Alignment with U Research Strategic Plan: 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

Career and tenure-line faculty members who hold at least a .50 FTE appointment are eligible to apply. Adjunct faculty are permitted to act as co-PI on FSGP applications. Applicants must not have any outstanding final reports on past VPR-funded projects and must be prepared to dedicate enough time to complete the proposed project within one year of the award. Each submitted project may have up to five co-PIs.

Applications that do not adhere to the following budget requirements will not be considered for funding:

• The Faculty Small Grant Program utilizes a tiered funding option. Total budget amount requested must align with one of the tiers (below).
  • Tier 1: Up to $3,500
  • Tier 2: Up to $5,000
  • Tier 3: Up to $10,000
• All applicants are required to use the FSGP Budget Template. Add lines to the FSGP Budget Template to include all pertinent items. Enter all amounts in whole dollars. Please indicate in your application and budget whether you are requesting up to $3,500, $5,000 or $10,000. Please only request the amount necessary for your project.
• 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.
• Please ensure all requested travel is in line with most up-to-date UofU Travel policies whenever relevant. 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.
• 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 property of the University of Utah. Where leasing equipment is a possible option, the purchase must be justified.
• PIs may not make any changes to the original objectives in their research plan or budget without written permission from the SVPR. Should the investigator wish to use the funds for something other than what was previously established in the budget, a modified proposal must be presented to the SVPR for reconsideration of funding. Modifications are not approved until the PI receives written confirmation from the URC.
• Once the grant is awarded, the awardee is responsible for managing the budget. All funding distributed by the SVPR is subject to audit. The SVPR will not bear the burden of over-expenditures, which must be rectified by the faculty member and his/her academic unit.
• ALL expenditures must follow relevant UofU Regulations (including 3-010, 3-030, 3-040, 3-100, 3-111, 3-003, 3-001) and use best judgment.
• Any remaining funds at the end of the award term will be returned to the URC.

Applications that do not adhere to the following budget restrictions will not be considered for funding:

• Grant funding may not be used for faculty salaries, graduate student-initiated projects, support to write dissertations or theses, curriculum development, career development (e.g., taking courses, attending professional meetings/conferences, etc.), publication costs, and benefits on hourly wages (excluding those required by law).
• Grant funding may not be used to conduct research at other entities or institutions. Faculty are expected to conduct their research at the University of Utah, apart from fieldwork connected to scholarly or creative research project.

• Executive Abstract (up to one-page max): Abstract should include project goals or research questions, plan of action or research methods, planned outcomes, and plan for dissemination. Abstract should also include up to 10 keywords that help identify the key objectives, disciplines, research types, and associated departments of the FSGP proposal.
• Proposal Narrative (three pages maximum, plus up to one additional page for references/bibliography): The proposal narrative must be limited to three single-spaced pages with a font size of 12 points. A one-page bibliography may also be submitted. Those with more than 4 pages will be returned to the applicant without committee review. 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, concise description of methodology and procedure, and verification that the proposed project will not duplicate research already undertaken by other researchers.
  • 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 FSGP program is an ideal mechanism for accomplishing a specific goal as part of a larger research effort, etc.
  • The full estimated timeline/duration of the project: This timeline should be based on the amount of funding received through the FSGP. Timelines should be as feasible and accurate as possible. Inflated timelines without clear milestones/deliverables will not be approved. We strongly encourage you to consider and plan for potential delays, setbacks, etc. when determining timeline. Timelines may not exceed 12 months.
• Budget Outline: Please reference the FSGP Budget Guidelines and Restrictions section of this webpage and required FSGP Budget Template when completing this section. Budgets should be well-justified, accurate, and reflect the full scope of the proposed work. Budgets cannot exceed $10,000. 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.
• Abbreviated CV OR Biographical Sketch: Please provide the abbreviated CV or biographical sketch of each investigator listed on the project. CVs/bio-sketches are not required for associated parties who will not be considered PI or co-PI on the project. There is no maximum number of pages for the CV/Biosketch upload, however, please ensure all relevant entries are uploaded as a single PDF.
• Resubmission Statement (if applicable): All resubmissions must include a point-by-point response to all previous reviewer comments, explicitly stating how the new proposal has addressed or clarified those comments and concerns. New proposals are not required to complete this step.
• Appendices & Attachments (up to three pages max – optional): Examples of relevant attachments include applicant’s relevant publications (include first page of publication or link to publication), descriptions of how the project will be disseminated to the public, etc. Appendices & Attachments should be kept to a minimum.

Important Note: Letters of Support are no longer allowed for the FSGP.

FSGP applications are reviewed by the University Research Committee (URC). The URC is a campus-wide faculty committee tasked with reviewing creative and scholarly research proposals and making funding recommendations to the SVPR.

In general, FSGP 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 quality, merit, impact, and feasibility.

• The significance and soundness of the proposed research/creative work and timeline of project events/action.
• Strength of the proposal's research questions, methodologies, personnel, facilities, etc.
• Articulated need for funding.
• The impact of the funding/proposal on advancing the applicant's career and/or personal research/creative mission. The URC has asked applicants to directly address this in their proposals.
• The impact of the proposed research/creative work on the Department's, College's, and University's research/creative missions.
• The likelihood that the project will bolster the University’s profile of research/creative excellence and support the U Research strategic plan.

Note: Continuation of existing projects or programs is not eligible for FSGP funding including continuation of previously funded FSGP projects.

Important note: The FSGP review process may take up to 90 days to complete.

Acknowledgement Information: The recipient of any URC award is required to acknowledge the URC grant in any published results, catalogs, videos, or other products using the following URC Acknowledgment Statement: “This project was supported by the University Research Committee (URC) at the University of Utah. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors, and do not necessarily represent the official views of the URC, the Senior Vice President for Research Office, or the University of Utah.”

Research Misconduct: The SVPR Office has a zero-tolerance policy for research misconduct and unprofessional behavior in the research environment, i.e., harassment, bullying, discrimination, etc. Failure to comply with established policies on research misconduct and unprofessional behaviors in the research environment will lead to automatic termination of the awarded project AND automatic ineligibility for all future SVPR funding, program, and resources. Interaction with SVPR staff is considered the research environment and conduct toward SVPR staff before, during, or after the submission process is covered by this policy.

The recipient of any SVPR Internal Grant mechanism is required to submit a Final Report identifying a summary of the project, outcomes, next steps, etc. Final Report information will be shared in the award letter to selected applicants.

Final reports demonstrate impact and are essential for continuation of the program. Given that, colleges with outstanding reports will not be eligible for future funding.