In Fiscal Year 2024, UConn’s Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) provided $3 million in seed funding for faculty research and creative projects. 

These programs are administered by the Research Development Services (RDS) Internal Funding Program (IFP) within the OVPR. Each year, the IFP operates a full slate of internal funding award opportunities, working behind the scenes to ensure that as many opportunities as possible can be offered to as many faculty members as possible. They also coordinate the faculty review boards who help oversee the review process and make funding recommendations to the OVPR leadership. 

Awards range from a few thousand dollars to over $100,000, depending on the program and the scope of the proposed project. Each award category has its own eligibility criteria, and there are opportunities for faculty members from every school, college, and department. Some awards are geared toward individual projects, while others are designed for interdisciplinary and/or cross-campus collaborations. A complete list of awardees for each program is available on the OVPR website.  

To help faculty navigate the array of internal funding opportunities, IFP introduced Office Hours in fall 2023. 

“One of the most interesting aspects of my role is meeting with faculty and learning about their exciting research projects while providing guidance on the internal funding opportunities their projects best align with,” says Charlotte Nelson, internal funding coordinator. 

Researchers interested in pursuing internal funding opportunities are encouraged to review the open competitions on the Internal Funding Program webpage. They are also invited to attend an Office Hours session to chat with Charlotte and have their questions answered. 

Here’s an overview of a few of the internal funding opportunities awarded to UConn faculty in FY24, most of which will also be available in FY25: 

Scholarship Facilitation Fund (SFF) 

The SFF provides financial support up to $2,000 to faculty across all disciplines, on a competitive basis, to promote, support, and enhance the research, scholarship and creative endeavors of faculty at UConn. 

There were 27 recipients of SFF awards in spring 2024, spanning disciplines including English, mathematics, nursing, geography, and history.  

Research Excellence Program (REP) 

REP provides seed funding to fuel excellent research, scholarship, and creative endeavors with strong potential for significant extramural funding from federal and state sponsors, corporations, industry partners, and foundations. Multi-PI, interdisciplinary projects are encouraged. 

At UConn Health, REP funding is divided into two tracks: REP STIMULUS and REP CONVERGENCE. REP Stimulus Grants provide up to $25,000 in seed funding to facilitate the initiation, completion, or advancement of research projects. REP Convergence Grants emphasize and foster interdisciplinary research across multiple colleges/departments, campuses, and disciplinary areas. This can include collaborators at the School of Dental Medicine, Storrs, regional campuses, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, and/or Jackson Labs, if applicable. 

In 2024, there were 32 faculty recipients of REP funding, in amounts ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. 

Scholarship and Collaboration in Humanities and Arts Research (SCHARP) 

SCHARP Awards aim 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.  Proposal reviews are conducted by a committee composed of representatives from the UConn Humanities Institute (UCHI), the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the School of Fine Arts. 

SCHARP Awards are made in two categories: the SCHARP Development Award and the SCHARP Breakthrough Award. The Development Award supports early-stage projects with $5,000-$8,000 of funding. The Breakthrough Award supports projects that are truly groundbreaking and exceed the typical scope of scholarly/creative work in a given field. This award is given to one project annually, funding up to $50,000. 

In 2024, there were five SCHARP awardees, including one Breakthrough awardee: Debapriya Sarkar, associate professor of English and maritime studies at UConn Avery Point. Sarkar received $49,999 to support her project “Environmental and Racial Justice in Early Modernity.” 

SPARK Technology Commercialization Fund (SPARK) 

The SPARK Technology Commercialization Fund supports the translation of research discoveries into products, processes, and other commercial applications. This program helps identify and support UConn-developed inventions and technologies that address unmet needs and have strong potential for commercial application. Proposals from across all disciplines are invited. 

In FY24, four faculty members each received $50,000 SPARK awards: Sheida Nabavi, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering; Caroline Dealy, professor of orthodontics in the School of Dental Medicine; Song Han, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering; and Ali Tamayol, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. 

Clinical Research Innovation Seed Program (CRISP) 

CRISP aims to support faculty in clinical roles who have compelling research ideas they would like to pursue. Clinical faculty at UConn and UConn Health are world-class practitioners in their areas of expertise, but due to their clinical and teaching responsibilities, they often do not have the resources or opportunity to develop research programs that can lead to external funding. CRISP is designed to provide the seed funding or development resources needed for clinical faculty to get exciting research projects started. 

Seven clinical faculty members from both UConn and UConn Health received CRISP awards in FY24. CRISP is administered every other year – the next round of funding will be offered in 2026. 

Currently, open internal funding opportunities for UConn faculty include the Scholarship Facilitation Fund for fall 2025, and the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Research Initiative. Other competitions will open up in the second half of the year. Learn more on the IFP Internal Funding Opportunities page.