What is the Annual Call?

The Annual Call is the UMass Lowell process developed to organize the solicitation, review and prioritization of campus requests for facility upgrades and renovations. For the first time, the university is issuing one Annual Call process that incorporates three calls:

  • Annual Call (for projects) – This is the traditional annual call that you know. Submit requests for space improvements or requests for planning studies. The spaces can be specific to your department or they can be common public areas, interior or exterior. You do not need to enter a cost amount, unless it is known. Finally, please do not feel the need to solve the issue and submit for the solution. It may be better to submit the problem and we will come up with potential solutions to explore with you.
  • Research Infrastructure Annual Call (NEW this year!) – Similar to the traditional call, the Research Infrastructure Call is a new UMass Lowell process developed to support the planning, prioritization, and funding of research-related infrastructure projects across campus. It is intended to complement the Equipment Call by addressing broader infrastructure needs that enable and sustain research activity, including upgrades, renovations, and shared research environments.
    The Research Infrastructure Call is open to proposals that support:
    • Research laboratories and core facilities
    • Shared research space and instrumentation environments
    • Compliance and safety-related infrastructure
    • Utilities, renovations, or modifications required to support research activity
      See the Guidelines section for more research specific information.
  • Equipment Call - The equipment call is open to all equipment requests; however, priority will be given to equipment for instructional spaces. Capital equipment is defined as equipment not permanently affixed to buildings, has a useful life greater than two years and has a unit cost of $5,000 or more.

All three calls will follow the same timeline and follow the same guidelines. This prioritization process allows the campus to strategically assign its resources. The Annual Call process will result in a prioritized list of projects and equipment purchases for the near term and upcoming fiscal years. Annual Call is not a request for major capital projects, which are developed separately through a master planning process.

If you have a prior request that was not approved, and it is still a priority, you will need to resubmit it again with the appropriate current priority. Please note that requests that are not submitted through this Annual Call are extremely unlikely to be able to be addressed prior to summer 2027.

Requests for all three annual calls will be collected through a single input system. The Annual Call request system can most easily be accessed through the Facilities Management website under the “Helpful Links” section. Once in the system, you will be asked to identify which of the 3 annual calls your request will belong to.

Should you have a need to request a project outside of the Annual Call timeline (late June through spring), a new online form is being implemented this year to capture these requests. This Project Request Process is very similar to the Annual Call request form and process. However, resource assignment processed through annual call are given priority over those that come in off-cycle and therefore, you are strongly encouraged to use the Annual Call process.

Questions on the Annual Call Process? Call Leanne Peters at978-934-3519 or email Leanne_Peters@uml.edu

Requests shall align with the university’s strategic plan.

  • Enrollment and student success - Increase enrollment, retention, recruitment, and success of students, both on-campus and online
  • A diverse, welcoming and inclusive campus - Enhance the environment to promote a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive campus
  • Research excellence - Improve infrastructure necessary to support externally funded research and associated faculty recruitment and retention
  • Partnering with our community for mutual benefit

In addition to aligning with the University’s strategic plan, requests should also align with campus master plans and initiatives. Plus, requests that meet the following priorities are welcome:

  • Improve safety and operations of all campus space
  • Reduce future operational costs in order to promote continued growth

Research Infrastructure annual call will prioritize project requests that:

  • Enable growth in externally funded research
  • Improve the functionality, safety, or reliability of research spaces
  • Support shared or multi-user research environments
  • Address deferred maintenance impacting research activity
  • Increase efficiency or reduce long-term operational costs

In order to assist the prioritization process, Deans, Vice Chancellors (VCs) and Associate Vice Chancellors (AVCs) are asked to please submit your priority ranking for your up to top 10 requests for each annual call. If you submit more than ten requests each, you do not need to prioritize beyond 10.

Please plan ahead for the needs of your department and note that approved Annual Call and Research Infrastructure projects resulting from this Spring 2026 annual call will likely not begin construction earlier than summer of 2027. Some projects may need to be deferred further into FY28 or beyond for implementation. In light of this, please attempt to consider and forecast your potential needs through the end of the 2027-28 academic year and submit two years’ worth of project requests to the extent feasible.

This year’s call will continue to allow for narrative attachments in support of your requests. We encourage you to consider the University priorities listed above and target those requests that will support them. If necessary, please feel free to attach a supporting narrative to your submission explaining the positive impact your request(s) will have on the University’s priorities.

