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OVPR Connection Form

Connection Form - Office of the Vice President for Research

The Office of the Vice President for Research invites members of the UConn community to use this form to ask questions, share ideas, etc.

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What questions do you have for the OVPR?

VPRIE Lindsay DiStefano and the OVPR leadership team will select 1-2 questions to answer in each new edition of "The Abstract" (OVPR's bi-weekly communication). If you would like an individual response to your question, please include your name and email address below

Would you like an OVPR representative to visit meet with you or your unit regarding this question?

OVPR is available to talk with you, your team, or your unit about any research / research support related topic. Please share your name and email address below.

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Not at this time

What solution-focused suggestions or ideas would you like to share (related to research / research support)?

The challenges we encounter as University are numerous, complex, and ever-shifting. No one has all of the answers. OVPR welcomes your ideas about how to address challenges in positive, productive ways.

Name (optional)

If you would like an individual response to your question or would like to set up a meeting with an OVPR representative, please share your name.

Email Address

If you would like an individual response to your question or would like to set up a meeting with an OVPR representative, please share your UConn email address.

HRP Request Form

Protected: Foundation Funding

OVPR SPS Reports Archive

OVPR SPS Quarterly Reports

UConn Emergency Research Grant Expenditure (EMERGE) Program

The University of Connecticut EMERGE Program provides short-term (<12 months) essential support when external funding for an investigator has been interrupted due to circumstances (broadly related to recent changes in federal policies and priorities) beyond the investigator’s control.

This program is provided through a collaboration among faculty, departments, and schools/colleges, centers/institutes, the OVPR, and the Provost’s Office. The distribution of EMERGE funds is contingent upon contributed funds from faculty, departments, schools/colleges, and/or centers/institutes based on existing unrestricted funds available.

EMERGE funds will be available in two phases. Phase 1 is limited to emergency, non-cancellable, university-obligated costs that are not recoverable as unavoidable costs on the project. Phase 2 provides bridge or seed funding to support an investigator in pursuing alternative funding mechanisms.

The EMERGE program will accept applications on a rolling basis. Reviews will be performed every 2 weeks with a goal for decisions within 3 weeks of submission. The three weeks begins once the application has been approved by unit leaders

EMERGE program requests must meet several conditions:

The program is intended for cases where current, active grants or contracts have been terminated or interrupted (i.e., paused) for reasons beyond the investigator’s control. Other situations may be considered on a case-by-case basis, provided that recent changes in federal funding policies and practices cause the funding gap to be addressed.

Phase 1 funds Funding priority is for the base salaries and fringe of graduate students, postdocs, and other externally funded personnel costs up to the amount currently funded on the impacted grants or contracts. Other critical research expenses outside of salaries may be considered with justification. Summer salary is excluded from EMERGE requests.

Phase 2 funds: Can include any costs in Phase 1, plus other expenses needed to support an investigator in the pursuit of new external funding through pilot projects and/or completing critical aims/tasks from terminated projects and/or helping a graduate student complete their degree.

Contributions from PI, Co-PI, department, school/college, and/or Center/Institute funds are expected based on available unrestricted fund balances (startup, IDC, salary savings, or any other accounts that may be used for research costs). Faculty, department heads/chairs, deans, and directors are empowered to work collaboratively on plans to make funds available for contribution. Contributions for emergency needs will vary based on the local funds available. Where available balances allow, local and school/college contributions will likely need to exceed the third/third/third model previously used for OVPR matches. This will allow the OVPR to reserve limited central funds for units with low discretionary balances. This allocation of university resources is also imperative given the state’s attention to the university’s unrestricted account balances. The OVPR has cut programs/resources (e.g., internal seed grants, research development and communication resources) to pay costs associated with the EMERGE program.

PIs applying for EMERGE funds must work with their department, center/institute, and school/college leadership while preparing their financial and action plans.
- All financial resources available to the applicant should be examined. For example, if the investigator has over $10,000 in start-up or other discretionary funds, the OVPR expects the investigator to deplete those funds below $10,000 collectively as part of the financial plans.
- The role of the department head / dean / director is to render their best judgment regarding the applicant’s need for emergency funds in the context of the applicant’s other support and department / school / college / center / institute resources, and the applicant’s plans for restoring funding.
- Applications must have Department and School/College approval prior to submission
- All applications for EMERGE funds will be routed to the department head, dean and/or director for confirmation (the same approvals as IPRs).

