As part of
Research2030, UC's 10-year plan for research, the UC Office of Research has established a variety of funding programs for faculty from across the university. Our intention is to seed fund good ideas, get research and new teams off the ground floor, and help UC researchers become more competitive for larger, more substantial external funding opportunities and nationally competitive awards and appointments. There is something for UC faculty and student researchers in all fields and at any stage in their career. Read more about two recent awardees who leveraged internal funding to take it to the next level: Dr. Brianna Leavitt-Alcántara (Associate Professor, Department of History) and Dr. Manish Kumar (Professor, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering).
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Dr. Leavitt-Alcántara received internal funding, a Summer Stipend from the University Research Council (URC), for her project entitled “The Tzeltal Revolt of 1712: Violence, Religion, and Politics in the Mayan Highlands of Chiapas.” For this project, most of the materials that she needs are located in the Archivo General de Indias (AGI) in Seville, Spain. Using the URC stipend, she was able to visit the AGI, where she developed the archival base of analysis that earned her a competitive grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities to scale up and recognize the project as one of global significance. Congratulations, Dr. Leavitt-Alcántara!
Dr. Kumar received internal funding via the Office of Research Pilots Program for his project entitled “Prototype Development and Feasibility Study of Telehealth Drone.” For this project, Dr. Kumar needed funds to purchase drone components and software licenses, as well as to provide incentives for research participants. Using the seed funding, he was able to create a prototype of a telehealth drone that was capable of remotely-located, pilot-driven home visits to provide two-way communication with clinicians, making home care affordable, readily available, and mobile. This earned him a competitive National Science Foundation grant to scale up the project and recognize it as one of national interest and significance. Congratulations, Dr. Kumar!
For those interested in finding an Internal Funding opportunity to launch your research, continue reading to find out more about the following options with upcoming deadlines.
Space Research Institute for Discovery and Exploration (SRIDE) Fellowship for Discovery – Undergraduate Students
What it is:
The process of discovery contributes to our nation’s prowess in space exploration. In the Age of Discovery (circa 15th – 18th century), the leading nations of the day set out to explore what was unknown to them. The exploration of space will lead to greater understanding of the Earth and its place in the vastness of space. Humans living in space or on other celestial bodies will encounter new challenges in building societies. This includes not only sustainable physical structures but other critical aspects such as the formulation of exploration policies and new forms of civil society and governance in space.
A prime directive of the Space Research Institute for Discovery and Exploration (SRIDE) at the University of Cincinnati (UC) is to foster growth in career paths that are aligned with our regional and national interests to discover and explore our universe with an emphasis on space travel and habitation. The Institute has established an Undergraduate Fellowship program – the SRIDE Fellowship for Discovery – to support students who show potential in advancing new ideas related to space discovery and exploration.
Who this is for:
The SRIDE Fellowship for Discovery is for undergraduates with 2-3 years remaining in their academic degree program. Undergraduates of all majors are eligible and encouraged to apply for this Fellowship.
Amount:
Up to six $5,000 fellowships per academic semester
Key Dates:
Fellowship Project Period: Spring 2024 Semester (January 8, 2024 – April 25, 2024)
Application Deadline: September 28th by 5:00 PM EDT
Anticipated Fellows Announcement: Week of October 30th
Learn about past awardees
here.
University Research Council (URC) Graduate Student Stipend
What it is:
The URC Graduate Student Stipend and Research Cost Program for Faculty-Student Collaboration advances high-potential research, scholarship, and creative work following the Teacher-Scholar model of graduate education while providing summer stipend support to outstanding graduate students, as well as funds to support related research costs. These awards are overseen by the University Research Council, the University of Cincinnati’s oldest and most prestigious internal funding mechanism.
Who this is for:
Awards are given to six to seven graduate students in each of the following areas: Arts & Humanities, Behavioral & Social Sciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences & Engineering.
