The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is pleased to announce five internal funding competitions for FY25. Eligible faculty can apply using the UConn Quest Portal (NetID required). Please click the links below to find out more about the project and eligibility guidelines for each program.
The SPARK Technology Commercialization Fund supports the translation of research discoveries into products, processes, and other commercial applications. We are eager to identify and support UConn-developed inventions and technologies that address unmet needs and have strong potential for commercial application. We invite proposals from across all disciplines for projects that aim to advance these technologies forward toward commercialization.
The Scholarship Facilitation Fund (SFF) provides up to $2000 in support of the initiation, completion, or advancement of faculty research projects, scholarly activities, and creative works. The SFF is open to faculty at the Storrs / Regional Campuses only. Faculty at UConn Health are not eligible. This competition will run as follows:
The Scholarship and Collaboration in Humanities and Arts Research Program (SCHARP) aims to support innovative works of scholarship and creative activities in the arts and humanities that have the potential to transform a field of study, impact the common good, or chart a new direction in scholarly, creative, or artistic development. Development awards range from $5K-$8K, and one Breakthrough award of up to $50K will be made.
The Research Excellence Program (guidelines for Storrs/Regional Campuses; guidelines for UConn Health) provide seed funding to fuel innovative research, scholarship, and creative endeavors with strong potential for significant extramural funding from federal and state sponsors, corporations, industry partners, and foundations, and achievements consistent with the highest standards of accomplishment in the discipline. Storrs/Regional awards range from $10K-$50K; UCH awards range from $25K-$100K.
The UConn Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Research Initiative aims to support innovative research, scholarship, and creative work in topic areas related to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). We seek to fund projects that have the potential to make significant contributions to ongoing scholarly/scientific/artistic conversations in these vitally important domains. Projects that aim to improve UConn’s competitiveness for emerging external funding opportunities related to JEDI or that propose novel interdisciplinary collaborations are particularly encouraged. Awards range from level 1 (up to $5,000), level 2 (up to $20,000) to level 3 (up to $60,000).
For a full list (with timelines) of all the OVPR’s internal funding opportunities, visit our website
The OVPR-Research Development Services (OVPR-RDS) team is excited to host (virtual) Teams Internal Funding Office Hours where faculty can share their novel seed grant project ideas and ask questions about the internal funding competitions.
Click to sign up for a time slot
Office hours for all awards are:
Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to noon
Wednesdays, 2 to 4 p.m.
For more information, contact: Charlotte Nelson at research@uconn.com