If extramural grant funds (for the project in question) become available to the investigator during the period of the EMERGE award, any future unused funds must be returned. For example, it is expected that graduate student/staff supported by EMERGE funds would be transitioned back to external funding on reinstated or new related award

To receive funds under the EMERGE program, PIs must be up-to-date/compliant with all training requirements, including new trainings related Research Security.

Requests to the OVPR must be initiated through the EMERGE intake application (available through the UConn Quest Portal). Applications may be submitted by the PI, the Department/Center, or the Dean’s office.

Applications may be submitted through the UConn Quest Portal, (you may be prompted to first log in and then to click the link again to access the application) and must include the following components:

Note: Phase 1 and Phase 2 applications may be submitted together, if desired; however, we recommend taking time to fully consider phase 2 plans before submitting a phase 2 application.

Application Form – available on Quest Portal
- Applicant Information
- Background information regarding request
- Financial contribution overview

Request Details (*uploaded as PDF – no more than 3 pages). Please include the following sections:

- Reason for request

- Immediate university-obligated / non-cancellable costs
  - Stipends/salaries for graduate students, post-docs, research-funded faculty/staff
    - Include notice requirements for those affected
  - Other critical research expenses to close out the project

- Action Plans, with timelines
  - Ability of the funds to support the project’s scope of work (in cases where project was close to completion)
  - Sunsetting – plans to wind down / closeout work no longer being supported

- Staffing plans
  - Overview of impacted staff
  - Vulnerability of staff, students, and faculty due to consequences of termination (e.g., international considerations, benefits)

Budget Spreadsheet (uploaded as PDF) - Note: we have not yet established a particular format for the budget spreadsheet.
- Eligible Personnel costs, including university fringe benefit rates, broken down by individual
- Other critical costs that are required and/or cannot be deferred, in detail (e.g., animal care, equipment maintenance)
- Itemize contributions from PI, department, school/college, affiliated centers/institutes
- Separate sheet listing all active PI accounts, including foundation accounts, indicating
  - Current balance
  - Overlap with current request
  - Existing short/near term commitments for available funds, if any
Optional Appendices (uploaded as PDF) may be uploaded.
- such as but not limited to; letters of support, termination notices, hiring contracts, references/sources or any other information in support of the application

Phase 1 Review Process

After submission, the request will be routed to Department, Center/Institute, and School/College leadership for review and approval. Unit leaders will need to sign off on action plans and financial commitments.
Requests will then be reviewed by the OVPR, along with a representative of the EMERGE committee in the case of Storrs and Regional Campus submission and HCRAC for UConn Health submissions.
- All available accounts related to the request will be reviewed. For PIs, uncommitted fund balances above $10K (cumulative across all unrestricted accounts) must be put toward funding needs related to the terminated project.
- Action and staffing plans will be reviewed to ensure that they are complete and well-justified.
Reviews will be performed every 2 weeks with a goal for decisions within 3 weeks of submission. The three weeks begins once the application has been approved by unit leaders, as described above in #1.
Awards will be dependent on availability of EMERGE funding.

EMERGE Committee will be comprised of at least 5 members with representation from the following groups: OVPR Research Development, Center/Institute directors, Associate Deans for Research.

Note: Phase 1 and Phase 2 applications may be submitted together, if desired; however, we recommend taking time to fully consider phase 2 plans before submitting a phase 2 application.

