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Internal Funding Opportunities – Overview

The Scholarship Facilitation Fund program has re-opened

 

Due to the need to reserve funds for the EMERGE emergency funding program, all other OVPR Internal Funding Programs remain on hold-we will provide updates as more information becomes available.

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) supports faculty research, scholarship, and creative endeavors through a wide range of internal funding programs.  OVPR internal grants serve as high-leverage, strategic investments in outstanding faculty research projects that are at critical stages of development.  Our internal funding mechanisms are designed to competitively identify projects that fit our key funding criteria--projects that meet the highest disciplinary standards for excellence and are at a "tipping point" where specific work can lead to breakthroughs, external funding, and/or significant recognition.

Recognizing that those crucial moments occur at various stages of the research process (and require different levels of funding to address, depending on your discipline), OVPR internal funding programs include large and small dollar mechanisms that focus on seed funding, completion/publication funding, and commercialization funding. If you are a UConn/UConn Health faculty member who has a project that is ready to move to the next level, we invite you to browse our program guidelines to learn more.

Frequently asked Q & A

The FAQ is organized into five sections; proposal stage, set up stage, manage stage, close out stage and other. Email research@uconn.edu with additional questions. 

 

PROPOSE

  • Am I eligible for the grant?
    • I am a PhD student – NO
    • I am a Postdoc – NO
    • I am a Research Faculty, Research Specialist - NO
    • I am an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor-in-Residence, Professor – YES
  • Can I submit two applications as PI to the same competition?
    • Only one submission per PI for the same competition
  • Can I apply to more than one competition in the same year for the same project?
    • Yes, however, you will not receive more than one award for a specific project
    • You can submit multiple applications to different competitions with different projects
  • Why can't I make changes to the budget spreadsheet?
    • You can only complete the green areas in the budget spreadsheet. Formulas are set up to autofill the fringe and totals within the budget spreadsheet
    • If you have any questions about the spreadsheet, please email resarch@uconn.edu
  • How do I indicate that it is a two-year budget when completing the budget sheet?
    • Although projects are expected to be completed within one year, there are exceptions. You can download the budget sheet from the budget guidelines webpage and save it as year 1 and then again as year 2 prior to completing it

SETUP

  • When will the awards be announced?
    • Go to the overview of internal funding competitions and timeline
  • When will the project be funded?
    • Once you have uploaded your signed award letter and completed the compliance section, then the Research Finance Team will review the information, reach out to you if they have any questions and fund your IDC account for the SFF award or set up a new account for the other awards

MANAGE

  • Can I move funds from one budget category to another?
    • You will need to complete a no-cost extension request form  and explain in it how moving funds from one category to another will or will not impact the scope and aims of the project
  • Can I extend the account end date?

CLOSEOUT

  • Once the project is complete, do I need to submit a report?
    • Yes, you will be emailed a link to complete a report (survey format) 3 times so the OVPR can hear all about the wonderful impacts made as a result of your internal funding award.
      • You will receive an email once your project has ended
      • You will receive an email one year from the project end date
      • You will receive an email three years from the project end date

OTHER

 

Contact Information

Charlotte Nelson, MPA, M.Ed, Internal Funding Coordinator; research@uconn.edu

Internal Funding Program Office Hours: Click this Internal Funding Program Office Hours Link and schedule a virtual meeting with the Internal Funding Coordinator to ask questions, share your research projects and to discuss which internal funding mechanisms best align with your project needs.

Overview of Internal Funding Opportunity Timelines

(Last updated 4/15/26)

Program

Applications open

Applications due (12 noon)

Target for Notifications

Emerge Emergency Funding Program open rolling basis Typically within a 3-5 weeks of application submission
Scholarship Facilitation Fund Cycle 2 Spring 2026 open June 1, 2026 by July 1, 2026
MPS Seed Grant Program in review April 6, 2026 by May 15, 2026
Scholarship Facilitation Fund Cycle 1 Spring 2026 in review March 10, 2026 by April 10, 2026
SPARK Commercialization Technology fund August 17, 2026 September 28, 2026 (LOIs due), January 11, 2027 (invited full proposals due) April, 2027
Research Excellence Program not open n/a n/a
Scholarship and Collaboration in Humanities and Arts Research not open n/a n/a
Convergence Awards for Research in Interdisciplinary Centers  not open n/a n/a
Clinical Research and Innovation Seed Program not open n/a n/a
UConn Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Research Initiative not open n/a n/a

Table Key:

Complete / not open
Open for Applications In Review