SMRT Grants

Win Free Sequencing for Your Research

Our SMRT Grant Programs support outstanding research that advances scientific discovery by providing free highly accurate long-read sequencing. Have an interesting project that could benefit from free sequencing? Apply for your chance to win!

Get to Know the SMRT Grant Program - Frequently Asked Questions

What is a SMRT Grant?

For many years, PacBio has offered researchers the opportunity win free PacBio Sequencing through the SMRT Grant Program. PacBio runs provides multiple grants per year and to date we have given more than 20 grants of varying award sizes. Learn more about our past winners below.

Who Does the Sequencing?

For each SMRT Grant, PacBio partners with one of our service providers or Certified Service Providers to offer free consumables, library prep, sequencing, and initial bioinformatic analyses for free!

How Can I Win a SMRT Grant?

All you have to do is tell us how your research will benefit from HiFi sequencing! Submission windows open throughout the year and the process is easy – just a short abstract and some contact info. We typically notify finalists and winners within 2 months of submission.

What Types of Grants are Offered?

Grants are offered across all areas of life science, so whether you are studying tiny microbial genomes, giant plant polyploids, exotic endangered species, or the uncharted regions of the human genome, we have a grant for you!

Explore the range of sequencing applications to start planning your next SMRT Grant proposal.

Whole Genome Sequencing

I am New to HiFi Sequencing – What is it?

HiFi sequencing, or highly accurate long-read sequencing, gives you the benefits of short reads and traditional long reads in one easy-to-use technology. PacBio customers LOVE HiFi Reads.

“If your genome isn’t HiFi, it’s no longer reference grade.”

— Kevin McKernan, Medicinal Genomics

“HiFi Reads really allow us to call accurate structural variations and other types of variations that you can’t actually see in something like with short-read sequencing.”

— Jeremy Schmutz, Faculty Investigator, HudsonAlpha Institute of Biotechnology

My Research Can’t Wait for the SMRT Grant – What Should I do?

No worries! We are always available to help you get started with HiFi sequencing. Feel free to reach out at any time and we can help you find an PacBio service provider in your region and can offer a free project consultation. Contact a PacBio scientist to learn more.

So, What’s the Catch?

There isn’t one! At PacBio we are passionate about supporting scientists through the power of HiFi sequencing. We are sure you will be happy with the sequencing data you get and just want to be part of your journey to discovery.

2021 SMRT Grant Programs

Plant and Animal Sciences SMRT Grant – Now Open!

Zoom in on Genetic Variation for a Better Future

Apply by September 30, 2021 for your chance to win free PacBio Sequencing.

Human Genetics SMRT Grant – Opens in October

Check back for updates or join our mailing list for updates on any of our SMRT Grant Programs!

SMRT Grant Winner Spotlight

“PacBio HiFi long-read sequencing is enabling a new look at human genomics. In our SMRT grant, we utilized this innovative technology to identify the relevant variation in a family with autism that had remained unsolved with previous technologies. Thank you to PacBio for funding our research and for helping us to not only find answers in this family, but to also support us in working towards Precision Genomics in autism.”

— Tychele Turner, Washington University in St. Louis

Learn more about this research project

Past SMRT Grant Programs & Winners

2021 SMRT Grants

	2021 Microbial Genomics SMRT Grant Program – co-sponsored by Maryland Genomics We have received many excellent submissions, check back as the winner will be announced on our blog.

	HiFi for Accuracy SMRT Grant – co-sponsored by the DNA Sequencing Center at Brigham Young University, CCGA, and BIOTOOLS. We are received hundreds of submissions from scientists worldwide who are excited to use HiFi Sequencing in their research. We will announce the winners in August!

	Clinical Research SMRT Grant Program – co-sponsored by Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology at Mount Sinai. We are please to announce the two winners of this SMRT Grant: Danielle Brandes of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf for her project to discover structural variants related to pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia that have been missed by other technologies. Jenny Taylor of Oxford University for her project to use HiFi sequencing to resolve structural variants and phase variants for a few participants in the UK’s 100,000 Genomes Project as a demonstration of how this approach could potentially help address unsolved disease cases. Read our blog post: Announcing the Winners of Our Clinical Research SMRT Grant – Two Scientists at the Forefront of Discovery

2020 SMRT Grants

2019 SMRT Grants

	2019 HiFi for All SMRT Grant Program – co-sponsored by Georgia Genomics and Bioinformatics Core, Earlham Institute, and DNA Link, Inc . We are please to announce the three winners of this SMRT Grant: Ellie Armstrong of Stanford University for her project to elucidate the genomics of the African leopard Daniel Sheward of the University of Cape Town for his project to establish the largest longitudinal HIV sequence database ever assembled Jianjun Liu of the Genome Institute of Singapore for his project to generate an Asian reference genome Read our blog post to learn more about these exciting projects.
	2019 Human Genetics SMRT Grant Program – co-sponsored by the HudsonAlpha Genome Sequencing Center Awarded to Tychele Turner of Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine for her project to address the mysteries of autism with HiFi sequencing. Read blog post. Update! Hear about Tychele Turner’s results: Human Genomics in the New Era of Long-Read Sequencing 2019 Neuroscience SMRT Grant Program – co-sponsored by the University of Liverpool Centre for Genomic Research Awarded to Cleo van Diemen at the University Medical Center Groningen for her project to find new genetic mechanisms associated with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA). Read blog post. 2019 Targeted Sequencing SMRT Grant Program – co-sponsored by McDonnell Genome Institute Awarded to Stéphanie Tomé of the Centre de Recherche en Myologie at Sorbonne Université/INSERM for her project to determine the size of repeat expansions in myotonic dystrophy type 1. Read blog post. Update! Explore Stéphanie Tomé’s Results: SMRT Sequencing Detects Clinically Significant Repeat Changes In Triplet Expansion Disorders 2019 RNA Sequencing SMRT Grant Program – co-sponsored by Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology at Mount Sinai Awarded to Christopher Cogle of the University of Florida for his project “Inhibiting Splicing Repression as a New Therapeutic Strategy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.” Read blog post.
	2019 Metagenomics SMRT Grant Program – co-sponsored by Maryland Genomics at the Institute for Genome Sciences Awarded to Joe Taylor of the University of Salford for his project to explore microbial communities in the rain forests of Borneo. Read blog post.
	2019 Plant and Animal Sciences SMRT Grant Program – co-sponsored by Histogenetics Awarded to Susannah Sample of University of Wisconsin-Madison for her project to sequence the genome of German Shepherds. Read blog post.

2018 SMRT Grants

2017 SMRT Grants

Don’t want to wait to win a SMRT Grant to get started with highly accurate long-read sequencing? Connect with a PacBio scientist for a free project consultation.

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Win Free Sequencing for Your Research