Amount:
Up to twenty-four $7,500 fellowships
Key Dates:
Fellowship Project Period: Summer 2024 Semester
Application Deadline: November 7th by 5:00 PM EST
Anticipated Fellows Announcement: Week of January 29th
Learn about past awardees
here.
University Research Council (URC) Faculty Scholars Program
What it is:
Building upon the rich legacy of the University Research Council (URC), UC’s oldest and most prestigious internal funding program, the URC Faculty Scholars Research Awards are meant to recognize promising UC early career faculty who are proposing transformative ideas that will shape our future.
This program will follow a two-stage application/evaluation process. The first stage involves submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI). Up to fifteen finalists will then be invited to submit a full proposal and agree to a 15-minute presentation/Q&A to discuss their proposed activities.
Who this is for:
This program is for individual early career faculty and may be discipline-focused or interdisciplinary in nature. Faculty across of all UC, whose research, scholarship and creative activities fall within the areas of Arts & Humanities, Behavioral & Social Sciences, Physical Science & Engineering, and the Life Sciences are encouraged to apply.
Amount:
Up to eight awards of $25,000 for a period of 24 months.
Key Dates:
Fellowship Project Period: May 2024 – April 2026
Letter of Intent due: November 2nd by 5:00 PM EDT
Anticipated Finalists Notified: Week of December 4th
Final Proposal Deadline (for Finalists only): January 18th by 5:00 PM EST
Anticipated Finalist Presentations: Week of January 29th
Anticipated Awardees Announced: Week of March 4th
Learn about past awardees
here.
Office of Research Pilots Program and Space Research Pilot Program
What it is:
Consistent with Office of Research goals to spur interdisciplinary research and establish new partnerships within and beyond the institution, this program is designed to seed collaborative research endeavors to help develop research to the point where external funding can be obtained. The program aims to support interdisciplinary teams for achievement of greater success and prominence; advance high-potential, team research and creative activities in emergent areas; and increase teams’ competitiveness and capacity for major extramural awards and funding.
This program follows a two-stage application/evaluation process. The first stage involves submission of a 2-page letter of interest (LOI). Up to fifteen finalists will then be invited to submit a full proposal and pitch at a pitch event.
Who this is for:
UC faculty members, especially new and early-career applicants, are encouraged to apply. Teams that have faculty from more than two colleges will be more competitive than those with only two colleges represented.
Amount:
Up to eight $25,000 grants, up to two $25,000 space-specific grants, and up to two $25,000 international-specific grants
Key dates:
Fellowship Project Period: May 2024 – May 2026
Letter of Intent due: November 8th by 5:00 PM EST
Anticipated Finalists Notified: December 8th
Final Proposal Deadline (for Finalists only): January 17th by 5:00 PM EST
Anticipated Finalist Presentations: Week of January 29th
Anticipated Awardees Announced: Week of March 4th
Learn about past awardees
here.
Office of Research Michelman Green / Clean Tech Program
What it is:
Consistent with UC’s Research2030 strategic plan and the Next Lives Here strategic direction, the Michelman Green, Clean, and Sustainable Technology Research Innovation Program supports applied research & development (R&D) and use-inspired research with the potential to meaningfully contribute to improvements in environmental health, environmental stewardship, and sustainability by demonstrating new and marketable scientific and technical (S&T) innovations intended to address real-world problems in the Green-tech and Clean-tech fields. This program will also help to establish UC as a recognized leader in the development of applied technologies addressing sustainability through S&T fields.
Who this is for:
Applicants for the second cohort of Michelman grantees can apply as either single investigators or multi-investigator teams. Grantees will be selected based on the quality, novelty, and creativity of their proposed applied research topic which demonstrated a clear potential to make tangible contributions that improve societal outcomes.
Amount:
$35,000 for a Single PI and $80,000 for Multiple PI
Key dates:
Application Deadline: January 25th by 5:00 PM EST
Fellowship Project Period: May 2024 – April 2026
Anticipated Fellows Announcement: Week of March 18th
Learn about past awardees here.
Interested in finding an Internal Funding opportunity to launch your research?