UD Internal Funding Opportunities

UD seed grant funds are available to support research, scholarship and creative activities through annual university-wide competitions. These are merit-based grants designed to help launch an idea leading to future external sponsorship of research in the area. Several of the seed grant mechanisms are administered by the Research Office on an annual basis but there are one-time opportunities as well. Additional seed grant mechanisms at UD, which are independently organized and run by other units on campus, are listed under Seed Grant Resources.

For more information contact
Research Development Office
researchdev@udel.edu

(302) 831-7088

RESEARCH OFFICE SEED GRANTS

b

General University Research Grants

Letter of Intent:
February 12, 2024
Full Proposal:
March 11, 2024
b

UD Research Foundation

Letter of Intent:
December 18, 2023
Full Proposal:
February 1, 2024
b

UD Research Foundation Strategic Initiatives

No longer accepting applications.
b

Chemours Discovery Research Award

No longer accepting applications.

Additional Campus Seed Grants

Additional independently organized seed grant opportunities abound at UD, from pilot programs to call for proposals, these opportunities are waiting to be discovered. Log onto our portal to explore the most recent campus funding opportunities.

GRANT RESOURCES

Internal Grant Opportunities FAQs (GUR, UDRF and UDRF-SI)

1. What is the project period?

  • GUR Awards are effective from April 1 to March 31 (two-year period)
  • UDRF Awards are effective from April 1 to March 31 (two-year period)
  • UDRF- SI Awards are effective from February 1 to January 31 (two year period)

2. What is a no-cost extension?

The university expects recipients to complete all requirements of the internal award by the termination date listed in the award letter. The Research Office will provide additional time by approving your request for a "no-cost extension."

3. How do I apply for a no-cost extension?

Submit a request to The Research Development Office via email at researchdev@udel.edu. Please copy your assigned Contract & Grant Specialist and Department Administrator in the email.

4. What information will I need to include in my no-cost request?

Please provide the following information:

  • Relevant information that identifies your project: title, purpose (expense code) and the current project termination date
  • The extended termination date (month/day/year) you are requesting. Note: the maximum time allowed is one year
  • Justification -- reasons you need an extension. See guidelines below for help

5. What justification for no-cost extensions (reasons) is the Research Office likely to accept?

Here are some examples of justifications which would be acceptable:

  • Additional time to assure completion of the original approved project scope and objectives, e.g.,
    • to conduct additional testing to validate unexpected research findings
    • to repeat tests to obtain results lost in a campus building fire
    • to conduct the research in a foreign country currently experiencing unrest or a foreign country rebounding from a natural catastrophe (e.g. tsunami, earthquake)
  • Lack of success in locating a graduate student with suitable capabilities
  • Extensive delay in production or shipment of key equipment or supply items
  • Transfer of a key project participant
  • Time lost due to illness, pregnancy or accident of a key project participant

6. Under what conditions is the Research Office likely to deny a request?

Here are examples for which an extension request may be denied:

  • Requests made merely for the purpose of using remaining funds
  • Requests received after the termination date
  • Requests that do not include a justification

7. Am I allowed to purchase an item not included in my original proposal?

The university expects recipients to complete all requirements of the internal award and understands that over the life of the project some reallocation of funding may need to occur. Budget changes exceeding 10% prior to 2018 -- or 25% effective 2018 -- of the total award and rebudgeting of funds into categories not in the original budget (e.g., equipment, foreign travel) are subject to prior approval by the RO.

8. How do I request a budget reallocation?

Requests for rebudgeting must be submitted on the Request for Rebudgeting form via email to researchdev@udel.edu. Please copy your assigned Contract & Grant Specialist and Department Administrator in the email.

9. What information will I need to include in my reallocation request?

Please complete the rebudgeting form. This form can be found on the research web site at Form, Policies and Procedures.

10. How do I get my expenses (including salary) paid?

Please see your Department Administrator.

11. Questions about Internal Grant Opportunities?

Please contact The Research Development Office, Research Development Manager, Research Office.

UD RESEARCH OFFICE OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM OVERVIEWS

GUR

General University Research Program (GUR)

GUR Template Download

GUR Template

GUR Download

GUR Guidelines

The main objective of the General University Research (GUR) grant program is to assist full-time UD faculty with seed funding towards research or creative projects that will grow and sustain their scholarly development. The program is open to all professorial ranks; however, preference is given to early career faculty. These merit-based grants are administered by the Vice President for Research, Scholarship, and Innovation, who is advised by the Research Committee of the Faculty Senate. The Research Committee of the Faculty Senate recommends allocation of the funds available for the year, evaluates applications, and confirms those to be supported. Proposals involving interdisciplinary research, scholarship, or creative projects are especially encouraged.

GUR Application Deadlines

LETTER OF INTENT: February 12, 2024
FULL PROPOSAL: March 11, 2024

Please note that submission and award processes have changed. Specifically, applicants do not need to generate a PeopleSoft proposal at the time of proposal submission. If the proposal is selected for funding, detailed instructions for PeopleSoft submission is included in the Appendix.

 

GUR PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Eligibility Requirements

All full-time faculty members are eligible and encouraged to apply for GUR grants. Preference will be given to faculty who have not received awards previously, however, there is no restriction on the number of awards an individual may receive over the years. Applicants who received a GUR between June 2021 and June 2023 are ineligible to submit this cycle. Review of proposals from prior GUR awardees will include consideration of performance on their past GUR award(s). Applicants who failed to complete previous GUR final reports will not be considered for a GUR award.

 

GUR Deadlines

GUR proposals and approved webforms are due in the Research Office by 11:59 PM on the submission deadline noted below:

  • February 12, 2024: Letter of Intent Deadline
  • March 11, 2024: Full Proposal

 

Proposal Evaluation

Each proposal will be reviewed by one Faculty Senate Research Committee member and two UD faculty disciplinary experts. Given the diversity in backgrounds of committee members, applicants must prepare applications that are understandable by a broad audience. Proposals failing to follow submission guidelines may be returned without review. Due to an increase in the number of applicants last year, the funding rate of proposals was 26%.

