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Winter 2024
Welcome to RDInsights, a quarterly newsletter from the USF Research Development Institute (RDI). This newsletter will be one channel through which the RDI communicates updates from the Institute, funding opportunities, and other resources to enhance research success.
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UPDATES FROM THE
RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE (RDI)
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NEW DATE! CREATE Networking Symposium
Please join us on Monday, December 9, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. in the First Floor Conference Room of USFRI (3814 Spectrum Blvd) to learn about the CREATE proposals that were selected and enjoy a networking social hour with colleagues.
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Associate Director for Competitive Intelligence: Karen Walker | |
Karen Walker recently joined the USF Research Development Institute as associate director for competitive intelligence, a role that she previously held at Arizona State University. She will develop strategic intelligence to analyze funding trends, expand communication of new grant opportunities and launch initiatives that contribute to meaningful research programs across USF. Read more. | |
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Think Tanks serve as catalysts for faculty collaboration and innovation, mobilizing interdisciplinary teams around complex, global challenges and accelerating their pathway to breakthrough discoveries, competitive funding, and sustainable public-private partnerships. | |
INTERNAL AWARD OPPORTUNITIES
(Apply through InfoReady)
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New Researcher Grant (NRG) - Guidelines (PDF)
The New Researcher Grants are designed for faculty to develop new research projects who do not have established funding sources (external or college/departmental) – this program is for early career faculty who are new to USF. The program’s goal is to enable faculty to launch productive research, scholarship, or artistic expression/performance activities that will ultimately result in grant funding from external agencies or foundations. Deadline: January 10, 2025
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Interdisciplinary Center Preparation Grant (ICPG) – Guidelines (PDF)
The Interdisciplinary Center Preparation Grants (ICPGs) are designed to incentivize and accelerate nucleation and success of large-scale program-project or center types of grants, as defined in the stated disciplinary area (typically corresponding to grants involving multiple PIs and involving funding amounts that considerably exceed that of a typical single-investigator grant). Pre-Proposal Deadline: January 15, 2025; Full Proposal Deadline: April 4, 2025
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Faculty International Travel Grant (FITG) - Guidelines (PDF)
This program is designed to provide financial support for scholarly and creative presentations by the University of South Florida faculty at major professional meetings and conferences outside the USA. Deadline: February 7, 2025
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USF Multi-User Research Capital Investment Award (MuRCIA) - Guidelines (PDF)
Multi-User Research Capital Investment Awards (MuRCIA) are intended to enhance research activities and increase competitiveness for external grants. Enhancement can be in the form of small equipment or purchase of software or other items that can be utilized to enhance research productivity. Applicants should demonstrate that there will be multiple users from different colleges and/or regional campuses. The intent of this opportunity is to support equipment purchases that enable collaborative groups of faculties, rather than to provide general core facilities support, for which other funding opportunities are available. Deadline: February 10, 2025
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Proposal Enhancement Grant (PEG) - Guidelines (PDF)
The Proposal Enhancement Grant (PEG) program is designed to help faculty develop competitive proposals for resubmission and increase the probability of securing external funding; to strengthen the resubmission proposal to aid an applicant who has received a positive review of their grant application but is not in a fundable range. Deadline: February 12, 2025
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LIMITED SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITIES
(Apply through InfoReady)
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Biomedical Research Facilities - PAR-25-061
This Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement (NOFO) invites eligible institutions of higher education and research organizations to seek funding to modernize and improve existing shared-use research facilities (e.g., core laboratories, animal research or breeding facilities, or other collaborative research spaces), or to construct new biomedical research space that will be furnished with essential construction infrastructure and eligible integrated equipment (subject to the requirements described below under Funding Restrictions), or other necessary casework. Internal Deadline: January 6, 2025; Agency Deadline: January 27, 2025
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NSF 24-599: Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes (QLCI) – Limited Submission
Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes are large-scale interdisciplinary research projects motivated by major challenges at the frontiers of quantum information science and technology (QIST). Institutes are expected to catalyze breakthroughs on important problems underpinning QIST, for example in the focus areas of quantum computation, quantum communication, quantum simulation and/or quantum sensing. Internal Deadline: January 10, 2025; Agency Deadline: February 7, 2025
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EXTERNAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES | |
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Nuclear Data InterAgency Working Group (NDIAWG) Research Program: This NOFO focuses on acquiring and refining nuclear data essential for fusion applications, particularly neutron interaction cross-sections, decay pathways, and activation products. It emphasizes the need for comprehensive sensitivity studies to prioritize nuclear data gaps that significantly impact reactor design, economics, and safety. Research should aim to improve predictive models for material activation and provide detailed uncertainty quantification to support better design choices and waste management strategies in fusion energy systems. LOI Deadline: January 2, 2025; Application Deadline: March 3, 2025
