Research Seed Grants
The Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation Seed Grant Program is intended to facilitate research that helps advance its overarching mission: to identify and solve real estate’s most pressing challenges, helping to improve the built environment, enhance the well-being of its occupants, and support sustainable development.
2026 - 2027 Seed Grant Competition
The Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation has two new research funding opportunities. Applications must be submitted via InfoReady by Friday, April 3. (Note: applications proposing digital twins research will be considered nonresponsive to these two specific funding opportunities, as the Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation plans to support digital twins research distinctly and will announce details at a later date. Stay tuned!)
Smart and Connected Homes
The Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation and Penn State Harrisburg are jointly soliciting applications that propose cutting-edge research to explore innovative solutions for enhanced residential living through intelligent, interconnected systems.
Two levels of funding are possible: Level 1 planning micro grants (up to $10,000 per project) and Level 2 (up to $50,000 per project).
Critical Issues Initiatives
The Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation is soliciting applications that identify a critical issue in real estate innovation across one or more of the seven research areas of the Institute and propose activities to advance that critical issue and showcase Penn State excellence.
Funding is for Level 1 planning micro grants (up to $10,000 per project).
Past Seed Grant Recepients
Penn State’s Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation awarded its inaugural seed grants in 2024. These grants are designed to support interdisciplinary research projects that foster collaboration led by Penn State researchers, aiming to make a significant impact on the future of the built environment and real estate practice.
LionGlass: Building a Sustainable Future for Architectural Glazing
- Principal investigator: John Mauro, Dorothy Pate Enright Professor of Materials Science and Engineering; Julian Wang, associate professor of architectural engineering.
- This project aims to develop a prototype insulated glazing unit using LionGlass, a glass composition that significantly reduces the carbon footprint of glass manufacturing. The goal is to optimize production and performance characteristics, including lower energy requirements and improved damage resistance.
- The key focus areas are next-generation building materials and ESG.
Designing Scalable and Adaptable O2-Grid Communities in Remote U.S. Areas: Implementing Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems
- Team members: Lisa Iulo, director, Hamer Center for Community Design; Rahman Azari, director, RE2 Lab; Seth Blumsack, director, Center for Energy Law and Policy; Greg Pavlak, associate professor of architectural engineering; and David Kaneda, IdeAs Consulting Building Innovation.
- This project aims to create flexible models for off-grid real estate development using advanced energy technologies and efficient building designs to assist remote communities. The goal is to map potential regions in the U.S. for off-grid energy solutions and provide practical living options that can inform broader real estate initiatives.
- The key focus areas are ESG and future energy landscape.
Real Estate Markets and Firm Production Reshoring Decisions
- Team members: Brent Ambrose, Jason and Julie Borrelli Faculty Chair in Real Estate; Zhenzhen Yan, assistant professor of supply chain management; Xiaojin “Aaron” Sun, associate professor of economics, Oklahoma State University; and Lily Shen, associate professor of finance, Clemson University.
- This project investigates how the supply of commercial real estate (CRE) affects firms’ reshoring decisions by developing a county-level reshoring activity index. The aim is to analyze the relationship between CRE vacancy rates and reshoring through advanced data analysis techniques. This project is co-funded by the Borelli Institute for Real Estate Studies.
- The key focus area is onshoring, offshoring and re-shoring