Application Form – available on Quest Portal
- Applicant Information
- Background information regarding request
- Financial contribution overview

Request Details (*uploaded as PDF – no more than 3 pages). Please include the following sections:

- Reason for request

- Action Plans, with timelines
  - Proposed short-term research plan and milestones
  - Future funding plans to pursue new external funding
  - How this funding will help investigator(s) win future funding

Budget Spreadsheet (uploaded as PDF) Note: we have not yet established a particular format for the budget spreadsheet.
- Eligible Personnel costs, including university fringe benefit rates, broken down by individual
- Other research-related costs (materials and supplies, equipment, animal costs, participant costs, facility use fees, etc).
- Itemize contributions from PI, department, school/college, affiliated centers/institutes
- Separate sheet listing all active PI accounts, including foundation accounts, indicating:
  - Current balance
  - Overlap with current request
  - Existing short/near term commitments for available funds, if any

Optional Appendices (uploaded as PDF) may be uploaded.
- such as but not limited to; letters of support, termination notices, hiring contracts, references/sources or any other information in support of the application

Phase 2 Review Process

After submission, the request will be routed to Department, Center/Institute, and School/College leadership for review and approval. Unit leaders will need to sign off on the merit of proposed research, the likelihood of future external funding, and all financial commitments.
Requests will then be reviewed by the OVPR, along with a representative of the EMERGE committee in the case of Storrs and Regional Campus submission and HCRAC for UConn Health submissions.
- All available accounts related to the request will be reviewed. For PIs, uncommitted fund balances above $10K (cumulative across all unrestricted accounts) must be put toward funding needs related to the terminated project.
- Research and future funding plans will be reviewed to ensure that they are complete and well-justified. OVPR will rely upon the judgements of unit leaders regarding the intellectual merit of the proposed research.
Reviews will be performed every 2 weeks with a goal for decisions within 3 weeks of submission. The three weeks begins once the application has been approved by unit leaders, as described above in #1.
Awards will be dependent on availability of EMERGE funding.
EMERGE awards will be made for 6 month increments. Demonstration of progress is required to receive a subsequent allocation, if needed, and if funds are available.

EMERGE Committee will be comprised of at least 5 members with representation from the following groups: OVPR Research Development, Center/Institute directors, Associate Deans for Research.

Business Integrations and Solutions (BIS) Contacts

Name	Title	Email
Jen Lamontagne	Assistant Director, Business Integrations and Solutions	jennifer.lamontagne@uconn.edu
Paula Engler	Research Reporting Analyst and Research IT Help Desk	paula.engler@uconn.edu
Cyndi Guest	Faculty Accruals Specialist	cyndi.guest@uconn.edu
Charlie Tuttle	Oracle PL/SQL Developer/DBA and Research IT Help Desk	charlie@uconn.edu
Kristin Winot	Functional Analyst/Effort Reporting Specialist	kristin.winot@uconn.edu

Business Integrations and Solutions (BIS)

The Business Integrations and Solutions (BIS) team helps keep UConn’s research systems running smoothly. We build and support tools used by Sponsored Program Services and others involved in research administration, making sure everything connects and shares data the way it should. Whether it’s developing new apps with our partners at Internal Insights and Innovation (i3), managing system integrations, providing useful reports and analyses, or working with SPS units to improve business processes, we’re behind the scenes making it all work better and more efficiently.

Guidelines – Stop Work Orders

Federal Stop-Work or Grant Termination Directives

These guidelines are intended to assist investigators who may be at risk for or have received a directive from a federal funding agency to stop, pause, terminate or otherwise prematurely end a human research study. Please contact the IRB Office if you have any questions or need assistance.

IRB Guidelines – Federal Stop-Work or Grant Termination Directives UPDATED 06-12-2025
How to Report Federal Grant Modification or Termination Notices to UConn IRB UPDATED 06-12-2025
How to Report Federal Stop-Work Directives to BRANY IRB

UConn Quantum Technologies Translation Award (QuTech) Program

The Quantum Technologies Translation Award Program (QuTech), made possible through investments by the Connecticut Office of Innovation (CTNext), supports the derisking of use-inspired innovations centered on quantum and quantum adjacent technologies through Academic / Industry partnerships. The program provides up to $30,000 to help accelerate the translation of UConn/UCH developed quantum and quantum adjacent technologies / applications for real world impact. QuTech is open to UConn/UCH researchers who have:

Completed research and developed (at minimum) a Proof of Concept,
A use-inspired application with strong market potential and a path for IP protection, and
A partnership with an established quantum-related company or startup (the proposing team cannot have an ownership stake in the partner company).

Funds can be used for:

Supporting students to conduct experiments designed to de-risk the technology for targeted applications,
External validation of the technology and/or its use cases with an industry and/or startup partner, and/or
Use of in-house or external resources critical for de-risking the technology.