2025 CHIPS AI/AE for Rapid, Industry-informed Sustainable Semiconductor Materials and Processes (CARISSMA): The 2022 CHIPS and Science Act appropriated $50 billion to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s (the Department or DOC) CHIPS for America program to strengthen semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. This Notice of Funding Opportunity seeks activities that will use cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous experimentation (AE) technologies to support the long-term viability of next-generation semiconductor manufacturing. Deadline: January 13, 2025
Stranahan Foundation invites applications for early education workforce development: The foundation has issued its spring 2025 early childhood education funding cycle. The grantmaking program focuses on increasing access to high-quality early care and education for young children (birth to 5), especially those from low-income families by investing in developing and retaining a high-quality, thriving early educator workforce. LOI Deadline: January 21, 2025; Invited Proposals Deadline: March 21, 2025
NSF 25-511: Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT): The ExLENT program supports experiential, hands-on learning opportunities for all learners, facilitating career pathways in emerging technology fields while building a skilled and competitive STEM workforce to tackle national challenges and drive innovation. Deadline: February 24, 2025
RFO-MH-26-140 BRAIN Initiative: Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization- Next Generation Sensor Technology Development (U01 Clinical Trial Optional): This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) from the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative is intended to support the development of next generation sensor technologies and bioelectronic devices to further the goals of the Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization (BBQS) program of the NIH BRAIN Initiative. The BRAIN Initiative BBQS funding opportunities broadly support 1) development of tools for simultaneous, multimodal measurement of behavior within complex, dynamic physical and/or social environments and synchronize these data with simultaneously-recorded neural activity and 2) development of novel conceptual and computational models that capture dynamic behavior-environment relationships across multiple timescales and that can integrate correlated neural activity into the model. Deadline: June 13, 2025
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FEATURED RDinsight
When searching for external funding, get the full CVs of three senior people in your area of research and take a look at what grants they received earlier in their careers. Sometimes you will find private funding sources or opportunities specific to your field that you would not find in a more general grants database or search engine.
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FALL 2024 NSF Virtual Grants Conference - December 9-12, 2024: The NSF Grants Conference is designed to give new faculty, researchers, and administrators key insights into a wide range of current issues at NSF. NSF staff will provide up-to-date information about policies and procedures, specific funding opportunities, and answer attendee questions. | |
NSF Opportunities Introduction & Listening Session - January 14, 2025, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.: Join the U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) to learn about EDU funding opportunities. EDU program representatives will introduce funding opportunities and invite questions. They will then open the floor to discussion about ideas and challenges associated with acquiring NSF funding. | |
Have a question about an upcoming funding opportunity or event? Need help with a grant proposal? Join the RDI team on Fridays from 10:00-11:00 am for our open Office Hour. | |
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Digital Commons Data @ USF (DCD), maintained by USF Libraries, is a repository for USF affiliates to publish and preserve digital data (e.g., datasets, coding manuals, images, video, etc.) related to publications and/or grant-funded projects, ensuring public access and long-term preservation. DCD supports researchers by:
- Providing DOIs for data sharing and citation.
- Enhancing discoverability and compliance with data-sharing mandates.
- Ensuring data is FAIR and archived securely.
- Developing standardized metadata and preparing data for open access.
The data management team at USF Libraries offers support across the research lifecycle, with consultations on data management plan creation, advocacy for author rights, and the presentation and preservation of researchers’ digital content. Check out their grant proposal narrative blurb on Data Management and Open Access Storage (at USF) and learn more about how USF Libraries can help share and preserve your work.
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EURAXESS Opens Doors for USF Researchers Worldwide
The USF Research Development Institute, in partnership with the Office of Graduate Studies and USF World, cohosted an event led by EURAXESS North America Regional Coordinator Jackson Howard on Friday, October 4, 2024. With 43 European countries and 9 worldwide hubs, EURAXESS is the largest pan-European initiative to foster researchers' mobility and career development with the goal of strengthening scientific collaboration between Europe and the global community and opening doors to endless possibilities for researchers worldwide. Read more.
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Florida Defense Science and Technology Symposium
The Florida Defense Science and Technology Symposium (FDSTS), co-organized by the University of South Florida, University of Central Florida, and the Florida High Tech Corridor, took place on October 17-18, 2024—giving faculty from across the State University System of Florida the opportunity to connect with program managers from different Department of Defense agencies and participate in workshops from experienced faculty on how to write DoD proposals. The goal of the symposium was to bring together academic experts in Florida that are working in areas related to defense science and technology.
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