UCR RED Funding Opportunities

• Request for Proposals for the Creation of a Campus Interdisciplinary Research Center

  Request for Proposals for the Creation of a Campus Interdisciplinary Research Center

  The deadline for this opportunity has passed. Review and selection are complete, read the full announcement.

  
  PURPOSE

  UCR has about 30 research centers and institutes, with diverse histories, purposes, and funding mechanisms. They range from very small centers, sometimes just a single PI within a department and without any intramural funding, to much larger organizations spanning more than one college or school and with some amount of either initial or ongoing funding provided by the offices of the Deans, Provost, and/or Research and Economic Development (RED). Some centers were created with one-time funds, initially provided as part of a start-up package to a new faculty hire. Other centers have been created through special external funding opportunities, but their sustainability after the funding expired was never secured. RED is currently reviewing and cataloging all existing centers, in order to provide the Senate with revised guidelines on Operating Principles for Research Centers. This request for proposals, however, is for a new type of research infrastructure, in terms of scope, funding, reporting, oversight, and review.

  It has long been an aspiration of our campus to create a larger type of center under a centralized reporting model with specific creation, review, and continuation guidelines, and with some new central budget allocation. The creation of such research infrastructure is also one of the initiatives in our campus strategic plan, UCR 2030, namely, under Strategic Goal III, Expand the visibility and scope of influence of UCR locally, nationally, and globally.

  After extensive consultations with several groups of campus stakeholders (including four think-tank lunches with senate faculty at all academic levels), and as announced by the Provost at the December 2023 Divisional Senate Meeting, the Provost and the Vice Chancellor for RED (VCRED) invite applications from existing research centers or combinations of existing research centers and campus initiatives to become UCR’s inaugural Campus Interdisciplinary Research Center (CIRC). Additional CIRCs may be created in the future based on the outcomes of this initial pilot program and resource availability.

  The newly created CIRC will excel and lead UCR in interdisciplinary research and scholarly work. It will capitalize on the demonstrated success of existing research teams, further creating and incentivizing synergy among faculty, students, and staff across campus. The goal is to attract new individuals and additional external resources to UCR; aiming to achieve national and international recognition.
   

  CENTRAL FUNDING FOR A CAMPUS INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CENTER

  The CIRC will operate under the supervision of RED and the director will report to the VCRED or their designee. Recurring funds will be allocated from central campus for a minimum of five years and will include the following:

  • salary and benefits for the director at 50% time for 12 months
  • salary and benefits for one senior staff (administrative director/grants facilitator)
  • salary and benefits for one support staff (administrative and programming support)
  • discretionary funding for programs, events, travel, supplies, and other research related expenses (amount to be determined)

  Pending Academic Senate consultation, it is anticipated that the director will hold UCR’s Presidential Chair in Interdisciplinary Research, including a $10,000 annual stipend.

  The total of the center’s budget will be a new allocation from central campus to RED’s budget, which in turn will be allocated to it as a unit within RED. The reporting structure between the CIRC and RED will be similar to that between an academic department and the corresponding dean. The VCRED will have authority over budget, personnel, and administrative matters of the CIRC upon recommendations by the director. The CIRC will also have a steering committee of faculty, which will advise the CIRC’s director on research related matters.

  In addition, the CIRC will receive a portion of the F&A generated by grants and contracts submitted through the center. A new formula will be used for the CIRC regarding the current portions of the F&A distributed to the deans, departments, and PIs. The 25% currently going to the deans will be distributed 10% deans, 10% RED and 5% CIRC; the 10% currently going to the departments will be distributed 5% departments and 5% the CIRC; the 5% currently going to the PI will remain the same. In total the CIRC will receive 10% F&A. The rationale for this allocation methodology is that the CIRC is intended to function as the equivalent of a department and promote further synergy and collaboration among all its stakeholders. The portion going to RED will, in part, cover the additional administrative workload for overseeing the center, which is normally handled in the academic units. Despite the CIRC being a RED unit, a portion of the F&A is preserved for the deans and academic departments to avoid creating competition between those units and the CIRC. The intention is for the CIRC to generate applications for new, large, multi-PI award opportunities, separate from the regular single-PI grant proposals that faculty can continue to submit through usual channels (their departments and schools/colleges).
   