Applications will be reviewed by internal and external researchers familiar with quantum technologies and/or associated markets.

Important Dates (all due dates by 12 noon)

5/15/25 – program opens.
6/30/25 Full Proposal deadline. Submissions are made via the UConn Quest Portal
Award Notifications are expected in August, 2025

Award details:

The OVPR anticipates funding up to 2 awards of $30,000.
Award periods will be for one year
Awards will be funded in two equal payments. The second payment will be made six months into the award period, pending completion of milestones, submission of a report, and adherence to program guidelines.
QuTech awards are intended to support the translation of quantum-related innovations developed within the labs / research groups of UConn/UConn Health faculty members. Funds cannot be used for
- a) continuing previous/ongoing commercialization projects,
- b) costs related to creating/operating start-up companies, or
- c) development activities that take place within startup companies.
Awardees will be connected with commercialization experts from OVPR’s Technology Commercialization and Venture Development group. Awardees should expect to work closely with TCS to discuss progress/obstacles, undergo commercialization-related training, and to gain access to advice and resources that will enhance the project’s chances for commercial success. Awardees are required to work with TCS's IP team to protect their innovation (target: provisional patent filing 6 months to 1 year after project launch).

The QuTech program is available to UConn/UConn Health faculty members, within the following parameters:

IP: Projects should have intellectual property at their core. To be eligible, project-related UConn IP must exist and a UConn invention disclosure must be filed prior to applying. Projects based on IP not developed at UConn are not eligible.
Startups and License Options: If a startup related to the QuTech project exists at the time of award, an option agreement must be taken within 6 months of the award. If a startup company related to the project is formed at any point in the future, an option agreement must be taken within six months of the startup creation.
Effort and Salary:
- The award does not pay for any PI salary or for time spent on the project
- Although no minimum effort level is required for QuTech projects, a PI/Co-PI must have institutionally-funded research time available during the award period to lead and complete the project.
- Research Professors / those whose positions are contingent on grant-funding (soft money positions) must include details about their institutionally-funded research time as part of the budget justification to confirm eligibility.
UConn Primary Appointment:
- PIs must be faculty or staff whose primary appointment is at UConn/UConn Health. Awards are available to tenure-track, tenured, Clinical, Research, and in-Residence faculty with Assistant Professor rank or higher.
- Researchers with primary appointments to CCMC, Jackson Labs, or TIP or other startup companies are not eligible to apply.
- Individuals who are not eligible to apply as a PI may be able to serve as a collaborator/consultant on an eligible PI’s project.
Number of submissions: Eligible faculty may only submit one proposal as lead PI. Investigators may serve as collaborator on multiple projects.

Elements to include in the full application are as follows:

A one-paragraph abstract (type or copy/paste into a form on Quest).
Project plan document three page maximum, 11-pt font and 1” margins), including
1. Problem/Unmet need: Describe the problem or unmet need that the innovation will address.
2. Description of the innovation: Describe the innovation or technology concept.
3. Estimate Market Size:
  1. Which industries are likely to adopt the technology? Why is this technology important for these industries?
  2. Please describe the total available market this technology addresses (TAM) and how much of the TAM this technology will address.
4. Competing Products:
  1. Identify any currently available products/technologies and explain why they do not adequately satisfy the problem or unmet need.
  2. Explain how the proposed innovation is different from or better than those that are already available.
5. Intellectual property (IP): Describe your IP position, and the competitive IP landscape. List your current patent applications or patents pending as well as any granted patents related to this project. If you currently have no patent applications, please mention plans for future invention disclosures.
6. Commercialization Plan:
  1. Explain how the proposed de-risking activities will allow you to achieve the major milestones required to further develop the technology for market entry.
  2. Describe your plans for funding development of this technology beyond the QuTech grant (through SBIR/STTR, Angel and VC funding, etc).
7. Preliminary evidence: Summarize any preliminary data available that substantiates the proposed innovation usefulness for the applications envisioned.
8. Proposed work with project milestones: Outline the proposed scope of work approaches with timelines and a clearly defined set of objective milestones to be completed by the end of the initial award period. Please include an analysis of how the proposed activities will sufficiently de-risk the innovation to allow for further commercial development.
Biosketches/CVs: Please include brief biosketches/CVs (formatted as appropriate for your field) for all PIs/Co-PIs (No more than 3 pages). Include your most recent publications or those most relevant to the work proposed. Also include current/pending support from external sponsors and UConn sources (including start-up funding). Biosketches/CVs may be uploaded as one PDF or as separate PDF documents.
Budget: Provide a preliminary budget estimate and proposed use of funds. Please see Internal Funding Budget Guidelines for instructions and a budget template.
The budget spreadsheet should be converted to PDF format prior to upload.