Selection for funding will be based on:

  1. Significance of the Problem (15 points): Does the scholarship clearly address an unmet need of high importance, or is the scholarship extraordinarily novel or a creative innovation?
  2. Intellectual Merit of Approach/Adequacy of the Plan for Scholarship (30 points): Are the research plans and methods well developed, and are the activities clearly defined? Is there high alignment of the proposed activities with the identified significance of the problem?
  3. Student Involvement (10 points): Does the plan for scholarship include actionable steps for student involvement? Is a well-developed training plan included?
  4. Qualifications of the PI (10 points): Is the proposed research aligned with PI’s background, training, and/or previous work? Is it clear how the proposed research will advance the PI’s professional career?
  5. Justification of Resources (15 points): Is the budget well defined and justified based on the allowable budget items and research plan? Is the timeline clear and reasonable?
  6. Likelihood of Future Sponsorship (10 points): Does the proposal clearly articulate future resource streams that could sustain the effort beyond the grant period?
  7. PI Professional Rank (10 points)

The Faculty Senate Research Committee consists of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship, and Innovation (or Research Office designee) and nine faculty members (two that serve as co-Chairs).

 

Proposal

PROJECT BUDGET

GUR proposals may request up to $15,000. Proposals with insufficiently detailed budgets or budget justifications may be returned without review. GUR proposals do not require matching funds from the PI’s College and/or Department. However, matching funds may be included when applicable and when pre-approved by the Chair and Dean.

 

BUDGETING GUIDELINES

Personnel: FPI faculty summer salary up to $5,000 or 1/9th salary, whichever is less, is allowable. Matching faculty academic time is permitted though not required. Inclusion of graduate and undergraduate research assistants (RAs) is encouraged. Research assistants may be paid hourly or on stipends. Matching student RA stipends related to the proposed research are permitted.

Fringe Benefits: Fringe benefit costs are required for all personnel categories other than PI summer salary.

Direct Research Expenses: Expense categories such as equipment, participant support costs, and other direct research costs typically allowed by federal sponsors are permitted. Travel for proposed scholarship may be supported if it is well justified within the scope of the project.

Unallowable Expenses: Facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, graduate tuition, and PI fringe benefits are unallowable on GUR awards. If the graduate RA is supported on a stipend from this award, a financial plan for covering required graduate tuition costs should be articulated in the budget justification

The committee will consider a wide variety of specific budgetary requests if the budget items are adequately justified. A budget justification is required in the application. Instructions for the budget justification can be found in the GUR Proposal Template. The committee may choose to award a GUR grant at a level of funding different from the amount requested.

All budgets should be prepared with the understanding that budget changes exceeding 25% of the total award and re-budgeting of funds into categories not included in the original budget must be approved by the Research Office. See the GUR Post-Award section for more information.

NOTE: For tax purposes, stipends for principal investigators on GUR grants are fellowships rather than wages and are therefore exempt from FICA, but no fellowship is exempt from Federal and State payroll taxes. It is assumed that a faculty member receiving fellowship funds will not have any qualified educational expenses and appropriate payroll taxes will be subject to withholding at the time of disbursement.

 

PROJECT DURATION

GUR grants are awarded for up to two years with periods of performance commencing June 1. No-cost extensions may be granted up to three times only when circumstances warrant. No-cost extension instructions are in the GUR Post-Award section.

 

PROPOSAL COMPONENTS & FORMATTING

Submit the GUR proposal using the GUR Proposal Template. All components should be single-spaced using 11-pt Arial font with one-inch margins.

Executive Summary: The executive summary is a one-page section consisting of three sub-sections: an overview, a statement on the significance of the problem, and a statement on the intellectual merit of the approach/plan for scholarship. The overview should include a description of the scope of the proposed activity. The statement on the significance of the problem should describe how the scholarship addresses an unmet need of high importance or is an extraordinarily novel or creative innovation. The statement on the intellectual merit should concisely summarize the plan or methods and activities and how they are clearly aligned with the significance of the problem.

Project Description: A three-page section providing a statement of work including a plan for scholarship with clear achievable goals and details about the expected significance of the scholarship resulting from project activities. The project’s intellectual merit/plan for scholarship and significance of the problem should be fully described in the Project Description. Include any relevant figures or tables. Additionally, investigators should specifically include: a training plan for student involvement and explain how the proposed work will lead to future support and/or opportunities. The entire Project Description should be clear to a reviewer having an advanced educational background within an allied discipline, but who may not be an expert in the field.

Timeline: A one-half page description, infographic, or chart detailing a clear and reasonable timeline for the proposed activities. Include dates, tasks, dependencies and milestones as applicable.

Additional information such as References, Budget Justification, PI and co-PI NSF-style Biosketches, and PI and co-PI NSF-style Current & Pending Support should be combined with the proposal template and submitted as one PDF document. Incomplete applications will be returned without review.

Submission

PROCEDURES FOR SELECTED PROPOSALS
FACULTY PROCEDURES
  1. When a proposal is selected for funding, the faculty member should reach out to their applicable department administrator or grant analyst so that a record in UD's Grant Management System, PeopleSoft (PS), can be initiated.
  2. Faculty should provide the administrator with a single PDF copy of the full proposal submission.
  3. Faculty should work with the Department Administrator to develop a more detailed budget as is required for PeopleSoft input. A detailed budget template can be found on the Research Office website.

 

ADMINISTRATOR PROCEDURES

Departmental administrator or grant analyst guidance for using UD’s Grants Management System is available on the Research Office website and by contacting the department’s assigned Contract & Grant Specialist in the Research Office.

