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.
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 Calendar icon
LIMITED SUBMISSION Notice of Intent
NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program
October 5, 2022
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.
LIMITED SUBMISSION Notice of Intent
ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award
October 13, 2022
The Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards provide seed money for research by junior faculty at ORAU member institutions. These awards are intended to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty and result in new funding opportunities. The proposed research project must be in one of the following five disciplines: Engineering and Applied Science; Life Sciences; Mathematics/Computer Science; Physical Sciences; Policy, Management, or Education.
FY23 Cycle 2 Seed Grants
January 15, 2023
FY23 cycle 2 seed grant applications are due January 15, 2023. Be sure to check with your Dean’s Office on internal deadline. Awarded grants will begin April 1, 2023.
Upcoming Events & Trainings Calendar icon
Fall 2022 Annual Faculty Proposal Writing Seminar (virtual)
October 17, 24, 31, November 7, 2022
1:00-3:00pm Mountain
Register Now
The annual faculty proposal writing seminar is an intensive experience combining lecture, “in-classroom flipped classroom,” participant-supplied content, and other practices to provide engagement. This seminar emphasizes the why as well as the how of proposal writing. By understanding the reasoning and rationale behind specific suggestions, participants can take that learning and adapt it to many different research and proposal development situations.
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.
This seminar is offered every Fall semester and is a prerequisite for application to the Office of Research seed grant program.
Fall 2022 NSF Virtual Grants Conference
November 14-17, 2022
Registration opens Thursday, October 13 at noon EST
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 program officers will be providing up-to-date information about specific funding opportunities and answering attendee questions. Highlights include: new programs and initiatives; NSF directorate sessions; future directions and strategies for national science policy; proposal preparation; NSF's merit review process; conflict of interest policies.
2022-23 Virtual NIH Grants Conference and PreCon Events
PreConference Events - August 2022-January 2023
2-Day Virtual Conference - February 1 & 2, 2023
New year, new format! Leading up to the virtual grants conference in February 2023, NIH will be holding monthly pre-conference events from August 2022-January 2023 on a variety of topics. A free, one-time registration will get you an All-Access Conference Pass that includes all of the PreCon Events, 2-Day Conference, On-Demand Library, Exhibit Hall, and additional opportunities to engage with NIH and peers.
Seed Grants and Funding