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Proposals sought for university Discovery and Research Scholar grants

Bacterial Fight Club
(Anne Rayner / Vanderbilt)

The Office of the Provost has issued a call for proposals for the next round of Discovery and Research Scholar grants. These two internally funded grant programs, which are independent of the second round of Trans-Institutional Programs (TIPs) announced last month, support the scholarship of faculty.

The Discovery Grant Program aims to enhance the research of faculty members by providing seed funding to advance discovery, by stimulating the development of new ideas and areas of scholarship, and by developing necessary infrastructure. Awards are based partly on need. The primary investigator must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member in a university central school or college, although all faculty are eligible to participate in a proposal. All applicants must demonstrate a strong potential to attract ongoing external funding.

The Discovery Grant Program has awarded more than $16.5 million to Vanderbilt researchers since its launch in 1998.

The Research Scholar Grant Program complements the Discovery Grant Program and encourages original, innovative scholarship, with a particular emphasis on humanistic research and inquiry. It is designed to support faculty working on research for which the opportunities for extramural funding are limited. Awards are need-based. Like the Discovery Grant Program, the primary investigator must hold a tenured or tenure-track faculty appointment in a university central school or college.

More than $5 million has been awarded to Vanderbilt researchers under the Research Scholar Grant Program since its launch in 2000.

Details and application

Details and requirements for both programs are available on the Research website under Funding Opportunities. The application process for both programs is now powered by REDCap. Proposals must be submitted as a single PDF document in conjunction with a REDCap application. A link to the REDCap application will be posted on the Research website in the coming weeks to allow for application submission.

Deadlines

Application for Discovery grants are due Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, by 5 p.m.

Applications for Research Scholar grants are due Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, by 5 p.m.

Questions?

Questions about either program may be directed to Heidi Basgall Favorite (615-322-6067, heidi.basgall@vanderbilt.edu) or Elizabeth Rapisarda (615-322-3684, elizabeth.rapisarda@vanderbilt.edu).