Program Description
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. In brief:
- The VPR approves a set amount of funds for each college. The amount of these funds is based on the extramural award performance of the college.
- Each college will run a competitive seed grant program that aligns with their specific needs.
- Colleges will submit a list of research projects to the VPR that they recommend for seed funding.
- After final VPR approval, the awarded PI’s will work with the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) to set-up a DSS account to access the seed funds.
Eligibility Criteria
- Tenure-line faculty and Career-line faculty who hold at least a .75 FTE appointment are eligible to apply.
- Faculty must be in-residence at the University of Utah to be considered for Seed funding.
- Faculty in Institutes/Centers/Programs, the Honors College, and the Libraries will need to apply via their home colleges.
- Proposals must exhibit high potential for leveraging extramural funding and PIs must commit to submitting at least one external proposal based on the pilot project. If funded, all applicants will be required to present proof of extramural submission in the Final Report.
- All applicants must clearly and convincingly demonstrate that the proposed project represents a new research direction in an area that is likely to generate extramural funding. Research that is already supported by other sources is not eligible for Seed funding. (For example, PI’s cannot receive funding from the URC program and the Research Incentive Seed Grant Program for the same or similar projects.
- Proposals that have already been submitted to an extramural agency, or those already reviewed and found noncompetitive by an extramural agency, will not be considered for funding.
- An applicant may only apply to one College's internal seed grant competition at a time as PI. An applicant may act as co-PI on up to 5 additional VPR seed grant submissions.
Budget Guidelines
Grant funds cannot be used for:
- Travel that is not directly related to project research (including curriculum or career development, taking courses, or attending professional meetings and conferences)
- Society/group memberships, consultants, large research instrumentation, or office equipment (including computers) unless clearly and convincingly justified
Application Process
The table below outlines the expected timeline and application process for the FY23 Research Incentive Seed Grant Program.
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Assistant/Associate Deans for Research (or their equivalents) will create a college-specific and competitive internal competition that includes the College's:
- Aim/goal for utilization of seed funds
- All College-specific requirements for the program
- Methods for soliciting seed grant applications from faculty
- College's intended plan for reviewing applications, including a description of the review committe
Colleges are required to finalize their internal competition with the VPR Office by 11:59pm (MST) on October 6, 2022 to participate in the FY23 program.
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A college may begin to collect proposals once the internal competition process is reviewed and approved by the VPR Office. All colleges will adhere to the same internal competition deadline of 11:59pm (MST) December 1st, 2022.
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After internal competitions close on December 1, 2022, all Colleges will need to conduct a fair and equitable internal review of proposals. Following the internal review process, colleges must submit seed grant funding recommendations to vprgrants@utah.edu. Colleges will be provided instructions for submitting recommendations. Funding recommendations are due to the VPR Office no later than 11:59pm on February 7, 2023.
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The VPR Office will review all funding recommendations and notify awardees (and their colleges) of their seed grant award status by February 28th, 2023.
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Prinicpal Investigators (PI) on awarded projects are required to submit a DSS in eProposal by 11:59pm (MST) on March 22nd, 2023. This procedure from OSP provides step-by-step instructions for submitting a DSS via eProposal.
Important Note: Failure to create and fully approve a DSS will result in a potential reduction of budget or dismissal of a seed grant project.
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All Seed Grants are expected to begin May 1st, 2023 and will expire on April 30th, 2024, 12 months after activation of the award. No-cost extensions will not be considered unless there are exceptional circumstances. Delay in project setup caused by the PI is not justification for receiving a no-cost extension.
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A Final Report will be due to the VPR Office and the awardees’ colleges within 90 days of the project end-date. Investigators will submit their Final Report to their Associate Dean for Research who must approve the report at the college level to ensure that the college’s goals and requirements have been met. Approved reports will then be reviewed by the VPR Office.
Final reports must include proof of proposal submission to an extramural funding agency. If the investigator has not submitted to an extramural funding agency at the close of the seed grant, their final report will not be approved by the VPR Office.
Investigators with outstanding final reports are not eligible for additional funding from the VPR Office.
Final Report Information
- A Final Report will be due to the VPR Office and the awardees’ colleges within 90 days of the project end-date. Investigators will submit their Final Report to their Associate Dean for Research who must approve the report at the college level to ensure that the college’s goals and requirements have been met. Approved reports will then be reviewed by the VPR Office.
- Final reports must include proof of proposal submission to an extramural funding agency. If the investigator has not submitted to an extramural funding agency at the close of the seed grant, their final report will not be approved by the VPR Office.
- Investigators with outstanding final reports are not eligible for additional funding from the VPR Office.
Submit an Application
Information on accessing your College's internal competition will be published as soon as it is available. ALL internal competition information will be available starting October 7th, 2022.
College |
Application Process |
Architecture + Planning | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Business | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Cultural & Social Transformation | |
Dentistry | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Education | Applications should be submitted directly to the Office of Faculty Research & Support. Please contact Doug Ringle (doug.ringle@utah.edu) for competition details or apply. |
Engineering | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Fine Arts | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Health | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Humanities | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Law | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Medicine | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Nursing | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Pharmacy | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Science/Mines and Earth Sciences | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Social Work | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Social & Behavioral Science | Applications will be accepted via InfoReady. CLICK HERE to view the competition details or apply. |
Contact Information
Questions about the above program guidelines, eligibility criteria, application materials, etc. should be directed to Tyler Matsamas in the VPR Office.
 
 
QUESTIONS? CONTACT US!
For any questions regarding VPR Funding Opportunities, Limited Submissions, URC Programs, or other funding opportunities/program
please contact:
Tyler Matsamas at vprgrants@utah.edu