Internal Funding Opportunities

Core Incentive Plan (CIP)

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Various

Deadlines
August 31, 2023

UConn OVPR announces a new Core Incentive Plan (CIP) internal funding initiative in FY2024 to award seed funding to faculty from UConn Storrs and UConn Health campuses to be allocated for research projects that specifically engage UConn's world-class diverse core facilities. CIP awards will allow faculty to generate data for extramural funding opportunities, test a new technology that has historically been cost-prohibitive, or explore an entirely new field of research without the full financial burden associated with preliminary experiments.

Research Excellence Program: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Social Sciences: Single PI

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

The primary goal of the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) Research Excellence Program (REP) is to provide seed funding to fuel innovative research, scholarship, and creative endeavors with strong potential for:

-Significant extramural funding from federal and state sponsors, corporations, industry partners, and foundations.

-Achievements consistent with the highest standards of accomplishment in the discipline.

Research Excellence Program: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Social Sciences: Multi PI

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Multi-PI, interdisciplinary awards capped at $50,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

-Significant extramural funding from federal and state sponsors, corporations, industry partners, and foundations.

-Achievements consistent with the highest standards of accomplishment in the discipline.

Research Excellence Program: Fine Arts, Humanities, Business, Law and Engagement: Single PI

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $10,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

-Significant extramural funding from federal and state sponsors, corporations, industry partners, and foundations.

-Achievements consistent with the highest standards of accomplishment in the discipline.

Research Excellence Program: Fine Arts, Humanities, Business, Law and Engagement: Multi PI

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

-Significant extramural funding from federal and state sponsors, corporations, industry partners, and foundations.

-Achievements consistent with the highest standards of accomplishment in the discipline.

Scholarship Facilitation Fund (SFF)

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

The Scholarship Facilitation Fund (SFF) is designed to assist faculty in the initiation, completion, or advancement of research projects, scholarly activities, creative works, or interdisciplinary initiatives that are critical to advancing the faculty member’s scholarship and/or creative works. This financial support is available to faculty across all disciplines, on a competitive basis, to promote, support, and enhance the research, scholarship, and creative endeavors of faculty at UConn.

Faculty Travel Funding

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

Program in Innovative Therapeutics for Connecticut's Health (PITCH)

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Seed Grant

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

The CT Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (IBaCS) offers seed funding to eligible faculty for collaborative projects across laboratories and traditional discipline boundaries that are likely to lead to applications for external funding and/or journal publications. It is anticipated that seed funding will support projects that have relevance (broadly construed) to the Brain and Cognitive Sciences; for example, on behavior, computation, neuroimaging, genomics, and bench and/or animal neuroscience, or that bring different perspectives such as philosophy, linguistics, education, and other disciplines that make contact with brain and/or cognition.

Brain Imaging Research Center Seed Grant

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

BIRC provides seed grants to facilitate the future development of external grant applications. Seed grants are provided in the form of a limited number of allocated hours on MRI, EEG and/or TMS equipment at BIRC. These hours are intended to enable investigators to demonstrate feasibility, develop scientific and technical expertise, establish collaborations, and, secondarily, publish in peer-reviewed journals. Seed grants are intended for investigators with experience in the proposed methods, as well as those with little or no experience who have developed a collaborative plan to acquire such experience. New investigators are encouraged to consult with BIRC leadership early in the development of their project.

SHARE Awards (Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts Research Experience)

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

The SHARE program supports undergraduate research projects in the social sciences, humanities, and arts. SHARE is designed especially for students in the earlier stages of their college careers to introduce them to research in their chosen field and give them the skills they will need for future research projects. During the spring semester, student apprentices receive a $1,500 stipend paid out as an hourly wage and faculty mentors receive a $500 professional development stipend.

Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) Awards

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) Awards support University of Connecticut full-time undergraduate students in summer research or creative projects.

SURF awards are available to students in all majors at all UConn campuses. SURF project proposals are reviewed by a faculty committee representing various Schools and Colleges, and SURF award recipients are chosen through a competitive process.

The maximum total amount awarded for SURF awards is $4,500 ($4,000 stipend for the student researcher and up to $500 for consumables associated with the research project).

Research Excellence Program-UConn Health (REP-UCH) Convergence Grants

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

Research Excellence Program-UConn Health (REP-UCH) Stimulus Grant Competition

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

The primary objective of Stimulus Grants is to provide seed funding to individual or multiple investigators in order to develop or advance existing areas of research to be better positioned for external funding opportunities. These funds can be used to collect pilot data based on new technologies, purchase user time on instruments or university research cores, obtain sequencing or unique software for pre-clinical or clinical data analyses, obtain expert consultation on novel methodological approaches/techniques, pay for technical assistance or key personnel, or to develop key partnerships with industry or foundation partners.