Proposals will be scored based on the following criteria:

Market Need—does the innovation address an unmet need and is there evidence that there is a market for the proposed solution?

Does the applicant make a strong case that there is a need/problem that needs to be met?
Is the science/technology strong enough to evidence its success
Does the proposal include data about how much of the market the technology may realistically capture?

Innovation and Novelty—Is the innovation novel and/or does it make a significant improvement over currently-available solutions?

Does the proposal make a convincing argument that the innovation is novel and or makes a significant improvement over currently-available solutions?
Is there existing or the potential for intellectual property protection?
To what degree does the innovation solve the unmet need differently (e.g., better, faster, cheaper) than the current state-of-the art?
If novel, is the innovation a disruptive technology, a platform technology, or an incremental improvement over the current state-of-the art?

Commercialization Plan—Is there a realistic path for commercializing the innovation?

Does the proposal present a path to bring the innovation forward to market?
Does the proposal present plans for future financing of the project, such as SBIR/STTR or industry investment?
For future development, will this technology require regulatory approval? If so, does the proposal address plans for successfully navigating the process?
Does the applicant point to any obvious potential licenses / commercial partners for this innovation?

Approach and Feasibility—Are the activities proposed attainable in the proposed timeline and are they consistent with the high scientific/scholarly standards?

Does the investigator/team have appropriate expertise and laboratory facilities available to conduct the work?
Does the project include the involvement of a UConn core facility or a third party be required to complete the work (e.g prototype development)? If so, have appropriate commitments been obtained?
To what degree will the activities proposed de-risk and advance the development of the innovation?

QuTech awardees agree to provide regular progress reports to the OVPR during and after the award period. Reports fall into four categories:

Consultations with TCS: Awardees are expected to connect regularly throughout the award period with their point of contact within OVPR Technology Commercialization Services to discuss progress, to talk through potential problems, and to consider future steps and additional resources that may be of use. Each PI will work with their TCS contact to set up the best check-in schedule, but it is expected that consultations would happen at least on a quarterly basis.
Six-month Reporting: After six months of each award period, applicants will be asked to submit a progress report via the Quest Portal. After review of this report, the second payment of the award period will be made to the award account.
Annual Reports: Recognizing that investments made by the OVPR can often take some time to produce their full results, we will be asking that all recipients of OVPR Internal Funding, including QuTech, submit outcomes reports over the life of the project. This will allow us to better understand the impact of internal funding and make the case for it continuing / increasing.
- Reporting requirements: PIs will need to prepare a brief report, using this Award Report Template to summarize project progress within one month of posting final expenses unless an extension from the OVPR has been received.
  - We’ll be interested in hearing about the results of your project,
  - the significance of those results, and
  - gathering statistics about graduate students supported, publications, external grants / patents received, other projects launched, etc.
  - Other questions may also be included as needed. The OVPR may request updates annually for up to five years following the end of the award period to track the development of the project longitudinally.

The QuTech program is jointly administered by OVPR Technology Commercialization Services and Internal Funding Program.

Program Director
Dr. Vivek Ramakrishnan
Director, Venture Development, OVPR Technology Commercialization Services
vivek.ramakrishnan@uconn.edu

Dr. Matt Mroz
Manager, Research Development Services
matthew.mroz@uconn.edu

Program point of contact (Contact for information on program/process, application status, award management/extensions)

Charlotte Nelson
Internal Funding Coordinator
research@uconn.edu

UConn Policy on Participation in Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs

The Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment (MFTRP) Program Participation Policy at UConn and UConn Health aims to safeguard the integrity of federally funded research. In alignment with the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, the policy emphasizes international collaboration but prohibits covered individuals involved in UConn research from participating in malign foreign talent recruitment programs which pose research security risks.