  LIFE CYCLE AND REVIEW OF THE CENTER

  The initial designation as a Campus Interdisciplinary Research Center will be for a period of five years and may be renewed thereafter for additional five-year periods, based on the result of a formal review process.

  The center’s director will be appointed for the initial interval of five years; the director may be re-appointed for two more five-year terms, after which a new director shall be named.  

  Every 5 years, the CIRC and its director will go through a review conducted by both internal and external committees, to be appointed by the VCRED or their designee, with input from the CIRC faculty. The review will include a detailed center’s self-study report and director’s self-assessment report. Further details about the committees’ composition and the contents of the reports will be provided by RED as the time of the review approaches. The achievement of the goals established at the creation of the CIRC and the return on investment will be the main metrics of the evaluation process and the basis on which continuation of central funding will be determined.

  In addition to the five-year reviews, the director will undergo annual evaluations as do other campus faculty administrators.
   

  REQUIRED ELIGIBILITY QUALIFICATIONS

  In order to qualify for a Campus Interdisciplinary Research Center designation, the team of researchers applying for it and their project should meet the following required characteristics:

  • An already established record of excellence in interdisciplinary collaborations. 
  • A demonstrated external funding record commensurate with the topics of the CIRC and considered to be very successful within the expectations of the disciplines involved.
  • The potential to apply for very large federal grants. 
  • A well-thought-out plan for a sustainable path forward.
  • Involve multiple faculty members from at least three different colleges or schools (multiple department representation within one college or school will not suffice).
  • A proposed initial director, who will be an accomplished faculty member with national recognition, highly regarded by colleagues and peers, and with experience directing big projects involving a large group of people. 

  Note that brand-new research initiatives in areas not already established on campus will not be considered for this opportunity.
   

  APPLICATION COMPONENTS

  A full application will consist of the following components:

  1. Cover page: Including the name of the proposed CIRC, the name(s) of existing research center(s) and/or initiatives from which the CIRC will be created, and a list of names of the faculty director and core faculty participants and their academic affiliation. Download the cover page here.
  2. Abstract: One-paragraph description of the CIRC’s proposed mission.
  3. Research proposal: Narrative description of the research and scholarly activities to be undertaken by the CIRC, including specific objectives and explicit reference to interdisciplinarity. This refers to the contributions from faculty of different disciplines (no more than five pages).
  4. Mission alignment: Narrative description of how the CIRC will align with UCR’s mission, exemplify UCR’s distinctive character in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and expand UCR’s visibility and impact (no more than two pages).
  5. History of past and current extramural grant activity: Including proposal title, PIs involved, amount of the awards, extramural sponsors, and dates.
  6. CVs:  A two-page current biographical sketch for each PI listed in the cover page with an additional one-paragraph statement of how each PI’s research will contribute to the work of the CIRC. For the director, the CV should describe their leadership experience (an additional page may be added to director’s CV for this purpose).
  7. Potential for future funding: List of federal agencies and specific funding opportunities to which the CIRC will submit applications, along with timeline for grant submissions and a projected path of financial sustainability.
  8. Budget: Itemized salary budget only for the items stated in section B above, and the amount and justification for the use of the discretionary component to be provided by central funding. Please note that the amount of the central campus allocation has yet to be finalized, but the total will most likely be in the $700,000-$800,000 range annually.
  9. Space: No new space will be allocated to the CIRC, but a brief description of the facilities currently operated by the existing center(s)/initiative(s) involved in the proposal should be provided.
  10. Steering committee: The names and departments of the proposed members for the steering committee, which should consist of at least three and at most five members (in addition to the director).

