The 1U4U Collaborative Seed Grant Program supports innovative research collaborations that bring together investigators from across the University of Utah to address significant challenges and pursue new opportunities for discovery. The program provides seed funding for teams to launch new research directions, generate preliminary data, test innovative ideas and approaches, and build the foundation for larger research efforts and future extramural funding.

A central goal of 1U4U is to foster research connections between Main Campus and Health Sciences. Proposals must bring together investigators from both areas in meaningful collaboration. Competitive projects will draw on the complementary strengths of team members to pursue research that would be difficult to accomplish within a single area, department, college, or research tradition.

For 2027, the 1U4U Collaborative Seed Grant Program will support projects addressing one or both of two broad themes: Disasters and Extreme Environments. These themes are intentionally expansive. Applicants are encouraged to interpret them creatively and propose research questions, approaches, and solutions that advance knowledge and have the potential for meaningful impact.

Disasters

Disasters pose complex challenges for individuals, communities, systems, and the environments in which they occur. This theme supports research focused on the prediction, prevention, preparedness, response, and mitigation of disasters, including wildfires, floods, earthquakes, explosions, infrastructure failures, severe weather events, and other natural or human-caused hazards. Projects may explore how disasters emerge and unfold, how risks can be identified earlier, how people and systems prepare for and respond to disruptive events, and how their immediate and long-term impacts can be reduced. The theme is intentionally broad and welcomes innovative approaches to understanding, anticipating, responding to, and recovering from disasters.

Extreme Environments

Extreme environments challenge the limits of human health, performance, technology, infrastructure, and adaptation. This theme supports research focused on predicting, understanding, navigating, and surviving extreme conditions, including environments characterized by extreme heat or cold, altitude or depth, radiation or contamination, isolation or confinement, severe weather, limited resources or infrastructure, and remote, rural, polar, oceanic, underground, industrial, or extraterrestrial settings. Projects may explore how people, organisms, technologies, and systems function when pushed beyond ordinary operating conditions; how risks can be anticipated and mitigated; and how new tools, treatments, strategies, or approaches can improve health, safety, performance, resilience, and survival. The theme is intentionally broad and encourages creative approaches to the challenges and opportunities presented by environments at the edges of ordinary experience.

Applications must align with one or more of the following 24 emerging priorities in the U Research strategic plan. Please designate a primary focus area and up to two secondary focus areas.

Emerging Health Areas:

• Genomics & Gene Therapy
• Bioeconomy
• Child Health
• Women’s Health
• Mental & Behavioral Health
• Medical Engineering
• Digital Health
• Rural & Remote

Emerging Technology Areas:

• Aerospace & Space
• Energy
• Wireless & Telecom
• Supply Chain
• Cybersecurity
• Robotics & Drones
• AI & Quantum
• Advanced Manufacturing

Emerging Society Areas:

• Food & Diet
• Community
• Disasters
• Engaged Arts
• Families
• Water & Air
• Global Citizenship
• Dialogue & Dispute

• Tenure-line and Career-line faculty with at least .50 FTE appointment are eligible to apply.
• Project teams must include at least one Co-PI from a department within the health sciences campus and at least one Co-PI from a department within the main campus. Projects can include other personnel. Project teams should be designed to strengthen collaboration between the health sciences and main campus. These bridges could address intellectual and/or organizational divides.
• Faculty must be in-residence at the University of Utah to be considered for Seed funding.
• A faculty may only serve as PI on one application. However, there is no limit to the number of applications they can be a part of in other roles.
• 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.
• 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, PIs cannot receive funding from the URC program and/or the UURF Research Initiative 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.

• All applicants are required submit a budget outline using the mandatory and provided 1U4U Budget Template. Add lines to the 1U4U Budget Template to include all pertinent items. Enter all amounts in whole dollars.
• Budgets cannot exceed $50,000.
• Hourly wages of research assistants must be listed and justified. Please utilize current fringe rates for all assistance benefit estimates.
• If Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) students are a part of the project, their wages are paid by UROP. Students must apply separately to UROP.
• The basis for figuring travel related to the project and per diem costs must be itemized and made clear and may not exceed rates for per diem and travel set by the Travel Office.
• Careful justification should be given for the purchase of equipment (including computer software, books, or supplies) which may already exist in the University. Equipment purchased by the research grant becomes the property of the University of Utah. Where leasing equipment is a possible option, the purchase must be justified.
• All proposed expenditures must follow all University of Utah Purchasing and Procurement policies and use best judgment. No exceptions.