 

GUR PEOPLESOFT PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Sponsor ID: 0921 – General University Research
  2. Purpose: RSCH7 – University Sponsored Research
  3. Budget Considerations:
    • Requested amount up to $15,000 entered as direct costs
    • Applicable cost-share entered from department and/or College (not required)
    • Faculty Summer Salary: Up to $5,000 for the Principal Investigator budgeted under account code 120800 and budget category PSTDOC so that fringe benefits are not incurred.
    • Graduate student tuition is prohibited.
    • F&A Pricing Setup: F&A costs are not permissible on GUR awards.
      • Choose “Industrial Research On-Campus” for the rate type; overwrite the F&A rate to zero.
      • Pricing Method should be FIXED
    • Under the Attachments tab, upload a single PDF copy of the full proposal submission using the following naming convention: ProposalID_Other
    • Routing of FIN Proposal Approval Summary (PAS) webform should include PI, Department Chair, College Dean and OSP per standard procedures.

 

FACULTY S-CONTRACT PROCEDURES

If you choose to receive a stipend from your recently awarded grant, the S-Contract that is processed by your department should identify the payment by using account code 120800 and the earnings code PFF. This account code will identify the stipend as a fellowship, which is not subject to FICA taxes, TIAA pension contributions, or university matching of such contributions. In addition, the account will not be charged fringe benefits on the stipend. The comments section of the S-Contract should include the phrase “Stipend Award from GUR”. University policy limits a summer payment such as this to 1/9th of your regular salary.

 

PROPOSAL REVIEW RUBRIC

General University Research grants are awards based on eligibility and merit. Proposals are reviewed for eligibility by the Research Office and evaluations of merit and award recommendations are made by the Faculty Senate Research Committeebased on the rubric below.

Score is out of 100 possible points.

 

Terms and Conditions

GUR grants are made with the following understood commitments from the PI.

 

  1. Acceptance signifies intent to continue employment with the University for the duration of the proposal period.
  2. The University's patent, copyright, and publication policies, found in the Faculty Handbook, apply to research conducted under a GUR grant. GUR research must comply with the University Research, Sponsored Programs, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Policies.
  3. If the proposed research includes human subjects or private identifiable data, and/or the use of non-human vertebrate animals, the research protocol must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee respectively prior to expending any GUR funds. If IRB or IACUC approval is not granted for the study, the award will be withdrawn.
  4. The University exercises no direction or supervision over the details of the research or activities to be performed but does require adherence to the original objectives and purposes of the grant. It also requires that a final report on the proposal be submitted to the Research Office no later than ninety (90) days after the end date of the award. Final reports can be submitted using the UD Internal Seed Grant Request form.
  5. Publications or other scholarly works directly resulting from a GUR grant must include an acknowledgment that the research was carried out with the support of the University of Delaware General University Research grant program. Each grantee is required to furnish one copy of any resulting papers, books, or other publications to the University Library through the Research Office (researchdev@udel.edu).
  6. Unless arrangements to the contrary have been included in the proposal as accepted, financial income derived from the project will be returned to the University, up to the amount of the award. This is not meant to conflict with university policies on patents, copyrights, and publications.

GUR Post Award

AWARD SELECTION

General University Research grants are awards based on eligibility and merit. Proposals are reviewed for eligibility by the Research Office and evaluations of merit and award recommendations are made by the Faculty Senate Research Committee. The Vice President for Research, Scholarship, and Innovation makes the final award decision.

 

POST AWARD ADMINISTRATION

Awarded proposals will be assigned an award number and purpose code for expenditures. Only successful awards should be entered into PeopleSoft by PI’s department administrator for tracking and reporting purposes. Correspondence and post-award reporting should include the award number and purpose code. All proposals funded at a level different than proposed, must provide a revised budget before the purpose code is established.

The UD Internal Seed Grant Request form should be used for re-budgeting and no-cost extension requests and for submitting the required final report.

Rebudgeting: Budget changes exceeding 25% of the total award and re-budgeting of funds into categories not in the original budget require prior approval by the Research Office.
No-cost Extensions: Requests for no-cost extensions must be submitted no sooner than 90 days and at least 30 days prior to the award end date. Requests should include the reason for, and the duration of, the extension. A maximum of one year is allowed per NCE request and total requests are limited to three per award.
Final Reports: A final report for the award must be submitted to the Research Office no later than ninety (90) days after the end date of the grant. Final reports are to be submitted using the University of Delaware Seed Grant Program Final Report.

UDRF

University of Delaware Research Foundation (UDRF)

UDRF Template

UDRF Template

UDRF Download

UDRF Guidelines

The University of Delaware Research Foundation, Inc. (UDRF) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization for the support of fundamental research in all fields of science. Although an independent corporation, it is chartered primarily to support the University’s research mission. In 1994, the UDRF Board of Trustees redefined its mission to focus on assisting only early-career permanent faculty who provide grants supporting the highest quality engineering and scientific research.

UDRF Application Deadlines

LETTER OF INTENT: December 18, 2023
FULL PROPOSAL: February 1, 2024

 

UDRF PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Eligibility Requirements

Improving the PI’s research competitiveness for future external funding is the primary objective of the UDRF grant program. Additionally, the program seeks to further the professional development of the recipients and advance the University’s research prominence. UDRF grants support proposals from untenured, tenure-track faculty only. Tenured faculty are ineligible as Principal Investigator (PI) but may serve as co-PI. Previous UDRF award recipients are ineligible as PI but may serve as co-PI. Faculty may apply to both the UDRF and UDRF-SI programs within a calendar year (with unique proposals submitted to each competition). However, only one award may be given per calendar year.