Research infrastructure requests should include:

  • A brief description of the project and its research purpose
  • Alignment with university strategic priorities
  • Description of the research activity supported (current and projected)
  • Identification of users (faculty, centers, students, departments)
  • Any external funding leveraged or anticipated
  • Estimated cost and scope of work
  • Description of facility impacts (if known)

All Three Annual Calls Open

March 2026

Facilities Management (FM) will meet with each AVC, Director, and Dean to share the latest campus development plans, update the process and review submittal deadlines.

  • Annual Call Distribution: Recommended distribution of Annual Call request by Deans to Department Chairs and by AVCs to Exec/Directors.

April 2026

  • Annual Call Solicitation: Department Chairs and Directors are encouraged to review and solicit proposals from their faculty and/or staff.

Late-April to Early May 2026

  • Dean and AVC Meetings: Deans and AVCs are encouraged to meet with their Department Chairs and Directors to review requests.

May 22, 2026

  • Annual Call Submission Deadline (Recommended): This is the deadline for the general campus community to submit annual call requests. Deans and AVCs are encouraged to establish this as a deadline for their Department Chairs and Directors to submit annual call requests.

Late May to early June 2026

  • Compile & Prioritize: Deans and AVCs to compile requests and prioritize at the college level.

June 12, 2026

  • Deans and AVCs to Submit Annual Call Requests: Deans and AVCs will submit requests to the Provost or respective Vice Chancellor. Each request should be consistent with the University’s strategic plan.

Vice Chancellor/Provost Review and Ranking

Late June-early July 2026

Vice Chancellors and the Provost’s Office will work with Deans, AVCs, and Facilities Management to review and prioritize all requests before submitting their projects to the Space Committee for review. Facilities Management will be consulted to assess feasibility and infrastructure requirements, refine project scope and estimates, and identify impact and necessary modifications to the university’s infrastructure. Considering the University’s limited resources, each Vice Chancellor/Provost will only submit requests for which there is a genuine need and a realistic funding potential.

Space Committee Review

July - August 2026

The Space Committee will review requests and may request additional technical analysis by Facilities Management and others to help inform further project discussions. Findings and opportunities will be reviewed iteratively, as needed, with Vice Chancellors, Vice Provosts, Deans and Directors to assist in prioritization.

Recommendations to Executive Cabinet

September 2026

Space Committee will bring forth recommendations to Executive Cabinet. Approved Requests will be undertaken as soon as feasible and in response to available funding.

In the interest of achieving both effective space use which supports university activities, and fiscal responsibility, the following guiding principles will be used during review and prioritization.

  • Minimize unnecessary construction
  • Minimize disruption to occupants and neighbors to impacted spaces
  • Space assignments shall follow the campus Space Assignment Policy
  • Projects should be consistent with accepted master plans for each campus
  • Maximize the shared use of spaces/equipment across buildings and users
  • Program space needs to fit existing and approved staffing growth within the short-term planning cycle, not long-term anticipated growth
  • Maximize space flexibility through the lowest feasible level of customized construction
  • Prioritize moves and renovations where occupants can contribute to the cost of projects
  • Projects will be reviewed holistically to identify all impacted systems and codes: (IT, phone, Mechanical, A/V, finishes, ADA, etc.)
    • Building infrastructure upgrades will be investigated as part of project scoping and will be implemented according to available resources.
    • Expect to use campus standards for all upgrades: hardware and equipment (signage, locks, equipment, etc)
    • Energy improvements may be incorporated and deferred maintenance addressed
  • If you have an outside source of funds (i.e., other than general operational resources), please make note and include in the annual call request process.
  • Minor repair requests (e.g. non-functional light, broken door hardware, etc.) may be submitted separately as a service request to the Facilities Management Service Center online or by calling x42601.
  • Any facilities modifications necessary to support an equipment call request will be funded from this equipment call. This includes, but is not limited to the engineering and installation of supporting utilities, and any rigging, clean-up, and disposal costs to accommodate the new equipment
  • Whenever possible, equipment requests should be shared across multiple users in order to maximize the university’s resources. Priority will be given to equipment that is being shared across buildings and/or users.
  • Requests should be made for equipment that will be installed in a space controlled by your program or department, even if it will ultimately be shared.