  There are no limitations on the number of CIRC proposals in which a faculty member can participate. Letters of support are not required and will not be considered.
   

  SELECTION PROCESS

  The selection process will be conducted by a committee consisting of all seven school/college deans, the chair of the Senate Committee on Research, the faculty AVC for Research, and co-chaired by the Provost and VCRED.

  • The selection criteria will include the following:
  • Clarity and specificity of the proposal's objectives.
  • Demonstrated need for interdisciplinary collaboration in the proposed activities and the substantial involvement of faculty from at least three colleges/schools.
  • Feasibility of the project and budget commensurability with proposed activities.
  • Project's alignment with UCR’s mission and strategic plan.
  • Strength and background of the director and multidisciplinary team.
  • Funding record and potential for the successfully applying for large externally sponsored awards.

  Only complete applications will be considered. 

  The committee may choose to invite finalists for an in-person interview or to submit additional materials, as they deem necessary.

  Only the selected center will be publicly announced. The proposals not selected will receive a brief summary of the committee’s considerations but no rankings or further evaluation will be provided. If no candidate emerges as a clear winner, the committee may choose not to name a CIRC in this round and to run the competition again in the fall.
   

  DEADLINE

  Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time), Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
   

  APPLICATION SUBMISSION

  Applications should be submitted through the "EasyChair" system. The application must be submitted by the proposed CIRC director, who will become the point of contact for future communications with the review committee.

  All materials should be uploaded in PDF format. All documents should be prepared in 11pt or larger font, and should be single-spaced, and with at least one-inch margin on all sides. 

  Strict formatting and page limitations will be enforced; proposals not meeting the requirements may be returned without review.

  Questions about the EasyChair application system should be directed to Marisela Martinez at VCREDadmin@ucr.edu.

• SoCal OASIS™ Internal Funding Awards (SoCal OASIS™ IFA)

  SoCal OASIS™ Internal Funding Awards (SoCal OASIS™ IFA) - 3rd Call

  UCR's Office of Research and Economic Development (RED) announces the third call for the Opportunities to Advance Sustainability, Innovation, and Social Inclusion Internal Funding Awards, or SoCal OASIS™ IFA. The purpose of the program is to enable UCR faculty to initiate, continue, or expand research, scholarly, and creative activities in areas under the SoCal OASIS™ umbrella and increase their competitiveness for extramural funding in those areas. Faculty from all disciplines and methodological approaches from all schools, colleges, departments, and programs are encouraged to participate. We intend to continue this internal competition on an annual cycle based on outcomes of previous awards, applicants’ and awardees’ feedback, and funds availability.
  The past two years, RED has put out the call for SoCal OASIS™ IFA. Over $3.4M in internal seed funding has been awarded.

  PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS

  Award Recipients for the 2nd Call
  awards of ~ $200,000
  awards of ~$25,000.

  Award Recipients for the 1st Call
  awards of ~ $200,000
  awards of ~$25,000

  PURPOSE
  SoCal OASIS™ is a partnership with public and private stakeholders led by UCR to promote regional economic development in the Inland Empire through solutions-driven research, entrepreneurship, and workforce development focusing on sustainability, innovation, and social inclusion. SoCal OASIS™ addresses the climate, environmental, energy, health, and socioeconomic challenges of our region and promotes further engagement of UCR with the community, government organizations, philanthropic foundations, and the private sector. The objective is to transform the Inland Empire by producing original, creative, and scalable solutions applicable also at the national and global level. UCR is uniquely positioned for this task by taking advantage of its established record as the only R1 university in the Inland Empire, and the commitment to social mobility, inclusion, and equity, which are hallmark features of the higher education institutions in the region. UCR can also capitalize on the diverse population it serves as well as the diverse geography and natural resources of Inland Southern California.