 

UDRF Deadlines

UDRF proposals are due to the Research Office by:

  • December 18, 2023: Letter of Intent Deadline
  • February 1, 2024: Full Proposal Submission Deadline

 

 

Proposal Evaluation

Selection for funding will be based on:

  • Intellectual Merit (30%): Does the proposed work significantly advance domain knowledge and enhance the PI’s research competitiveness?
  • Broader Impacts (15%): Does the proposed work have the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes?
  • Incremental vs. New Idea (15%): Does the proposed work press the PI into a novel research area?
  • Likelihood of Completion: Can the proposal be completed in 1-2 years? (10%)
  • Likelihood of Future External Funding (20%): Does the proposal articulate clear achievable goals which will likely attract new external funding? (e.g., NIH, NSF, DoE, DoD, USDA, State, Foundations, Private Sector, etc.)?
  • Clarity of Presentation (10%): Proposals are reviewed by generalists in the area/discipline; hence clarity of presentation is of great importance.

 

Proposal

PROJECT BUDGET

UDRF proposals may request up to $50,000 of which $30,000 is sponsor direct funding with an additional $15,000 in matching funds from the PI’s Dean ($7,500) and the Provost’s Office ($7,500) and $5,000 if a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) stipend is requested. All UDRF proposals require matching funds from the PI’s College and Provost’s Office.

BUDGETING GUIDELINES
  • Personnel: PI faculty summer salary up to $5,000.00 or 1/9th salary, whichever is less, is allowable. University of Delaware graduate research assistant (RA) stipends, hourly wage, and other positions providing technical assistance are allowable. Support of UD graduate students are generally accorded as a higher priority than other budget categories. REU stipends in the amount of $5,000 may be requested and are limited UD undergraduate students.
  • Fringe Benefits: Fringe benefit costs are required for all personnel categories other than PI summer salary.
  • Direct Research Expenses: Expense categories such as equipment, travel, participant support costs, and other direct research costs typically allowed by federal sponsors are allowed.
  • Unallowable Expenses: Facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, graduate tuition, and PI fringe benefits are unallowable on UDRF awards.

All budgets should be prepared with the understanding that budget changes exceeding 25% of the total award and re-budgeting of funds into categories not included in the original budget must be approved by the Research Office. See the UDRF Post-Award section for more information.

PROJECT DURATION

UDRF grants are awarded for up to two years with periods of performance commencing June 1. No-cost extensions may be granted up to three times only when circumstances warrant. No-cost extension instructions are in the UDRF Post-Award section.

PROPOSAL COMPONENTS & FORMATTING

Submit the UDRF proposal using the UDRF Proposal Template. All components should be single-spaced using 11-pt Arial font with one-inch margins. Additional information such as References, Budget Justification, PI and co-PI NSF-style Biosketches, and PI and co-PI NSF-style Current & Pending Support should be combined with the proposal template and submitted as one PDF document. Incomplete applications will be returned without review.

Executive Summary: The executive summary is a one-page section consisting of three sub-sections: overview, intellectual merit, and broader impacts. The overview should include a description of the rationale, research plan, and potential future sources of external funding. The statement on intellectual merit should describe how the project will advance knowledge and understanding in the domain. The statement on broader impacts should describe how the project will benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes. The summary should be written for a non-expert, highly educated reader.

Project Description: A three-page section providing a statement of work including clearly achievable goals within the proposed timeline and expected significance of the proposed research. The project’s intellectual merit and broader impacts should be fully described in the Project Description. Include any relevant figures or tables. Investigators should specifically address the approaches for seeking external funding and, investigators with significant current support, must include a clear explanation of how the proposed research differs from existing awards. The entire Project Description should be clear to a reviewer having a technical/scientific background within an allied discipline, but who may not be an expert in the field.

Submission

PROCEDURES FOR SELECTED PROPOSALS
FACULTY PROCEDURES
  1. When a proposal is selected for funding, the faculty member should reach out to their applicable department administrator or grant analyst so that a record in UD's Grant Management System, PeopleSoft (PS), can be initiated.
  2. Faculty should provide the administrator with a single PDF copy of the full proposal submission.
  3. Faculty should work with the administrator in adapting their awarded budget to the PeopleSoft input budget categories. If needed detailed budget template can be found on the Research Office website.

 

ADMINISTRATOR PROCEDURES

Departmental administrator or grant analyst guidance for using UD’s Grants Management System is available on the Research Office website and by contacting the department’s assigned Contract & Grant Specialist in the Research Office.

 

UDRF PEOPLESOFT PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Sponsor ID: 2910 - University of Delaware Research Foundation
  2. Purpose: RSCH4- Foundation Research
  3. Budget Considerations:
    • Up to $30,000 from UDRF entered as direct costs with an additional $5,000 if a stipend for an undergraduate student is requested. Note: the undergraduate student should be budgeted under participant support costs; see below.
    • $7,500 from the Provost’s Office - entered as cost share from department ID #01551. (There is no need for the Provost Office to approve the Proposal Summary Form).
    • $7,500 from College Dean entered as cost share from the appropriate department ID.
    • Faculty Summer Salary: Up to $5,000 or 1/9th summer salary for the PI, whichever is less, and must be budgeted under account code 120800 with budget category PSTDOC so that fringe benefits are not incurred.
    • Participant Support Costs: REU stipends are limited to $5,000 and must be budgeted under account code 146115 with budget category PTSTIP.
    • Graduate student tuition is prohibited.
    • F&A Pricing Setup: F&A costs are not permissible on UDRF awards.
      • Choose “Industrial Research On-Campus” for the rate type; overwrite the F&A rate to zero.
      • Pricing Method should be FIXED
  4. Under the Attachments tab, upload a single PDF copy of the full proposal submission using the following naming convention: ProposalID_Other
  5. Routing of FIN Proposal Approval Summary (PAS) webform should include PI, Department Chair, College Dean and OSP per standard procedures.

 

FACULTY S-CONTRACT PROCEDURES

If you choose to receive a stipend from your recently awarded grant, the S-Contract that is processed by your department should identify the payment by using account code 120800 and the earnings code PFF. This account code will identify the stipend as a fellowship, which is not subject to FICA taxes, TIAA pension contributions, or university matching of such contributions. In addition, the account will not be charged fringe benefits on the stipend. The comments section of the S-Contract should include the phrase “Stipend Award from UDRF”. University policy limits a summer payment such as this to 1/9th of your regular salary.