• Conducting research at other entities or institutions (including sub-awards). Faculty are expected to conduct their research at/with the University of Utah, apart from fieldwork directly related to the completion of the project.
• Travel that is not directly related to successful completion of the project. Travel to present project findings at conferences/meetings is not allowed.
• Faculty salaries or course/administrative buy-out
• Graduate student-initiated projects
• Support to write dissertations or theses
• Curriculum development
• Career development (e.g., taking courses, attending professional meetings/conferences, etc.)
• Computers or computer hardware (unless the applicant can provide strong evidence that the project cannot be pursued without procuring that specific computer hardware or workstation – contact vprgrants@utah.edu with questions)
• Society/group memberships
• Consultant costs

All materials should have standard 1-inch margins, single-spacing, and 12 pt. font.

1. Executive Abstract (PDF Format Only; 1-paragraph/500-word maximum): Abstract should include aim/goal for utilization of seed funds. Abstract should also include up to 10 keywords that help identify the key objectives, disciplines, research types, and associated departments of the 1U4U proposal. Keywords are separate from 500 word/3000-character maximum.
2. Team Roster (PDF or Excel Format Only): Team Roster must include all senior personnel on project. The following information must be provided for each associated individual:
   • Full Name
   • Professional Title
   • Home Department
   • Home College
   • Participation Type (PI, Co-PI, Sr. Personnel, etc.)
   • Specific Role on Project
3. Research Proposal (PDF Format Only; 2-page maximum): All proposal narratives must include:
   • A clear description of the project with strong objectives, specific research questions/creative objectives, justification for the project, a detailed, and a concise description of methodology and procedure.
   • A clear description of how the proposal addresses a clear funding need, i.e., identify areas of research that have limited funding options, identify components of project that are challenging to fund (and why), identify why the 1U4U program is an ideal mechanism for accomplishing a specific goal as part of a larger research effort, etc.
   • Each application may include a 1-page bibliography that is separate from the 2-page proposal (not required).
4. Budget Outline (PDF or Excel Format): Please use the mandatory 1U4U Budget Template to complete your budget outline. Please also reference the ‘Budget Guidelines and Restrictions’ section of the RFP when completing this section. Budgets should be well-justified, accurate, and reflect the full scope of the proposed work. Budgets must be well-justified and reflect the actual funding need of the project. Projects with deliberately inflated budgets will not be considered for funding.

1U4U applications are reviewed by the 1U4U Review Committee. The 1U4U Review Committee is composed of applicants’ peers, past recipients of 1U4U funding, OURC members, and University Leadership. 1U4U funding recommendations are presented to the VPR. The VPR reviews and approves funding recommendations from the committee.

In general, 1U4U proposals are evaluated on the criteria listed below. Reviewers may also comment on other strengths and weaknesses of the proposal overall. This is to ensure applications receive a thorough review of their quality, merit, impact and feasibility.

• Overall quality and significance of the proposal
• Strength of the proposal's research questions, methodologies, personnel, facilities, etc.
• Likelihood that the seed project will lead to extramural funding.
• Relevance to the topic of “Disasters & Extreme Environments”
• Articulated need for funding
• Importance of the work for the growth of the investigator
• Potential impact on the investigator's department, college, and discipline
• Potential Impact of the work on the University of Utah and surrounding communities

Important note: The 1U4U review process has may have additional approval steps that could delay award notification. Typically, the review process will take up to 90 days to complete.

We encourage all interested applicants/applicant support staff to attend an informational town hall on this program and the FY27 topic. The town hall will take place on Friday, October 16th, from 10:00am-11:00am. This will be a virtual meeting (using Zoom) led by Jake Jensen, Associate Vice President for Research (AVPR).

RSVP for the 1U4U informational town hall. RSVP is required to receive meeting access details.