  The SoCal OASIS™ initiative consists of physical infrastructure projects and programmatic activities. The funding in this internal competition is intended to support programmatic activities. Such activities complement the infrastructure developments of the SoCal OASIS™ Park, currently in the design phase and the construction is set to begin before the end of 2024 with the demolition of the existing University Extension building. The SoCal OASIS™ Park will anchor diverse stakeholders that leverage strengths in agriculture, environment, and community health; incubate start-up companies; provide entrepreneurial training, strengthen partnerships with workforce initiatives; welcome and inspire the next generation of diverse research and business leaders. Through the attraction of companies, the SoCal OASIS™ Park will also provide internships and job opportunities for students and alumni, and integrate economic development efforts of the Cities, Counties, Chambers of Commerce, and other stakeholders in the region. 

  The programmatic activities envisioned include the development and/or implementation of research and creative activities, proof of concept funds, living laboratories, pilot and demonstration programs, innovation and entrepreneurial projects, outreach and community engagement, policy and decision making based on new knowledge and research, workforce development, and internship initiatives under the pillars of SoCal OASIS™.

  In terms of programmatic activities, SoCal OASIS™ is supported by six pillars in broad areas of agriculture technology and food security, community health and health disparity, human development, natural resource management, renewable energy and fuels, and sustainable transportation and infrastructure. 

  Agriculture Technology and Food Security: Urban agriculture, controlled environment agriculture, remote sensing, food production, plant breeding and propagation, new plant varieties, plant disease control and cures, pest control, wildfire and forest resilience, and pollination programs.

  Community Health and Health Disparity: Health disparity across different populations, community engagement, community health training and education, disease monitoring, pandemic readiness and mitigation, and health policies.

  Human Development: Sustainability, human impact on the planet, earth stewardship, social justice, inequality effect of climate change and change mitigation, human migrations and displacement, circular economy, environmental policies, economic growth and wealth distribution vs equitable human development, food security, other climate change and social justice initiatives focused on the humanities and the arts. 

  Natural Resource Management: Pollution, air quality, air monitoring, water resources, irrigation, ecology, climate change, conservation science, the Salton Sea, drought resilience, water conservation programs, extreme heat resilience, healthy soil programs. 

  Renewable Energy and Fuels: Zero emission vehicles; sustainable fuels (e.g. hydrogen); energy storage, batteries manufacturing and characterization; lithium extraction, purification, and recycling; new materials; renewable energy infrastructure (e.g. geothermal, smart grids, wind energy, solar energy, hydrogen); industrial decarbonization; electrical systems models.

  Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure: Intelligent transportation systems, vehicle computing and sensing technology, smart cities, sustainable freight and logistics, greenhouse emissions monitoring and controls, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems.

  These pillars are weaved across by the horizontal goals of the initiative which are sustainability, innovation, and social inclusion and the university’s mission in education and workforce development, as represented in the matrix below.

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Regarding the horizontal goals, broad (and non-exhaustive) definitions are provided by the following examples.

  Sustainability (from https://mcgill.ca/sustainability/files/sustainability/what-is-sustainability.pdf): “Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. Sustainability is not just environmentalism. Embedded in most definitions of sustainability we also find concerns for social equity and economic development.”

  Innovation (from Drucker, Peter F. Innovative and Entrepreneurship Practice and Principles. Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. 1985. See also https://extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/pdf/c5-10.pdf): Innovation involves finding a new and better way of doing something. Much of our modern society is based on innovations that have occurred in the past that provide us with the standard of living we enjoy today. Entrepreneurship and innovation are companion terms.

  Social Inclusion (https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/social-inclusion#1): Social inclusion is the process of improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society—improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of those disadvantaged on the basis of their identity.

  Education and Workforce Development (from Lyn E. Haralson (2010), “What is Workforce Development?” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, https://stlouisfed.org/publications/bridges/spring-2010/what-is-workforce-development): Workforce development from the organizational centric perspective is defined as training programs that provide existing and potential workers with the skills to complete tasks needed by employers to let the organizations stay competitive in a global marketplace.