 

Terms & Conditions

UDRF research grants are made with the following understood commitments from the PI.

  1. Acceptance signifies intent to continue employment with the University for the duration of the proposal period.
  2. The University's patent, copyright, and publication policies, found in the Faculty Handbook, apply to research conducted under a UDRF grant. UDRF research must comply with the University Research, Sponsored Programs, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Policies.
  3. If the proposed research includes human subjects or private identifiable data, and/or the use of non-human vertebrate animals, the research protocol must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee respectively prior to expending any UDRF funds. If IRB or IACUC approval is not granted for the study, the award will be withdrawn.
  4. The University exercises no direction or supervision over the details of the research or activities to be performed but does require adherence to the original objectives and purposes of the grant. It also requires that a final report on the proposal be submitted to the Research Office no later than ninety (90) days after the end date of the award. Final reports can be submitted using the UD Internal Seed Grant Request form.
  5. Every publication directly resulting from a research grant must include an acknowledgment that the research was carried out with the support of the University of Delaware Research Foundation. Each grantee is required to furnish one copy of any resulting papers, books, or other publications to the University Library through the Research Office (researchdev@udel.edu).
  6. Unless arrangements to the contrary have been included in the proposal as accepted, financial income derived from the project will be returned to the University, up to the amount of the award. This is not meant to conflict with university policies on patents, copyrights, and publications.

Post Award

AWARD SELECTION

University of Delaware Research Foundation grants are awarded based on eligibility and merit and administered by the UD Research Office. Evaluations of merit and award recommendations are made by the UDRF Research Committee, which is composed of engineers and scientists from the private sector in the region. The UDRF Board of Trustees makes the final award decisions at one of its semi-annual meetings.

POST AWARD ADMINISTRATION

Awarded proposals will be assigned an award number and purpose code for expenditures. Only successful awards should be entered into PeopleSoft by the PI’s department administrator for tracking and reporting purposes. Correspondence and post-award reporting should include award number and purpose code. All proposals funded at a level different than proposed, must provide a revised budget before the purpose code is established.

The UD Internal Seed Grant Request form should be used for re-budgeting, requesting no-cost extensions, and submitting the required final report.

Rebudgeting: Budget changes exceeding 25% of the total award and re-budgeting of funds into categories not in the original budget require prior approval by the Research Office.

No-cost Extensions: Requests for no-cost extensions must be submitted no sooner than 90 days and at least 30 days prior to the award end date. Requests should include the reason for and the duration of the extension. A maximum of one year is allowed per NCE request and total requests are limited to three per award.

Final Reports: A final report for the award must be submitted to the Research Office no later than ninety (90) days after the end date of the grant.

UDRF-SI

University of Delaware Research Foundation Strategic Initiatives (UDRF-SI)

UDRF-SI Template

UDRF-SI Template

UDRF-SI Download

UDRF-SI Download

The University of Delaware Research Foundation, Inc. (UDRF) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization supporting fundamental research in all fields of science. Although an independent corporation, it is chartered primarily to support the University’s research mission. In 1994, the UDRF Board of Trustees redefined its mission to focus on providing research grants to early-career permanent faculty within science and engineering disciplines.

Established in 2008, the University of Delaware Research Foundation Strategic Initiatives (UDRF-SI) program supports innovative, high-impact scientific research proposals that are likely to elevate the research prominence and the competitiveness of UD’s faculty researchers.

UDRF-SI Application Deadlines

LETTER OF INTENT DEADLINE: October 9, 2023
FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: October 31, 2023

Please note that submission and award processes have changed. Specifically, applicants do not need to generate a PeopleSoft proposal at the time of proposal submission. If the proposal is selected for funding, detailed instructions for PeopleSoft submission is included in the Appendix.

 

UDRF-SI PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Eligibility Requirements

In the past, UDRF-SI grants have been primarily in the fields of engineering and the natural and physical sciences. However, proposed work using scientific methods geared towards improving the PI’s research competitiveness for future external funding are eligible. Teams must include one untenured, tenure-track faculty Principal Investigator (PI) and at least one tenured faculty co-PI. Previous UDRF-SI grant PI recipients are ineligible. Collaborating tenured faculty who have received UDRF and/or UDRF SI funding in the past are eligible to again participate as co-PI. Faculty may apply to both the UDRF and UDRF-SI programs in a calendar year. However, only one award may be received per calendar year.

Proposal Evaluation

Furthering the professional development of the recipients and advancing the University’s research prominence are the UDRF-SI’s primary objectives. Selection for funding will be based on:

  • Intellectual Merit (40%): Does the proposed work significantly advance domain knowledge, address one of the University’s strategic pillars, and enhance the PI’s research competitiveness?
  • Collaboration (20%): Does the collaboration press the PIs into a novel research area requiring the expertise of both collaborators?
  • Mentoring Plan (10%): Does the proposal include a substantive mentoring plan?
  • Feasibility (10%): Likelihood of completion within one to two years.
  • Likelihood of Future External Funding (20%): Does the proposal articulate clear achievable goals which will likely attract new external funding?

 

Proposal

PROJECT BUDGET

UDRF-SI proposals may request up to $55,000 of which $35,000 is sponsor direct funding with an additional $10,000 in match funds from the PI’s Dean and $10,000 from the Provost’s Office. All UDRF-SI proposals require matching funds from the PI’s College and Provost’s Office. If a larger amount is requested, the proposal should specifically address the need, benefits, and impact of a larger budget request.

BUDGETING GUIDELINES

Personnel: Graduate research assistant (RA) stipends, hourly wage, and other positions providing technical assistance are allowable.

Fringe Benefits: As required by the personnel categories budgeted.

Direct research expenses: Equipment, travel, participant support costs, and supplies.