UConn SPARK Technology Commercialization Fund

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) SPARK Technology Commercialization Fund aims to support innovative proof-of-concept studies seeking to translate research discoveries into products, processes, and other commercial applications. We invite proposals from across all disciplines for projects related to commercialization activities. We are eager to identify and support UConn-developed inventions and technologies that address unmet needs and have potential for commercial application.

Emergency Grant Program

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

The purpose of these awards is to provide essential support when funding for an ongoing project has been interrupted. Eligibility is restricted to peer reviewed, extramurally funded research and research training grants (the Parent Grant) that have been continuously funded for a period of three years or more by the same agency. The purpose of this program is to maximize the potential of applicants to re-establish extramural research funding with the shortest possible period of interruption.

Exploratory Project Transition Award

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

The purpose of these awards is to provide bridge support for transitioning an exploratory/small grant award such as a NIH R21 grant into a full, renewable (R01-type) funded research project. Eligibility is restricted to investigators who have recently (within the last year) completed a peer reviewed, extramurally funded exploratory/small research grant of two years or more in original duration who seek to transition the project into a long-term, funded project. The original exploratory/small grant must have generated an average of at least $100,000 of total direct costs/year.

UConn Inovation Fund

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

The University of Connecticut, Webster Bank and Connecticut Innovations (CI) have created a $1.5M UConn Innovation Fund of $750K per year over a two year time period for the purpose of investing in promising startup companies that are affiliated with UConn.

Investments of up to $100,000 are available to any student, faculty member, or alumnus of the university with an in-state business startup tied to research, advanced technologies, or innovations developed at UConn. Companies participating in UConn's Technology Incubation Program are eligible.

Accelerate UConn

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

Accelerate UConn is UConn’s National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Site. Its mission is to catalyze entrepreneurial teams whose technology concepts are likely candidates for commercialization. Educational programs share the principles of the I-Corps Curriculum on Lean Launchpad methodology. With the support of Accelerate UConn, teams will learn first-hand about entrepreneurship and explore the transition of their ideas, devices, processes or other intellectual activities into the marketplace.

Each workshop provides hands-on training in the fundamental components of new venture creation and is delivered by experienced entrepreneurs and faculty members. Participants are provided with personalized coaching and feedback which will help them construct an evidence-based business model and market entry strategy.

Accelerate UConn is open to all university faculty and students.

InCHIP

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

InCHIP offers easily accessible support for research and career development at no cost to UConn Faculty and students.

InCHIP is a “one-stop shop” for training, mentorship, research team development, and grant proposal writing for UConn investigators at all stages of their careers, from graduate students to tenured faculty. We offer a variety of services, including workshops, one-on-one consultations, pilot funding, and more.

Convergence Awards for Research in Interdisciplinary Centers (CARIC)

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

CARIC is an initiative of the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) that supports the development of collaborative interdisciplinary teams to bid for major (>$5M) federally funded initiatives, such as research centers. CARIC provides funding for planning, outreach to strategic partners, and proof-of-concept research activities that will prepare the team to bid competitively for these prestigious federal awards. All applications must demonstrate that the teams proposed are new collaborations that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries or include a significant expansion/deepening of existing interdisciplinary collaborations. The federal funding initiative being targeted must be identified explicitly.

Scholarship and Collaboration in Humanities and Arts Research (SCHARP) Development Award

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

SCHARP Awards aim to support innovative works of scholarship and creative activities in the arts and humanities that have the potential to transform a field of study, impact the common good, or chart a new direction in scholarly, creative, or artistic development. The Development Award supports the development of innovative research and creative works in arts and humanities. We seek proposals for significant and well-conceptualized projects that are still in the early stages of implementation.

STEAM Innovation Grant

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

The purpose of the program is to encourage innovative collaborations between the arts and STEM disciplines (e.g. all disciplines housed in the Schools of Engineering or Medicine, or the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources, or those sciences, including social sciences, in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences). Projects funded by this grant may result in publications, exhibitions, performances, academic symposia, or other research outcomes. Preference will be given to proposals which identify specific external grant opportunities that have the potential to support sustainable (e.g., multi-year) collaborations.

OVPR Research Bridge Funding Match Program

Funding Entity
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Dollar Amount
Single PI awards capped at $25,000

Deadlines

Website
https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/rep-storrs/

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) Research Bridge Funding Match Program, in partnership with departments and schools/colleges, provides short-term support to maintain critical elements of currently funded, productive research programs when they are faced with a gap in financial support, until pending funding is received.

As a “match” program, OVPR bridge funds are intended to be the last piece of a funding plan that includes commitments from other sources, usually the PI’s IDC funds and support from departments, school/colleges, and centers/institutes totaling at least two-thirds of the total amount of the requested funding. The OVPR program will only consider funding requests for no more than one-third of the total amount needed by the PI.