UMass Lowell - Sponsored Opportunities

UMass Lowell (UML) embraces and celebrates diversity in all its forms and encourages individuals from underrepresented populations to apply for these funds:

Internal Seed Grants

The goal of this fund is to support faculty in:

  1. developing multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaborative efforts leading to sustainable research and scholarship;
  2. generating preliminary results and supporting innovative ideas leading to external funding and long-term success;
  3. in generating high-quality scholarship and creative works leading to external recognition and long-term success.

Eligibility: All UMass Lowell tenured and tenure-track faculty. An individual may serve as primary applicant on one proposal and co-applicant on one additional proposal. Priority for funding is given to new collaborations, projects that include multiple UMass Lowell faculty, projects that include more than one discipline, and projects that are likely to lead to external funding and/or recognition.

UMass Lowell embraces and celebrates diversity in all its forms and encourages individuals from underrepresented populations to apply for this fund.

Anticipated Funding Amount: Up to $15,000 per project (awards may be offered for partial funding to maximize the number of projects supported) for up to two years.

Deadline: The deadline for the 2023 Seed Grant program has passed. We will announce the instructions and deadline for the next cycle in early 2024.

UML Researchers and Scholars Investment (RSI) Fund

The Office of Research and Innovation is committed to supporting faculty in their research, scholarship and creative works. The RSI Fund is meant to support faculty in their professional trajectory, providing opportunities to test new ideas, implement initiatives and strengthen their skills and craft. These funds are meant to provide immediate assistance for short-term projects and goals that will provide great benefit to the scholar, their team and the university. Examples of appropriate use of funds include:

  • Collecting preliminary data
  • Subscription to a digital tool or resource
  • Hiring an editor for a new book
  • Purchasing supplies for an art installation
  • Support for student travel to a conference

Eligibility

  • Tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply
  • Applicants must demonstrate that they have no other available source of funding including startup funds, research investment funds (RIF), etc.
  • Applicants should demonstrate the direct benefit to the individual researcher/scholar and the university. Priority for funding is given to projects that directly support the UML 2028 Strategic Plan and include opportunities for engagement, participation and collaboration with students, colleagues, departments and/or external partners.

Anticipated Funding Amount: Up to $3,000 per project and up to 30 projects per fiscal year. Funds are awarded for a one-year period. Applications are accepted twice per fiscal year, once in the Fall semester and once in the Spring semester.

Deadline: The FY24 Fall semester applications are due Friday, Oct. 20, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. Applications must be submitted via InfoReady, the Research and Innovation Opportunities portal.

Please download and review the complete set of guidelines for the RSI fund under "Supporting Documents" on the InfoReady page.

Travel Award to Visit Funding Agencies

The goal of this award is to provide the opportunity for faculty to meet with program officers from federal agencies to discuss proposals and to attend agency organized or sponsored grants conferences.

Deadline: Applications will be reviewed as received. Apply now via InfoReady, the Research and Innovation Opportunities Portal.

Team Proposal Development Fund

The goal of this fund is to provide facilitator, meeting, and travel costs for teams from UMass Lowell to develop and expand multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaborations with researchers from other UMass campuses and universities within and beyond Massachusetts, industry partners, and non-profit organizations. These collaborations should foster sustainable research and scholarship and increased external funding for research. It is expected that each awarded collaborative team will submit a proposal for mid- or center-scale collaborative (e.g., UMass Science and Technology Initiatives Fund (President's S&T), NSF/ERC, etc.), with UMass Lowell as the lead institution, within 2 years of receiving funds.

Deadline: To be announced. We are not currently accepting applications.

UMass System - Sponsored Opportunities

UMCCTS Life Sciences Moment Fund

The University of Massachusetts Center for Clinical and Translational Science (UMCCTS) Life Sciences Moment Fund supports projects that are inter-campus in orientation and directed toward life sciences projects related to clinical and translational research. Current and future projects supported by this fund are envisioned to advance the therapeutic, device, intervention, etc. under study along the translational pipeline. The fund serves to spur inter-campus collaboration and strengthen the University’s research portfolio in clinical and translational research. To support this mission, projects must include at least one investigator from the UMass Worcester campus and a collaborator from at least one of the other UMass campuses. By providing seed funding to outstanding faculty members, this fund facilitates the development of faculty-to-faculty networks within the University system, thereby leveraging the considerable expertise and resources that exist on the individual campuses. It is assumed that successful projects will attract additional funding from extramural sources.

Eligibility: Projects must include at least one investigator from the UMass Worcester campus and a collaborator from at least one of the other UMass campuses.

Letter of Intent due: typically in early January. Apply when available through the UMass Medical School Portal.