Unallowable budget categories: Facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, graduate tuition, and faculty salary

All budgets should be prepared with the understanding that budget changes exceeding 25% of the total award and re-budgeting of funds into categories not in the original budget are subject to prior approval by the Research Office. See the UDRF-SI Post-Award section below for more information.

PROPOSAL DURATION

UDRF Strategic Initiatives grants are awarded for up to two years with periods of performance commencing from project start date. No-cost extensions may granted up to three times only when circumstances warrant. Instructions can be found in the UDRF-SI Post-Award section.

PROPOSAL COMPONENTS & FORMATTING

UDRF-SI proposals are submitted using the UDRF-SI Proposal Template. All components should be single-spaced using 11-pt Arial font with one-inch margins. Additional information such as References, Budget Justifications, CVs, and Current & Pending Support should be combined with the proposal template and submitted as a single PDF document. Incomplete applications will be returned without review.

Executive Summary: A one page section consisting of three sub-sections: overview; a statement of intellectual merit; and a statement of broader impacts. The overview should include a description of the scientific scope of the proposal and potential future sources of external funding. The statement of intellectual merit should describe how the project will advance knowledge and understanding in the domain. The statement of broader impacts should describe how the project will benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

Project Description: A three-page section providing a statement of work including clear, achievable goals within the proposed timeline and expected significance of the proposed research. The project’s intellectual merit and broader impacts should be fully described upon in the Project Description. Include any relevant figures or tables. Investigators should specifically address approaches for seeking external funding. The entire Project Description should be clear to a reviewer with a technical/scientific background, but who may not be an expert in the field.

Submission

  1. A letter of intent (LOI) to submit a full proposal must be submitted by the deadline noted above using an online application. Letters of intent include: the full names, departmental affiliation, and e-mail addresses of each PI; a proposed title; and a short (<250 word) abstract of the proposed work. Only proposals submitting an LOI will be considered for the competition.
  2. Lead PIs submitting a LOI will receive subsequent instructions on submission of a full proposal.
  3. The UDRF-SI Proposal Template must be used for formatting the proposal which is submitted as a single PDF document. Proposals must include: Title; Executive Summary; Project Description; References; Budget; Budget Justification, two-page NSF style biosketches for each PI; and Current & Pending Support for each PI.
  4. Applications must be submitted in the online application portal by 11:59 PM on the submission deadlines noted above.

Terms & Conditions

UDRF-SI grants are made with the following understood commitments from the PI.

  1. Acceptance signifies intent to continue employment at the University for the duration of the proposal period.
  2. The University's patent, copyright, and publication policies, which can be found in the Faculty Handbook, apply to research conducted under a UDRF-SI grant. UDRF-SI research must comply with the University Research, Sponsored Programs, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Policies.
  3. If the proposed research includes human subjects or private identifiable data, and/or the use of non-human vertebrate animals, the research protocol must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee respectively prior to the expenditures of any UDRF-SI funds.
  4. The University exercises no direction or supervision over the details of the research or activities to be performed, but it does require adherence to the original objectives and purposes of the grant. It also requires that a report on the proposal be submitted to the Research Office no later than ninety (90) days after the end date of the grant. A form for final reports may be found here. 
  5. Unless arrangements to the contrary have been included in the proposal as accepted, financial income derived from the project will be returned to the University, up to the amount of the award. This is not meant to conflict with University policies on patents, copyrights, and publications.

Post Award

AWARD ADMINISTRATION

Awarded grants will be assigned an award and purpose code for proposal expenditures. Successful awards must be entered into PeopleSoft by the PI’s departmental administrator for tracking and reporting purposes. Future correspondence and post-award reporting should include the award number and purpose code. All proposals funded at a level different than proposed must provide a revised budget before the purpose code may be established.

REBUDGETING REQUESTS

Budget changes exceeding 25% of the total award and re-budgeting of funds into categories not in the original budget (e.g., equipment, foreign travel) are subject to prior approval by the Research Office. Requests for re-budgeting must be submitted on the UD Internal Seed Grant Request form.

NO-COST EXTENSION REQUESTS

Requests for no-cost extensions must be submitted to the Research Office using the UD Internal Seed Grant Request form no sooner than 90 days and at least 30 days prior to the award end date. Requests should include the reason for and the duration of the extension. NCE requests are limited to three per award.

FINAL REPORT

A final report for the award must be submitted to the Research Office no later than ninety (90) days after the end date of the grant. A form for final reports may be found here.

Chemours

Chemours Discovery Research Award

Chemours Discovery Template Download

Template

Chemours Discovery Guidelines

Guidelines

The University of Delaware and Chemours Company invite applications for research proposals to be carried out by UD principal investigators on topics of broad interest to Chemours. Projects should have the potential to advance the industries in which Chemours participates or to lead to new Chemours products. Specific topics for the 2022-23 competition are listed in the Appendix below:

 

Titanium Technologies

Titanium Technologies

Sustainable Solutions

Recycling of TiO2-containing materials Chemours Titanium Technologies (TT) is interested in supporting research that would fundamentally advance the ability to recycle polymer composites and complex paint matrices containing titanium dioxide in a practical manner. Topics include advances in strategies related to the detection of different composite compositions for advanced sorting technologies, advances in particle and chemical separation science as well as particle reclamation technologies. Research that integrates science and policy to move towards the preferred use of socially-responsible, recycle-friendly composites and paint technologies is also of interest.

Thermal Reflectivity TiO2 is an excellent scatterer of both visible and Infrared (IR) radiation and so has an opportunity to decrease the energy load of cooling buildings in summer months. In certain situations, consumers prefer dark colors, rather than the lighter colors traditionally used for cool buildings. Here visible reflectivity is not desired while high IR reflectivity is. Chemours TT interests in this area are (a) how to modify TiO2 to increase IR reflectance while decreasing visible reflectance and (b) how to quantify, in the field, the cooling effect of such a pigment. Chemours is seeking interest in both material and test development in this area.