  TYPES OF AWARDS

  In past calls two type of awards were granted, the large awards of $200,000 and the small awards of $5,000 – $25,000. Based on funds availability and feedback form applicants, this time around there will be the following options:

  Medium Awards (total budget $600,000): Twelve awards with budgets in the range from $25,000 to $50,000, two in each of the pillars, will be awarded. Each proposal requires the participation of at least two principal investigators (PIs). Co-participation of PIs from different departments or colleges is encouraged but not required. 

  Small Awards (total budget $600,000): Proposal with one or more PIs with budgets in the range from $5,000 to $25,000 will be awarded.

  Proposals in each category need to identify the main SoCal OASIS™ pillar to which they will contribute.

  ELIGIBILITY

  Proposals are invited from all UCR individuals eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator. (For additional information on PI eligibility see Policy #527-3). Additional personnel may include students and staff. Preference will be given to applicants who did not receive previous OASIS funding. For previous recipients to be considered it is required that they have submitted the final research and budget report for the previous award if already expired.

  USE OF FUNDS

  The use of funds for this solicitation is intended to be very flexible. Funds may be used for any activity directly related to the conduct of research, scholarly, creative, or outreach activity, e.g. salaries and benefits for any participant, faculty, staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, or similar position; software or supplies; small pieces of equipment (less than $5,000); facility recharge; travel to meet with funding agencies, attend proposer workshops, coordinate with collaborators, and conduct field work; or other research expenses required to facilitate preparation of the proposal. Funds may not be used for cost-share in external funding opportunities, seminar speakers, or travel to regular conferences. Use of funds for consultants and other participants external to UCR will be particularly scrutinized and only a few well-justified exceptions may be approved. It is anticipated that the announcements of the awardees will be released mid-December and the funds awarded will be able to be used starting January 2, 2025. All funds must be expended by the end of the project period, which should be at most one-year form the date funds will be awarded. To focus on projects that can make rapid progress, no extensions of the award will be approved, and unexpended funds will be recovered. No cost-share or matching funds from other units are required as such contributions will not be considered in the selection process.

  SELECTION CRITERIA AND REVIEW PROCESS

  The selection criteria will include the following:

  • Clarity and specificity of the proposal’s objectives.
  • Feasibility of the project.
  • Project’s alignment with the pillars/verticals of SoCal OASIS™.
  • Potential impact of the project in one or several of the horizontal goals of SoCal OASIS™ (not all goals need to be addressed).
  • Potential for the project to generate discoveries that can be translated for the benefit of the public.
  • Budget commensurate with activities proposed.
  • Strength and background of the multidisciplinary team.

   

  The applications will be reviewed and the selections will be made by a committee of committee of RED and faculty. Because of the large number of proposals anticipated and the focus on disbursing funds speedily, no detailed review feedback will be provided. However, recipients may be asked to reformulate part of the proposal or modify their proposed budgets.

  DEADLINE

  The internal proposal deadline is Friday, November 22 at 11:59 p.m.

  PROGRESS TRACKING AND REPORTING

  Awardees will be required to submit a two-page final project report within 60 days of the end of the award period. The final project should include the results of the research, a financial statement, information about external funding opportunity submission or efforts underway to obtain external funding if any. Lack of timely reporting may result in exclusion from future award opportunities. RED will use the reporting information to evaluate the efficacy of the program and its sustainable continuation.

