UD Internal Funding Opportunities

GUR UDRF UDRF-SI SEED GRANTS
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

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General University Research Grants

Letter of Intent:
January 23, 2026
Full Proposal:
February 25, 2026

b

UD Research Foundation

Letter of Intent:
December 12, 2025
Full Proposal:
January 19, 2026

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UD Research Foundation Strategic Initiatives

Letter of Intent Deadline:
October 14, 2025
Full Proposal Deadline:
November 7, 2025

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Other Opportunities

Independently organized opportunities are waiting to be discovered. Log onto our portal to explore the most recent campus funding opportunities.

Campus Seed Grants

Campus seed grant opportunities abound at UD, from pilot programs to call for proposals, these opportunities are operated by other units on campus and are waiting to be discovered. Visit the links below for deadlines and application requirements.

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES

FORMS & TRAINING

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: January 23, 2026
FULL PROPOSAL: February 25, 2026

Please note that submission and award processes have changed. Specifically, a PeopleSoft proposal is not needed for proposal submission. A PeopleSoft submission is only required for awarded proposals (instructions included in the Appendix).

GUR APPLICATION

 

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 starting between June 1, 2023 and June 1, 2025 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:

  • January 23, 2026: Letter of Intent Deadline
  • February 25, 2026: 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 23%.

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 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 SUBMITTING SELECTED PROPOSALS
  1. A letter of intent (LOI) to submit a full proposal must be submitted by the deadline noted above using this online application form. Notices of intent include: the PI’s full name, department affiliation, and email address; a proposed title; and a short (<250 word) abstract of the proposed work. Only proposals submitting a LOI will be considered for the competition.
  2. PIs submitting a LOI will receive subsequent instructions on full proposal submission.
  3. The GUR Proposal Template must be used for formatting the proposal which should be submitted as a single PDF document. Complete proposals include an Executive Summary; Project Description; Timeline; References; Budget and Budget Justification; PI and Co-PI NSF-style Biosketches; and PI and co-PI NSF-style Current & Pending Support.
  4. Applications must be submitted using the online application system by 11:59 PM on the submission deadline noted above.

 

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. PIs submitting a LOI will receive subsequent instructions on full proposal submission.
  3. Faculty should provide the administrator with a single PDF copy of the full proposal submission.
  4. 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

Score is out of 100 possible points. Download the Rubric PDF below:

 

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.

2024-25 GUR RECIPIENTS
  • Adriana Gorea — 4D KNIT: Innovating Sustainable Textile Design for Next-Generation Fabrications, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Angela Hattery — Experiences of Gender-Based Violence and Institutional Betrayal Among Indigenous Women in the US, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Ashley Pigford — Making Self-Expression Accessible with User-Centered Design, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Jaclyn Schwarz — Brain Networks, Peripheral Factors and Individual Vulnerability to Postpartum Mood Disorder, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Jarett Haley — An Exploration of Racially Minoritized Undergraduate Students Interactions with Student Affairs Staff Members in U.S. States with Bans on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs, EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
  • Jeffrey Caplan — Elucidating the Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Plant-Fungal Interactions: A Proteomics Approach, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE
  • Jin Yao Kwan — Project STREAM: Strategic and Community-Engaged Teaching, Research and Education across Multimodal Podcast Use, EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
  • Kisha Porcher — Developing White Preservice Teachers Racial Literacy with Black Clinical Educators, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Marco Messina — Activity-Based Polymer Amplification Strategies for Mass Spectral-Based Bioimaging of Reactive Oxygen/Nitrogen Species, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Soo Bin Jang — Understanding Black History Education in Practice: A Multi-Site Case Study of HB-198 Implementation in Delaware Schools, EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS

2023-24 GUR RECIPIENTS

2023-24 Recipients

  • Amber Krauchunas — Sequencing New Sterile Mutants To Identify Genes Important For Fertility., ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Brian Kwee — Manufacturing Highly Potent Muscle Progenitor Cells For Tissue Engineered Muscle, ENGINEERING
  • Dilia Lopez-Gydosh — Development Of “The Ftc 1920S Digital Archive, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Dongxia Liu — Electrochemical Synthesis Of Zeolite Materials, ENGINEERING
  • Jamie Holder — Software Development For A Novel Telescope Array To Study The High-Energy Universe, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Jeffrey Mugridge — Biochemical And Structural Analysis Of An Uncharacterized Family Of Bacterial Radical Sam Enzymes, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Jessica Horton — Fire Oppression: Burning And Weaving In Indigenous California, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Leting Zhang — The Impact Of Health Information Technology On Healthcare Disparity: Evidence From The Inpatient Setting, LERNER COLG OF BUS & ECON
  • Shawna Vican — Contested Terrain: The Law & Diversity Work In Higher Education, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • William Chain — New Marine Natural Products As Non Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Chemotherapeutic Drug Leads, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Yan Yang — Particle Diffusion And Acceleration In Plasma Turbulence: Efficiencies Of Localized Structures, ARTS & SCIENCES

2022-23 GUR RECIPIENTS

2022-23 Recipients

  • Ariel Alperstein Investigation of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Erlotinib-Resistance Via Raman Microscopy - ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Miles Brown University of Delaware Faculty Jazz Quartet Recording - ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Siobhan Carroll The Planetary Estate: Ecological Improvement and Literary Form, 1791-1859 - ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Zhiyin Renee Dong Effect of Different Corrective Feedback Strategies on Second Language Mandarin Tone and Vocabulary Learning - ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Eric Layland Parent Capacity for Fostering LGBTQ Adolescent Socialization - EDUCATION
  • Dilia Lopez-Gydosh Development of "The FTC 1920s Digital Archive - ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Melissa Melough Can Dietary Choices Improve Childhood Neurodevelopmental Outcomes via Arsenic Methylation? - HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Elizabeth Sargent ANCHORS: Achieving New Course Heights; Opportunities for Research with Students - EARTH, OCEAN & ENVIRONMENT
  • Kevin Solomon Programmable control of protein activity via formation of biomolecular condensates in bacteria - ENGINEERING
  • Rebecca Tollan Agency and object prominence in linguistic cognition: Investigating sentence processing in Copala-Triqui - ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Ana Oancea The Doctor and the Dress – ARTS & SCIENCES