Advanced Remediation Technologies Chemours TT is interested in supporting research efforts that could lead to breakthroughs in remediation technologies for difficult-to-destroy compounds. New technologies for the destruction of persistent organic pollutants (e.g., PCBs) that are potentially scalable and offer practical advantages over existing methods (e.g., energy savings, sustainability, and pragmatic considerations) are desired.

Chloride-to-Chlorine Recycling As part of the chloride process for making TiO2 from ilmenite ores, large quantities of chlorine gas are transported and consumed. A significant portion of chlorine is sequestered as ferrous chloride. Regenerating chlorine gas from a ferrous / ferric chloride source using scalable process(es) represents a sustainable solution having potential economic, safety, and energy-saving benefits.

Advance Materials

Advanced Materials

Catalysts Chemours TT is interested in research that advances the basic science related to the identification and selection of titanium oxide materials for catalyst applications. This also includes applications where titanium oxide is used as a support for atomically precise catalyst applications.

Energy Chemours TT is interested in advancing the basic science related to the use of titanium oxides, doped titanium oxides, reduced titanium oxides, or byproducts of the TiO2 manufacturing process in clean energy and energy storage applications. Applications include but are not limited to solar hydrogen conversion, lithium ion batteries and thermal storage technologies. More specifically, manufacturing schemes with high yields of titanium sub-oxides are of high interest.

Electronic Materials Chemours TT is interested in basic science supporting emerging applications of titanium oxides for next generation solid state electronics. Materials of interest include titanium oxides, doped titanium oxides, titanium oxide composites, and structured titanium oxide materials for a range of applications, including field modulation, spintronics, optoelectronics, processing/fabrication aids.

Data Science

Data Science

Advances in Data Mining-aided Solid-state Materials Discovery and Optimization Chemours TT is interested in the further development of techniques, tools, and approaches that facilitate data mining-aided materials discovery for applications in the catalyst, energy storage and/or electronic materials areas. Methods and strategies that enable efficient learning from a limited number of training sets for quantitive structure property relationship models are desired.

Innovative uses of data science to support the TT business Chemours TT is interested in exploring the use of data science techniques proven in other areas for potential applications in areas of interest for the Titanium Technology business.

Advanced Analytical Measurements

Advanced Analytical Measurements

Surface Heterogeneity in Particle Systems Rapid characterization techniques for identifying and quantifying surface chemistry and surface structure distributions for sub-micrometer particles at is an unmet need in industry. Chemours TT is interested in efforts that push the limits and state-of-the-art in surface characterization.

Techniques for characterizing large-scale particle assemblies New techniques for characterizing particle assemblies that provide meaningful and quantifiable morphological insights for structures comprising hundreds to millions of particles are desired. Many of Chemours TT processes and products rely on the development of long-range structure; however, few characterization methods are available to efficiently characterize these systems at the length-scales required while maintaining the necessary resolution (often in the nanoscale). Chemours is interested in supporting the development of new tools that have the potential to characterize particle agglomerate structures in dense slurries/pastes/wet cakes and/or in powders. These tools may characterize the particles themselves or the states of continuum between the particles (e.g., fluid structure, pore tortuosity).

Novel Synthesis Routes New and innovative synthesis routes for the scalable production of titanium oxide materials or titanium metal are of constant interest to Chemours TT.

 

Thermal and Specialized Solutions

Thermal Management for EV

Thermal Management for EV

The wide adoption of electric vehicles will be largely linked to their capability of providing a driving range comparable to internal combustion engines. Thermal management of the cabin, the batteries and the power electronics is key in increasing the driving range of the electric vehicles.

Being able to test the complete thermal systems of electric vehicles is a skill that Chemours TSS would want to develop with the right laboratories and academic partners. This allows understanding the impact of each pf the elements in this thermal system on the driving range and the energy efficiency of the car.

Catalyst Catalysis remains a key interest in both basic and applied science. The performance of catalyst in a chemical reaction is often impacted by the process conditions, the formation of by-products, or the presence of trace impurities. There are several areas of interests for novel catalyst development: hydrogenation catalysts that resist sulfur and/or sulfur containing species; catalyst supports that endure conditions like high temperature oxidation, high temperature reduction, hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen fluoride; chromium-free catalysts for halogen-exchange reactions.

Thermal Management for Residential Heat Pump Residential heat pump has attracted much more attention due to its higher efficiency in heat management than traditional HVAC. Several technical refrigerants are being investigated as a working fluid for these heat pumps: HFO blends are known to provide an optimal balance between the required properties for this application, but recently some hydrocarbons (HC) were proposed for this application. Being able to test systems operating with HFO blends and HC side-by-side is important to understand the advantages and the drawbacks of each solution as well as providing improvement suggestions to always increase the energy efficiency of these systems.

 


Chemours Discovery Application Deadlines

PRE-PROPOSAL: March 15, 2023
INVITED FULL PROPOSAL: April 26, 2023

 

Eligibility: Applicants must be eligible to serve as a principal investigator on a UD-sponsored agreement.

Project Budget: Chemours Discovery proposals may request up to $100,000.

Proposal Duration Chemours Discovery grants are awarded for one year with the period of performance commencing June 1.
No-cost extensions may be considered by Chemours when circumstances warrant. Instructions are included the Post-Award section of these Guidelines.

Pre-Proposal Components Provide a maximum 1,000 word-summary in the application text field of the online application with the following subsections: abstract, scope of work, and discussion of estimated budget. The scope of work should have sufficient detail for reviewers to determine the novelty and feasibility of the research and its relationship to the identified Chemours topic area.

Invited Full Proposal Components and Formatting Submit Chemours Discovery proposals using the Chemours Discovery Proposal Template. All components should be single-spaced, using 11-pt Arial font with one-inch margins. Additional information such as References, Budget and Budget Justification, PI and co-PI NSF-style Biosketches, and PI and co-PI NSF style Current and Pending Support documents should be combined with the proposal template and submitted as one PDF document. Incomplete applications will be returned without review.

