Dear Faculty and Staff:

The Research Development Office (RDO) in the Office of Vice President for Research (OVPR) is seeking proposals from interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams to conduct innovative research, creative activities, and scholarship with grants of up to $150,000.

Jumpstarting Tomorrow, a hybrid pilot grant/community-building program, is supported through $2 million in funding to RDO from the first round of disbursements related to the UI utility public-private partnership (P3).

A Letter of Intent from prospective applicants is due by April 15. Feedback and invitations to submit full proposals are expected to be generated by April 23. For details, visit this page.

Two objectives of Jumpstarting Tomorrow are advancing creative and scholarly inquiry at the University of Iowa by collecting feasibility/pilot data to enable future competitive grant proposals, and building collaborative communities of engagement through speaker series, networking events, and ideation activities.

This initiative seeks novel interdisciplinary research conducted by new teams of investigators. Successful proposals will not be an extension of already funded research.

Proposals from any discipline are welcome but should entail “convergence research” that incorporates diverse campus perspectives. The National Science Foundation (NSF) defines convergence research as being driven by a specific and compelling problem and involving deep integration across disciplines.

UI faculty (tenure/tenure track) from any discipline may only be PI or Co-PI on a single proposal but may be collaborators on multiple proposals. Project teams must consist of one PI and three or more Co-PIs, together representing three or more departments within two or more colleges.

Awards of up to $150,000 are earmarked for research/community building, with an additional $50,000 available to support new campus relationships that emerge as a result of the team’s work. Up to five awards are expected.

Proposals will be peer-reviewed by campus research leaders and assessed based on innovation and impact; community convergence; campus engagement; sustainability via extramural funding; methods and approach; team leadership; and efforts to engage historically excluded groups, career faculty, and students.

To submit a Letter of Intent, log in to the Infoready competition portal with your HawkID and password. All letters of intent and application materials will be submitted through the portal. Contact cheryl-a-ridgeway@uiowa.edu or 319-384-3332 with submission questions. 

Good luck, and we look forward to working with you on this exciting initiative!

Marty Scholtz

Vice President for Research