Participation in a MFTRP is prohibited for those seeking funding from US federal agencies (such as the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Energy (DOE), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), etc.). Researchers must certify they are not involved with a MFTRP at proposal submission and annually thereafter. Violations may result in disciplinary actions or disqualification from federal research funding.

A Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (FTRP) is an effort by a foreign government (including affiliated institutions of higher education and other affiliate entities) to recruit science and technology professionals and students. While participation in a FTRP will not necessarily impact a researcher’s ability to obtain U.S. federal grant funding, participation in a Malign FTRP will impede receipt of federal grant funding.

A Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP) is any program, position, or activity that provides compensation (including in-kind compensation such as research funding, complimentary foreign travel, honorific titles, access to laboratory spaces, and other forms of renumeration) by a foreign collaborator on a U.S. restricted party list OR a foreign country of concern, or an entity based in, funded by, or affiliated with a foreign country of concern (including institutions of higher education or government designees), in exchange for the individual conducting “malign” talent activities.

Currently, the listed countries of concern are China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, although more countries could be added (or removed) in the future.

Activities that constitute “malign” talent activities can include:

transferring intellectual property developed through a U.S. federal research grant to a foreign country;
an obligation to recruit students, trainees, or researchers to the foreign institution of higher education;
establishing a laboratory or company in a foreign country in violation of a federal research award;
accepting a faculty position or other employment or appointment in violation of the terms of a federal research award;
being unable to terminate the FTRP contract except in extraordinary circumstances;
being limited in capacity to carry out a federal research award due to effort required for the FTRP;
providing work that substantially overlaps or duplicates a U.S. federal research and development award;
being required to submit research grant applications to foreign funding agencies on behalf of the foreign sponsoring organization;
being required to omit acknowledgment of your U.S. home institution or U.S. federal funding agency;
begin required to not disclose participation in the FTRP; or
having a conflict of interest or commitment contrary to a federal research award.

Disclosure Requirements

More than anything else, federal funding agencies stress transparency in a researcher’s disclosure of participation in activities abroad. Individuals must disclose participation in a FTRP by:

Updating the UConn and UConn Health Conflict of Interest (COI) disclosure form within 30 days of participation; and
Working with UConn and UConn Health Sponsored Program Services (SPS) to update Current & Pending (Other) Support Pages to ensure disclosure to appropriate federal sponsors.

If you suspect involvement in or have been approached by a MFTRP, contact UConn’s Research Security and Compliance Office immediately at researchsecurity@uconn.edu. Fraudulent statements or claims (including intentional omissions) in violation of this policy may result in criminal, civil, administrative or university penalties.

UConn offers a 3 minute overview training on Malign Foreign Talent Program Participation:

If you have questions regarding compliance or need further clarification on policies related to MFTRPs, please reach out to the UConn Research Security and Compliance Office at researchsecurity@uconn.edu.

Research Security Training

The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 requires that PIs and senior/key personnel complete annual research security training on an implementation schedule to be driven by federal funding agencies. Each individual identified as a “covered individual” (defined below) must certify that they have completed the requisite research security training within 12 months prior to proposal submission.

To meet this research security training requirement, all Principal Investigators and key personnel included on a sponsored program proposal must complete research security training by October 1, 2025 or before any proposal submission thereafter.

The Department of Energy (DoE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) first implemented the research security training requirement for new proposal submissions effective May 1, 2025.
The National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have all released research security training and disclosure of other support requirements effective either October 2025, January 2026 or, in the case of the USDA, effective immediately at the discretion of the agency.
Once the training requirement is implemented, any new covered individuals added to the project must also certify that they have completed the research security training within 30 calendar days of joining the project.
A particular RFP may include additional training requirements specific to that award, such as requiring training for all participants (not just covered individuals) on the project. Please review your RFP for any such requirements or ask SPS.
Going forward, research security training must be refreshed annually to certify completion within twelve months prior to proposal submission.

UConn’s Sponsor Program Services (SPS) cannot submit a proposal unless all covered individuals have received training by the deadline required by the federal sponsor.

