Funding Resources
Internal Awards Program
Mission Statement
The mission of the Internal Awards Program is to foster excellence in research and scholarship by USF faculty and support activities aimed at securing extramural funding. In the allocation of funds across program categories, the highest priority is given to initiatives aimed at funding activities likely to enable leveraging for additional extramural funding and initiatives aimed at scholarly activities for which availability of extramural funding is extremely limited.
The Selection Process for Research/Scholarship Grants: How it Works
The Internal Awards Program is administered through USF Research & Innovation and Sponsored Research. The Call for Proposals requests applications and details the available grant types and time frame of each competitive cycle. The grant cycles are posted simultaneously on the IAP website. A number of USF faculty, across multiple disciplines, serve as proposal reviewers for this peer review process.
- Guidelines
- Proposal Writing Resources
- Contacts
- Prior Internal Award Recipients
- Related USF Policies & Procedures
- Internal Award Manuals & Forms
- Research & Innovation Awards
Guidelines and Applications
Updated: Internal Awards Competition Schedule 2024-2025 (PDF)
Recent evaluations of the research enterprise at USF have highlighted the critical need to increase support, modernize infrastructure, and improve efficiency of operations. In response to these reviews, the USF Research Council has revamped the USFRI Internal Awards program to enhance growth and productivity throughout the USF research community.
All awards are submitted through InfoReady. Submission deadline dates are on as listed on the guidelines with receipt by 5:00 p.m. Award announcements will be made and posted within one month after the deadline.
-
Submissions for the Conference Planning Grant (CONF) - Guidelines (PDF)
Application Deadline: November 25, 2025, by 5:00 p.m.
Conferences are an important part of the research and creative process, providing a venue for the dissemination of new information and a forum for the exchange of ideas. The Conference Planning Grant provides supplemental funding for faculty in their role of planning and implementing national and international conferences to enhance the USF research and creative environment and bring prestige and recognition to USF and the State of Florida. Conferences held locally will receive preference. However, conferences planned at a national or international location are eligible. The applicant must have an integral role in the conference planning process. -
Submissions for the Interdisciplinary Center Preparation Grant (ICPG) – Guidelines (PDF). Pre-Proposal Submission Deadline: January 15, 2025
Full Proposal Deadline: April 4, 2025
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). These grants are designed to incentivize faculty to lead large-scale innovative interdisciplinary efforts that help enhance the excellence of USF research and include faculty from distinct programs/departments. Consequently, ICPGs must target a specific program project or center type funding type opportunity (as defined in relevant research field) and should have quantifiable returns on investment in new grant dollars, increase research productivity, enhance degree programs, and promote attainment of other AAU/state metrics. - USF Multi-User Research Capital Investment Award (MuRCIA) - Guidelines (PDF)
Submission Deadline: February 10, 2025
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 faculty, rather than to provide general core facilities support, for which other funding opportunities are available. These awards are designed to help faculty obtain new external funding. Consequently, RCIAs should have quantifiable returns on investment in new grant dollars, increase research productivity, enhance degree programs, and promote attainment of other AAU/state metrics.
See InfoReady for more details.
Proposal Writing Resources
- USF Certified Research Administrator Program Courses
- Writing Your Application, Important Writing Tips - NIH Website
- Communicating Research, Plain Language Examples - NIH Website
- NIH Tips for Applicants - NIH Insights on YouTube
Contacts
-
Tina Lucas, Research Council Coordinator
- Chair, Research Council: Richard Heller, PhD, Professor, Medical Engineering and Medical Microbiology and Immunology
- Members - Research Council (PDF)
- Research Council
Prior Internal Award Recipients
- Conference Planning Grant Recipients (Excel)
- Creative Scholarship Grant Recipients (Excel)
- Established Researcher Grant Recipients (Excel)
- Faculty International Travel Grant Recipients (Excel)
- Interdisciplinary Research Development Grant Recipients (Excel)
- New Research Grant Recipients (Excel)
- Proposal Enhancement Grant Recipients (Excel)
- Research Faculty Pathway Grant Recipients (Excel)
- Outstanding Research Achievement Award Recipients (PDF)
- Excellence in Innovation Award Recipients (PDF)
Related USF Policies & Procedures
- Research with Human Subjects (IRB)
- Research with Vertebrate Animals (IACUC)
- Research with Biohazards (IBC)
- Intellectual Property Disclosures, Patents & Licensing
- Conflict of Interest
- Travel Policies
- Fringe Benefits
Internal Award Manuals & Forms
Conference Planning Grant
- Grant Instructions (PDF)
- Re-Budgeting Form (MS Word)
- Request to Extend Dates (MS Word)
- Final Report Form (MS Word)
Research & Innovation Awards
2024 Faculty Outstanding Research Achievement Award
2024 awards for achievements in calendar year 2023
Excellence in Innovation Award
2024 awards for period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023 (FY 2023)