Internal Funding Programs | VP-NSF Cohort Program | Limited Submissions Information | No-Cost Extensions | External Funding Database | DEI External Funding Opportunities | Past Awardees | Contact Us
Internal Funding Programs
The Office of the Vice President for Research manages a number of funding and award programs designed to pilot new research ideas or equipment, advance the scholarly and creative research profile of the university, promote an equitable, diverse, and inclusive research community, and recognize the outstanding achievements of research faculty across campus.
All current VPR-sponsored funding and award programs are listed below. Deadlines vary according to program type. Please check back regularly for updates.
Research Instrumentation Fund (RIF)
Upcoming Deadlines: The FY22 RIF cycles have closed. FY23 details will be released when available.
The Research Instrumentation Fund (RIF) provides support to faculty and core facilities for new equipment purchases, or to replace/upgrade existing research equipment. The VPR Office runs two cycles of the RIF Program – one for Fall semester, and one for Spring semester. Equipment purchased with RIF funds is meant to be shared as broadly as possible and used to facilitate externally funded research and scholarship.
Research Incentive Seed Grant Program
Upcoming Deadlines: The FY22 Seed Grant cycle has closed. FY23 details will be releaseed when available.
The goal of the Research Incentive Seed Grant Program is to support investigators in collecting preliminary data in new, innovative research areas that will be leveraged for extramural grant applications. The Seed Grant Program is conducted in coordination with individual Colleges. Applications are accepted once per fiscal year.
Administrative Supplements to Promote a Diverse Research Community
Upcoming Deadlines: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Supplements to externally funded existing grants will be considered to support recruitment or retention of research personnel from groups that have low representation in the research community. Principal Investigators who have identified a specific individual to be recruited to the University of Utah to work on an existing externally funded project (such as a graduate student, post-doc, research staff, or career-line faculty, or a current researcher in one of these categories supported by an existing grant who is a retention risk) can apply for supplements to improve recruitment and retention outcomes.
Faculty Grant Writing Support
Upcoming Deadlines: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
To support faculty who experience significant hardship in meeting their extramural proposal submission goals due to family-care, other personal responsibilities, or unexpected life events. Funds through this competition will be available for grant writing assistance.
Qualified faculty who plan to submit a research proposal to an extramural sponsor, but have been hindered or limited by family-care responsibilities or other unexpected life events, may apply for funds to contract with external grant-writing specialists for assistance.
Faculty Small Grant Program
Upcoming Deadlines: The FY22 FSGP cycles have closed. FY23 details will be released when available.
The Faculty Small Grant Program (FSGP) seeks to support significant research and creative scholarly projects in colleges that experience difficulty obtaining extramural funding. This program will provide faculty with grants up to $6,000 for a period of two years to support scholarly projects and publications.
Faculty Fellow Awards
Upcoming Deadlines: The FY22 FFA cycle has closed. FY23 details will be released when available.
The Faculty Fellow Awards (FFA) provide a semester of full release time (from teaching and administrative tasks) at full salary to tenure-line faculty for scholarly research or creative projects. The University Research Committee (URC) awards the sum of $15,000 to the department to defer the cost of the awardee’s release time.
Distinguished Research Awards
Upcoming Deadlines: The FY22 DRA cycle has closed. FY23 details will be released when available.
The Distinguished Research Award (DRA) recognizes outstanding achievements in scholarly or creative research by University of Utah tenured faculty. Up to three awards for outstanding achievements in scholarly or creative research are awarded to University of Utah tenured faculty each year. This prestigious research award provides the faculty member with a $10,000 grant to pursue research and/or creative pursuits and recognition at the UofU Commencement. Nominees are evaluated on the impact and significance of their career research or scholarly work to their field, as well as to the improvement and enrichment of the human condition.
CBR - Project Implementation Grant Program (Pilot)
Upcoming Deadlines: Friday, July 1st, 2022 by 11:59pm
The Community-Based Research (CBR) Grants Program at the University of Utah seeks to support research partnerships between academic researchers and community-based partners that inquire into and address real-world issues through an approach rooted in equity and inclusion. The University of Utah recognizes the value of CBR as a method for enriching our understanding of the world while also increasing social impact by advancing scientific knowledge within contextualized practice, guiding community and economic development, impacting policy, fostering learning, supporting organizing and movement building, and enhancing trust between academic institutions and communities harmed by past research.
VP-NSF Cohort Program
The VP-NSF Cohort Program (henceforth, “Cohort”) is a university-wide resource that provides up to 20 faculty with NSF-specific mentoring, skill development, and support. Faculty selected to participate in the one-year program will craft an entire NSF proposal with the objective of submitting the following year (and/or next cycle). The program is designed for both new faculty and those who are new to pursuing NSF funding. This is a pilot launch of the VP-NSF Cohort Program.
VP-NSF Cohort Program Guidelines
Limited Submissions Information
Limited Submission Opportunities (LSO) are extramural funding opportunities that limit the number applications submitted per institution. Researchers interested in submitting to a specific LSO must apply to an internal competition and be selected for full proposal submission to the opportunity's sponsor. Internal competitions help verify the eligibility of an applicant and ensure that another application has not already been selected to submit to a specific limited submission opportunity.
LSO Best Practices and Information
Request a No-Cost Extension (NCE)
If a funded Research Incentive Seed Grant project cannot be completed in the initial 12-month award period due to unusual circumstances, the Investigator can submit one no-cost extension request to be reviewed by the Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR). The VPR Office reserves the right to deny a NCE that does not meet the requirements of the Research Incentive Seed Grant Program and/or the NCE request guidelines.
External Funding Database (Pivot)
Pivot is a searchable database that offers a variety of valuable resources including funding and publishing opportunities, collaborator identification, scholarly profiles, and more.
Access pivot database
DEI External Funding Opportunities
The Vice President for Research Office has collected a list of extramural funding opportunities as part of our on-going commitment to support equitable, diverse, and inclusive research on our campus and in our broader communities.
Past Awardees
Grant award information is provided for the most recent fiscal year. Faculty award information is provided for all past awardees.
VPR Awardee Record
Questions? Contact us!
Please contact Tyler Matsamas at vprgrants@utah.edu with any questions regarding VPR Funding Opportunities, Limited Submissions, URC Programs, or other funding opportunities/programs.