As part of the Research 2030 Initiative, the Office of Research offers funding for UC researchers. Internal seed funds serve as a critical catalyst for researchers in all fields, allowing them to generate preliminary evidence and develop the necessary
skills and collaborations that make them more competitive when seeking external funding from government agencies, private foundations, or industry partners. The internal funding opportunities range from student stipends to programs for early- and
mid-career faculty. For more information on each of our offerings, or to apply, please visit the Office of Research's Internal Funding page.
The Office of Research is expanding internal funding opportunities for Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (AHSS) scholarship through Human Futures, a new initiative developed by a cross-campus collaboration of AHSS leaders. As prioritized by Vice President
for Research Loren Wold, Human Futures will quadruple the Office of Research’s funding for AHSS research this year. Expanded opportunities will support research, creative work, and scholarly activities that help faculty build toward future funding
and broader impact. For more information, please see the Human Futures announcement.
Check out a few of this year's offerings below!
Rolling Deadlines
Mobility for Success and Acceleration of International Collaborations
The Mobility for Success and Acceleration of International Collaborations funding opportunity enables UC researcher trainees to participate in international collaborative research to advance projects at UC that align with UC’s institutional priorities,
advance collaborative research goals, and promote knowledge exchange.
Successful applications demonstrate a clear plan for international collaboration, including well-defined objectives for research impact, participant information, travel logistics, and alignment with UC’s strategic goals. Applications are considered
on a rolling basis.
Upcoming Releases
URC Graduate Student Stipend
In conjunction with the Graduate College and the Office of Research, the University Research Council (URC) Graduate Student Stipend advances high-potential research, scholarship and creative work. Following the Teacher-Scholar model of graduate education,
the URC Graduate Stipend provides summer stipend support to outstanding graduate students.
Check out last year’s Graduate Student Stipend awardees!
Collaborative Research Projects: Pilots Grant Program
The pilot program is designed to seed promising collaborative research endeavors to elevate teams’ competitiveness for external funding. The expected outcomes for this program include: 1) Advance high-potential, team research and creative activities
in emergent areas; 2) Empower interdisciplinary teams to drive breakthrough innovations and achieve prominence; and 3) Increase teams’ competitiveness and capacity for major extramural awards and funding.
This year, there are multiple tracks in the Request for Applications (RFA) to strategically align with the needs of both mid-career and tenure-track researchers, international collaborations, and increasing competitiveness of proposal resubmissions. Stay
tuned for the RFA for more details.
Check out previous Pilot Grant awardees!
AHSS Catalytic Grant Program
The AHSS Catalytic Grant program affirms UC’s commitment to comprehensive research excellence by investing in the forms of scholarship and creative activity that define success in arts, humanities, and social sciences disciplines. The program supports
UC faculty, working individually or in teams, to advance high-impact scholarly and creative work.
Applicants are encouraged to request budgets appropriate to their proposed activities rather than the maximum award amount.
Check out the inaugural Catalytic Grantees here!
Community-Engagement Research Grant Program
The Office of Research Community-Engaged Research Grants program supports UC faculty across all disciplines doing research in partnership with organizations or residents to collaboratively address locally identified priorities. The primary goal of the
program is to strengthen community-academic partnerships and support preliminary work that positions teams to compete for external funding. Projects funded through this program are expected to demonstrate shared decision-making, mutual benefit, and
clear pathways to both community impact and future extramural support.
Applicants are encouraged to request budgets appropriate to their proposed activities rather than the maximum award amount.
Check out the inaugural Community-Engaged Research Grantees here!