The training is currently open to all UConn and UConn Health employees and will facilitate your readiness for this requirement upon implementation by your targeted funding agencies.

Applicability: The law introduces a new term of “covered individuals” subject to this research security training requirement. A covered individual is an individual who:

Contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the development or execution of the scope of work of a project proposed for funding by a federal agency; and

Is designated as a principal investigator (PI), project director (PD), coprincipal investigator (Co-PI), co-investigator (Co-I), co-project director (Co-PD), project manager, key personnel, and any individual regardless of title (inclusive of consultants, graduate students, or postdoctoral associates) that is functionally performing in one of these named roles.

At proposal, covered individuals will default to PIs, key personnel, anyone identified as responsible for the design, conduct or reporting of the research, and anyone else identified by the PI as a contributing in a substantive, meaningful way on the Internal Proposal Routing form.

Training: Research security training is designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to understand behaviors that have led to improper or illegal transfers of U.S. government-supported research and development (R&D) based on incidents reported by federal research agencies. The training will also highlight the critical role of U.S. researchers in global scientific discoveries and the importance of attracting international talent to U.S. research institutions.

The UConn is using the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program’s “Research Security Training (Combined)” module to meet this training requirement. This CITI training module has been developed specifically for IHE researchers as a condensed version of NSF’s four-hour Research Security Training modules. Please allow yourself 1.5 hours to complete the CITI training. You can complete the training in stages and save your progress.

To complete the training, follow these steps:

Storrs and Regional Campuses:

Register for the training through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program.
To create an account in CITI, click on the Register button in the upper right.
- Returning users may log in in the upper right corner.
Click on “Log in through my Organization” at the top of the page.
Enter “UConn – Storrs and Regional Campuses” in the search box.
Select “Continue to SSO Login/instructions.” The CITI Single Sign-on (SSO) will use your UConn NetID and password for your account (the system will ask you if there is another CITI account you would like to associate with your NetID account, and this option can be used to merge an old account with your new SSO account).
Follow the prompts to create an account.
Once you are logged in and under the UConn affiliation, on the page under your “Active Courses” and “Courses Ready to Begin,” scroll down to the gray box labeled “Learner Tools for UConn – Storrs and Regional Campuses” and select “Add a Course.”
Under the “Select Curriculum” webpage, scroll to the bottom of the webpage and tick the box for “I would like to review the Research Security”
Under the “Select Curriculum – Research Security” webpage, tick the box for “Research Security Training (Combined).”
Complete the training.

UConn Health:

Register for the training through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program.
Click on the “Register” tab on the right side of the top screen.
- Returning users may log in in the upper right corner.
Click on “Select Your Organization Affiliation” – In the box to “Search for organization,” enter “University of Connecticut Health Center,” selecting this option when it becomes available. (Note: Be sure to include Health Center in your selection)
Follow the prompts to create an account.
Course Enrollment Procedure –Once logged into CITI, under “Institutional Courses” to the right of “University of Connecticut Health Center,” click “View Courses” to see any assigned courses.
Click “Add a Course.”
You will see multiple questions on the CITI course enrollment page. For the purposes of the Research Security Training requirement, you will need to scroll down to Question 11, Research Security. Please check the Research Security Training (Combined) course to satisfy the Research Security Training requirement.

—————————–Question 11——————————-

Research Security

Please select a Research Security from the options below:

- - Research Security (Combined)

Complete the training.

Your Completion Report will automatically be shared with SPS and will also be accessible to you and SPS at any time from the CITI Program.

If you experience problems locating or logging on to the training, please email researchsecurity@uconn.edu.

For more information on Research Security and Export Controls, please visit the OVPR Research Security Training page.

Thank you for your attention to this important new requirement. Your cooperation is essential in meeting these new research security requirements and maintaining the highest standards of compliance at UConn.

External Funding Resources Overview

The Research Development Services team offers several resources to assist faculty in finding external funding opportunities for their research and scholarship.

Listservs

Sign up for our Funding Opportunity Listservs to receive periodic emails with funding opportunities in topic areas of interest to you.

