Research Development

2310

Researchers Trained

339

Seed Grants Awarded

101

Capital Equipment Grants Awarded

32000

GrantForward Opportunities

The Research Development Division was established in 2008 as the Office of Proposal Development to assist USU researchers in developing stronger proposals for submission to external sponsors. The division was renamed Research Development in 2015 to more accurately reflect the work being done. Since its establishment, the division has grown from a one-person shop to a network of college-based specialists, whose primary goal is to relieve researchers of the logistics of proposal development and submission to allow more time to focus on technical writing. To achieve this, network specialists can help researchers from beginning to end of the proposal development and submission process, or at any point throughout depending on needs and/or wants.

The ultimate goal of the Division is to foster a competitive advantage in the search for external funding by helping researchers develop strong and successful proposal writing skills and research portfolios, and ultimately expand the revenue created by externally funded research at USU.

NIH R15 Program: Change in USU Eligibility
As of October 1, 2022, USU is ineligible to submit to the NIH R15 program.

USU researchers can review the Office of Research memo in Box. If you have any difficulties accessing the memo, please email Jeri Hansen.

Upcoming Deadlines

FY24 Office of Research Seed Grants (Cycle 1)
June 15, 2023

FY24 cycle 1 seed grant applications are due June 15, 2023. Be sure to check with your Dean’s Office on internal deadline. Awarded grants will begin September 1, 2023.


LIMITED SUBMISSION Notice of Intent
NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program
NSF submission window October 16 - November 15, 2023

The Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) serves to increase access to shared scientific and engineering instruments for research and research training in our nation's institutions of higher education, not-for-profit museums, science centers, and scientific/engineering research organizations. The program provides organizations with opportunities to acquire major instrumentation that supports the research and research training goals of the organization and that may be used by other researchers regionally or nationally.

Upcoming Events & Trainings

2023 Proposal Writing Institute
May 15, 18, 22, 25, June 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 2023
10:00am - noon MT

The fifteenth annual Proposal Writing Institute (PWI) will be held in late Spring 2023 to assist researchers in learning to develop high-quality proposals for extramural funding. The PWI is conducted via a small-group setting allowing for individualized attention and the development of rapport among participants and the various staff members across campus who support them. Acceptance to participate in the Institute is a competitive process and faculty should check with their Dean's Office on its internal application deadline.


NSF Virtual Grants Conference
June 5 - 8, 2023

The NSF Grants Conference is designed to give new faculty, researchers, and administrators key insights into a wide range of current issues at NSF. NSF staff will provide up-to-date information about policies and procedures, specific funding opportunities and answer attendee questions. Highlights include: new programs and initiatives; proposal preparation, NSF's merit review process; NSF directorate sessions; award management topics; conflict of interest policies; NSF system updates.


Graduate Student Proposal Writing Seminar
September 19, 26, October 3, 10, 2023
1:00 - 3:00pm MT
Virtual event (Zoom)
Registration opens August 2023

The goal of this seminar is to provide those with little to no proposal writing knowledge or experience with a framework of how to place a proposal in the context of a project. This seminar will help demystify the proposal process and emphasizes how the approaches taught can also be applied to planning and writing a thesis project or paper for publication. Seminar content is spread out over the four days (i.e., new content each day). Participants must attend all four days to receive the full training.


Office of Research Seed Grant Workshop
September 29, 2023
3:00 - 4:30pm MT
Registration opens August 2023

The Office of Research seed grant workshop provides the elements of how to build a seed grant application, details the review process, and discusses key aspects of a competitive application. All faculty eligible to apply to the seed grant program are welcome to attend.


Faculty Proposal Writing Seminar
October 27, November 3, 10, 17, 2023
1:00 - 3:00pm MT
Virtual event (Zoom)
Registration opens August 2023

The goal of this seminar is to provide those with some proposal writing experience with new approaches and ways to think about preparing a proposal. The approaches taught during the seminar will help demystify the proposal writing process but at the same time provide concrete tools to use in organizing the information and arguments necessary for the development of a compelling proposal. Seminar content is spread out over the four days (i.e., new content each day). Participants must attend all four days to receive the full training.


Arts and Humanities Proposal Writing Seminar
January 26, February 2, 9, 16, 2024
1:00 - 3:00pm MT
Virtual event (Zoom)
Registration opens Fall 2023

This seminar emphasizes the why as well as the how of proposal writing to help arts and humanities faculty and advanced graduate students develop the proposal writing techniques they need to competitively apply to the specialized sponsors of creative activities and research. Seminar content is spread out over the four days (i.e., new content each day). Participants must attend all four days to receive the full training.