  APPLICATION FORMAT

  Bearing in mind that not all reviewers will have an extensive knowledge of their field of inquiry, faculty should use proposal language accessible to reviewers with different backgrounds. Both tracks of the program use the same application format:

  1. Application Form (pdf)
  2. Research Plan - No more than four pages narrative for the Medium Awards and no more than two pages for the Small Awards, single-spaced, 12-point font with at least one-inch margins all around. Proposals not complying with these page and space limitations will not be reviewed.
  3. Typical proposal narratives should include a brief introduction and objectives, specific aims, and anticipated results (if applicable).
  4. Proposals should also contain a separate section, within the total allocated pages for the narrative, addressing the contributions of the proposed activities to one of more or more of the SoCal OASIS™ horizontal goals (Sustainability, Innovation, Social Inclusion, and Education and Workforce Development).
  5. List of publications or creative works cited in the narrative, if any (no page limitations for the list).
  6. Budget with breakdown of broad cost categories and brief justification (no more than two pages for budget and justification).
  7.  CVs (no more than two pages for each investigator).
  8. Results of prior UCR internal seed grant(s) in the last two years, if applicable (one page max).

   

  APPLICATION SUBMISSION

  Applications should be submitted through the “EasyChair” system. Link to the application will be added soon.

  Questions about the EasyChair application system should be directed to Marisela Martinez at vcredadmin@ucr.edu.

Funding Search Engines

The Office of Research and Economic Development (RED) subscribes to a series of search engines to help in your search for funding for your research or fellowship programs. These engines enable you to enter key words that are descriptors of your research area of interest that will lead you to appropriate solicitations. Several of these search engines provide information that will enable you to receive a selected list of daily or weekly postings.

There are also lists of federal programs, state programs, marketing boards, private foundations, etc. that will take you directly to the funding agency web site.

UCR Registered Search Engines

The Research and Economic Development Office recommends Pivot.  Pivot includes all academic disciplines including Arts, Humanities, Engineering, Education, Business, and Medicine. It includes foundation opportunities as well as federal funding agencies.

• Learn more about Pivot
  

  The Research and Economic Development Office recommends:

  Pivot

  Pivot includes all academic disciplines including Arts, Humanities, Engineering, Education, Business, and Medicine. It includes foundation opportunities as well as federal funding agencies.

  A - Features of Pivot are:

  1. Searching for grant opportunities by keyword or agency.
  2. After you have done a search, you can save it to get email alerts when new opportunities are announced that match the search criteria,
  3. Searching for grant opportunities that match your profile. For most faculty, there will already be a profile created from publicly available data such as publications and grants. Instead of typing keywords, Pivot finds opportunities related to your publications.
  4. For a grant opportunity, finding faculty at UCR that might apply or be interested in collaborating by matching their profile
      

  B - Accessing the Pivot website:

  1. Go to: https://pivot.proquest.com/register and you will be presented with a page to register.
  2. Complete the information on this page.
     You are creating the password at this time.
     Note: You will need to select the Affiliated Member Institution in the drop down box
     
  3. Click "Create My Account"
     You will receive a verification email at the address entered in the account creation process which will include a link to Pivot. Your email address and the password you entered during account creation will be your Pivot username and password.
  4. Start using Pivot.
     Note: There is an additional step to "claim" your profile, but it is not required to use the system.

  C - Claiming Your Profile:

  1. Log in to Pivot.
  2. In the upper right-hand corner, your name is displayed. Click the Claim profile link.
  3. A list of potential profile matches (from within UCR) may be displayed.
  4. Locate your profile from the results list; click the "This is me" button to the right of the profile name.
  5. After clicking on the "This is me" button, a message will be displayed informing you that you that a new window will be opening to complete the profile claim process.
  6. You will then be asked to confirm whether or not you still have access to the email address listed on your Pivot profile.
  7. If you confirm that you still have access to the email on your profile, you will receive verification email to that address that will link your profile to your account and will grant you access to update your profile.
  8. If you do not have a profile, please send an email to Charles.greer@ucr.edu requesting a Pivot profile be established for you.
     Note: This generally takes about 4 weeks as Pivot will search for your publicly available information to build the profile.

  Benefits of claiming your profile: it makes funding opportunity recommendations for you based on your profile and your profile information can be updated.