT Grant Awardees!
The following are recipients of this year’s Research Institute for Environment, Energy and Economics (RIEEE) CONducting ComplEx Research Together (CONCERT) program grants.
FY26 CONCERT Sustain Grant Recipients
- Dr. Leah Hamilton, Social Work; Dr. Maggie Sugg, Geography and Planning; Lila Stith, Family Economic Policy Lab: “Advancing Research on Cash Transfers for Economic and Climate Resilience”
- Dr. Benjamin Sanchez Andrade, Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment: “Enhancing infrastructure resilience through UAV and BIM based bridge scour monitoring following hurricane Helene”
FY26 CONCERT Research Grant Recipients
- Dr. Nancy Asen, Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences; Dr. Folarin Oguntoyinbo, Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences: “Enhancing the Properties of Brewers’ Spent Grain and Chickpea for Food and Non–Food Applications via Co-Culture Fermentation”
- Dr. Sarah Carmichael, Geological and Environmental Sciences; Dr. Suzanna Bräuer, Biology; Dr. Ashley Adams, Biology; Dr. Brooke Hunter, Geological and Environmental Sciences; Dr. Alexia Witcombe, Sustainable Development: “How has flooding from Hurricane Helene affected soils in Ashe and Watauga Counties?”
- Dr. Tonya Coffey, Physics and Astronomy; Dr. Suzanna Bräuer, Biology; Dr. Rachel Bleich, Biology: “Continuous sampling of greenhouse gas emissions from small ponds”
- Dr. Sharareh Shirzad, Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment: “Enhancing the Aging Resistance of Bio-Oil-Modified Asphalt Binders Using Biochar” (award co-funded by the Appalachian Energy Center)
Apply for a CONCERT Grant
- CONCERT Research Grants support one-year projects with the clear potential to leverage the seed investment into external funding. Collaborative, multidisciplinary or convergent efforts are strongly preferred, but proposals for disciplinary research within the RIEEE mission area are also welcome.
- CONCERT Sustain Grants provide two years of support to faculty teams as they coalesce collaborations and strengthen partnerships in pursuit of external funding. Funding may be used to build a track record of team publications, convene events to define a research agenda, and other positioning and preparation activities for large external funding pursuits.
- CONCERT Boost Grant proposals are accepted at any time and the program supports efforts to expand, coalesce, or otherwise make progress toward the next externally-funded phase within a strategic research area. We envision supporting requests for, but not limited to, student research assistants and symposia and other events designed to catalyze progress toward a specific funding opportunity.
All CONCERT Grant awardees are supported through a cohort mentoring program designed to facilitate knowledge sharing, answer questions about project management and build community around the pursuit of external funding.
All EPS faculty, research staff, and research affiliates are eligible to apply.
Apply for Boost Grants at any time at https://appstate.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1899340.
See https://appstate.infoready4.com/ for updated application links for CONCERT Research and CONCERT Sustain. CONCERT Sustain and CONCERT Research solicitations are released in April, annually.