Proposal Summary and Impact Statement (1 page)
• Describe the proposed research with minimal jargon and explain how the research outputs would advance the field, and impact Chemours and/or the scientific community at large.
• How will this research help the PIs to secure additional funding (whether with Chemours or externally) beyond the 1-year scope of the Discovery research project?
• How will the proposed research leverage and augment existing resources and knowledge? Highlight any unique capabilities.
• Describe planned interactions with Chemours during the 1-year term and beyond.

Statement of Work (3 pages)
• Provide a brief gap analysis of the field and clearly identify the problem(s) to be solved with the proposed research.
• Describe how the proposed effort explores an innovative and potentially transformational area of science and technology.
• Outline the research plan with key decision points, milestones, and deliverables. Provide milestones and deliverables in a Gant chart.
• Provide alternative solution strategies as applicable.
• Describe benchmark and reference materials to be used in the study as appropriate.

Response to Specific Questions (~ 1 Page)
• Address the questions raised from the pre-proposal evaluation, if any. This may simply highlight the areas in the full proposal where these questions have been addressed or proved a separate answer.

Procedures for Submitting Proposals:

  1. Pre-proposal summaries must be submitted by the deadline noted above using the online application. Pre-proposals include the full name(s), department, and email addresses of each PI; a working title; the Chemours business unit, topic, and subtopic of the proposal; and the summary of the proposed work.
  2. Pre-proposals will be reviewed by Chemours’ business unit leads.
  3. Select applicants will be invited to submit full proposals by the deadline noted above using round two of the online application. Full proposals need to be entered into PeopleSoft by the PI’s department administrator for tracking and approval purposes.

Patents and Licensing:
In the event that the University considers inventions to warrant patent protection, the University may procure and maintain at its own expense patents in the U.S. and foreign countries on inventions made solely by University personnel or jointly with Chemours personnel, which arise from research carried out under this Agreement. University will own the patents relating to any such invention for which it procures patent protection. For jointly-made inventions, Chemours and Chemours personnel will assign all rights to such invention to the University. The university will provide copies of all patent applications to Chemours promptly after filing.

If the University does not procure patents for inventions made solely by University personnel or jointly with Chemours personnel, which arise from research carried out under this Agreement, Chemours may procure and maintain patents at its own expense in the U.S. and foreign countries for such inventions and Chemours will own such patents, i.e., either The Chemours Company FC, LLC or The Chemours Company TT, LLC as determined by Chemours. Chemours grants to the University a nonexclusive, noncommercial, nontransferable, royalty-free license for teaching and research efforts under patents obtained by Chemours under this agreement.

In the event that the University does not procure patents for inventions made solely by University personnel or jointly with Chemours personnel, which arise from research carried out under this Agreement, Chemours may procure and maintain patents at its own expense in the U.S. and foreign countries for such inventions and Chemours will own such patents, i.e., either The Chemours Company FC, LLC or The Chemours Company TT, LLC as determined by Chemours. Chemours grants to the University a nonexclusive, noncommercial, nontransferable, royalty-free license for teaching and research efforts under patents obtained by Chemours under this agreement.

Post Award:Award Selection: Chemours Discovery grants are awarded based on eligibility and merit and administered by the UD Research Office. Evaluations of merit and award selections are made solely by Chemours.

Post Award Administration: Upon notice of award, the UD PI and Chemours business lead will work together to create a Task Order. Awarded proposals will be assigned an award number and purpose code for expenditures once the assigned UD contract and grants (C&G) specialist has received the signed Notice of Award and Task Order. All proposals funded at a level different than proposed, must provide a revised budget before the purpose code is established.

Rebudgeting, Cost Extensions and No-Cost Extensions: Requests for rebudgeting, cost extensions, and no-cost extensions should be directed to the assigned UD C&G and include the award number and purpose code(s). Requests will be sent by the C&G to Chemours.

For questions/information about this opportunity, contact

University of Delaware
Ciara M. O’Connell

Chemours Points of Contact
Mitch Chinn — Titanium Technologies
Ben Gould — Advanced Performance Materials
Samer Saab — Thermal and Specialized Solutions

 

DOE

University of Delaware – Argonne National Laboratory Seed Grant 2020

The University of Delaware (UD) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) invited researchers from both institutions to attend a daylong workshop on Tuesday, November 21, 2019. Participants had an opportunity to give a lightening talk and brainstorm about research directions in the breakout sessions. Keynote talks and Lightening Talk slides can be found at the UD/ANL Workshop’s website. The workshop focus was on five areas of significant research synergy between the two institutions:

Upcycling of polystyrene waste to organic electronics for energy storage

  • Quantum Science
  • 3D Manufacturing/ Materials
  • AI/ Data Science
  • Polymer Lifecycle
  • Interface Science



University of Delaware – Brookhaven National Laboratory Seed Grant 2019

The University of Delaware (UD) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) supported a research effort to promote scientific excellence achieved through collaborations benefitting students, staff, their science and generate preliminary results leading to externally sponsored funding.


 

 

RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT

K. Eric Wommack, PhD
Senior Associate Vice President for Research

Jennifer Doran
Administrative Assistant
Ph: (302) 831-6703

David Barczak
Communications Manager
Ph: (302) 831-8169

John McMillan
Computing Support Specialist
Ph: (302) 831-8621

Ciara O’Connell
Research Development Manager
Ph: (302) 831-7088

Jennifer Roth
Research Education Coordinator
Ph: (302) 831-3777

Research Development
Ph: (302) 831-7088

 

*NOTE: The University of Delaware’s Office of General Counsel oversees all legal services for the University of Delaware. Matters pertaining to research (including research-related agreements, research-related compliance, and research-related intellectual property) may be directed to the Research Office, which will coordinate with the General Counsel’s Office, as appropriate.
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