Databases

UConn subscribes to two grant funding search engines:

Pivot-RP, encompassing state, federal, corporate, non-profit, and foundation sponsors. Create an account to identify potential funding opportunities, receive weekly funding alerts based on your research profile, and identify potential collaborators within UConn using Pivot Profiles.

Foundation Directory Online, specializing in private and corporate foundation funding.

Specific Topic Areas

UConn is a key member of the QuantumCT initiative. Our team has curated funding opportunities specific to research, workforce development, and education related to the quantum sciences.

ARPA-H – a new research funding agency focused on transformative biomedical and health breakthroughs. See our ARPA-H funding resources page for more information.

Contact our team!

For assistance with any of these tools or questions regarding external funding opportunities, please contact the RDS team at ovpr-rds@uconn.edu.

ARPA-H Current Funding Opportunities

The RDS team suggests contacting us for support on ARPA-H submissions well before submitting a solution summary or proposal, as their programs and requirements frequently change. We are keeping up to date with these changes and can help your submission meet current requirements.

Background

Mission: The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) accelerates better health outcomes for everyone by supporting the development of high-impact solutions to society’s most challenging health problems.

Who They Are: ARPA-H advances high-potential, high-impact biomedical and health research that cannot be readily accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity. ARPA-H awardees are developing entirely new ways to tackle the hardest challenges in health.

Contact

This contact form can be used to connect with ARPA-H directly.

Mission Office ISOs

The four current ARPA-H focus areas translate to four mission offices. Each mission office has its own Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO) to replace the previous Open BAA. Interested applicants should submit their proposal to the Mission Office ISO that best fits their subject matter.

All Mission Office ISOs require solution summaries prior to a full proposal and have a closing date of March 3, 2029.

Health Science Futures (HSF)

Expanding what’s technically possible. Accelerating advances across research areas and removing limitations that stymie progress towards solutions. The tools and platforms developed apply to a broad range of diseases.

Proactive Health (PHO)

Keeping people from being patients. Reducing the likelihood that people become patients. Preventative programs will create new capabilities to detect and characterize disease risk and promote treatments and behaviors to anticipate threats to Americans’ health, whether those are viral, bacterial, chemical, physical, or psychological.

Resilient Systems (RSO)

Building integrated health care systems. Developing capabilities, business models, and integrations to endure crises such as pandemics, social disruption, and economic instability. Resilient systems need to sustain themselves between crises, from the molecular to the societal, to better achieve outcomes that advance American health and wellbeing.

Scalable Solutions (SSO)

Reaching everyone quickly. Addressing challenges that include geography, distribution, manufacturing, data and information, and economies of scale to create programs that result in impactful, timely, and equitable solutions.

Current Programs and Exploration Topics

Note: Solution summaries and full proposals are due at varying times of day on due dates depending on the program. Be sure to confirm these times on each program’s program page, linked in the table below.

Funding Opportunity Listservs

Connection Form - Office of the Vice President for Research

Request for Human Research Protections (HRP) Education & Outreach Presentation or Training

Section Break

FY2025

Q3/FY25

Q2/FY25

Q1/FY25

FY2024

Q4/FY24

Q3/FY24

Q2/FY24

Q1/FY24

FY2023

Q4/FY23

Q3/FY23

Q2/FY23

Q1/FY23

FY2022

Q4/FY22

Q3/FY22

Q2/FY22

Q1/FY22

FY2021

Q4/FY21

Q3/FY21

Q2/FY21

Q1/FY21

FY2020 and Earlier

Q4/FY20

Q3/FY20

Q2/FY20

Q1/FY20

Q4/FY19

Q3/FY19

Q2/FY19

Q1/FY19

Q4/FY18

Q3/FY18

Q2/FY18

Q1/FY18

Q4/FY17

Q3/FY17

Q2/FY17

Q1/FY17

Q4/FY16

Q3/FY 16

Q2/FY 16

Q1/FY 16

Pre-submission Requirements

Phase 1 – Application and Review Process

Phase 2 – Application and Review Process

Contact

Applications

Requests

Reports

Federal Stop-Work or Grant Termination Directives

Eligibility / IP & Licensing Requirements:

Proposal Submission Instructions:

Review Criteria

Postaward Considerations

Program Contacts

Listservs

Databases

Specific Topic Areas

Contact our team!

Contact