2021-22 GUR RECIPIENTS

2021-22 Recipients

  • Zachary Collier Zachary Collier - Addressing Incomplete Data with Artificial Intelligence
  • Francisco Costa Francisco Costa - Can market incentives reduce deforestation and promote compliance with environmental law? Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon
  • Sambeeta Das (Ryan) Sambeeta Das (Ryan) - Microrobots in Confined Geometries
  • Alexei Kananenka Alexei Kananenka - Using Artificial Intelligence to Optimize Light Harvesting
  • Maik Kecinski Maik Kecinski - he behavioral impacts of mandates on voluntary contributions to public goods
  • Daniel Lee Daniel Lee - Studying the Effects of Moral Violations on Entrepreneurial Decision Making
  • Haritha Malladin Haritha Malladi - Design and evaluation of instructional coaching strategies to address social loafing on engineering student teams
  • Xi Peng Xi Peng - Adaptive Scientific Machine Learning for Extreme-scale and Ever-evolving Data Analysis
  • Kenneth Shores Kenneth Shores - Facilities Disruptions and Disruptions to Student Learning: Empirical Evidence from the School District of Philadelphia
  • Evan Usler Evan Usler - Empirical Investigation of A New Theory of Stuttering: The Effects of Motivational Conflict on Speech
  • Anamarie Whitaker Anamarie Whitaker - A Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Perceptions of Early Care and Education Policy Alignment Within State Early Learning Systems

2020-21 GUR RECIPIENTS

2020-21 Recipients

  • Jennifer Bouek Jennifer Bouek - The Political Economy of Child Care and the Families Within: A Covid Comparison
  • Emerald Christopher Emerald Christopher - The Manifestations of Jane Crow: Gender-Based Violence and Black Women's Experience
  • Kyle Davis Kyle Davis - Global mapping of crop climate resilience
  • Morgan Ellithorpe Morgan Ellithorpe - Parents' beliefs and intentions toward acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine for their children
  • Ibra Fancher Ibra Fancher - Assessing the dichotomy of vascular function in obesity: Why are some vascular beds impaired while others are spared?
  • Lindsay Naylor Jasper Lindsay Naylor Jasper - Inclusive climate adaptation in Delaware
  • Zachary Nolan Zachary Nolan - An Empirical Analysis of Complementarities in Advertising Markets
  • Xiaotao Ran Xiaotao Ran - The Effect of Online Remedial Course on College Readiness
  • Sonia Robles Sonia Robles - Revolutionary Platforms: Public Radio and the Emergence of Modern Mexico
  • Kalim Shah Kalim Shah - An E-Waste Materials Flow Analysis for Science-Based Regulatory Reform in the U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Lisha Shao Lisha Shao - Investigating the neural mechanisms underlying sexual reward in female Drosophila
  • Jiaheng Xie Jiaheng Xie - Understanding Health Misinformation Transmission: An Interpretable Deep Learning Approach to Manage Infodemics
  • Janine de Novais Janine de Novais - The Brave Community Workshop

2019-20 GUR RECIPIENTS

2019-20 Recipients

  • Ann Aviles Ann Aviles - Housing Status, Health, Well-Being and Violence
  • Christina Barbieri Christina Barbieri - Targeting Misconceptions to Improve Core Competencies for Students at Risk for Mathematics Difficulties
  • Federica Bianco Federica Bianco - Echoes of light detection with artificial intelligence to characterize the history of explosions in our Galaxy
  • Eve Buckley Eve Buckley - Hunger Politics during the Early Cold War: Intellectuals from the Global South Contest the Overpopulation Paradigm, 1948-1973
  • Jonathan Cox Jonathan Cox - Arrivals: What's left Behind, What Lies Ahead
  • Sarah Curtiss Sarah Curtiss - The Feasibility and Efficacy of Mealtimes on the Spectrum: An Online Toolkit for Making Mealtimes More Meaningful and Functional
  • Sarah DeYoung Sarah DeYoung - UD GUR: Infant feeding in emergencies: measuring changes during natural hazards in the United States
  • Gregory Dobler Gregory Dobler - Deployment of an Urban Observatory to Monitor Power Distribution and Disruption in Sierra Leone, Africa
  • Colton Lynner Colton Lynner - Linking volcanic activity and a large earthquake at the currently erupting Ecuadorian Cotopaxi volcano
  • Teomara Rutherford Teomara Rutherford - Assisting Teachers to Support Positive Student Emotions and Motivation While Using Educational Technology
  • Brooke Stanley Brooke Stanley - Eating in the Anthropocene: The Global Environmental Novel and the Politics of Food
  • Tyler Van Buren Tyler Van Buren - The interaction of Megakaryocytes and Platelets with Turbulence

2018-19 GUR RECIPIENTS

2018-19 Recipients

  • Malasree Acharya Malasree Acharya - Mapping the Refugee Net: Border Crossing, Technology and Human Rights in the Mediterranean
  • Noel Archambeault Noel Archambeault - The Chicana Art Song Project
  • Benjamin Bagozzi Benjamin Bagozzi - When is Access-to-Information an Effective Accountability Mechanism? Using Big Data Tools to Study Responsiveness in Mexico and Beyond
  • Sabrin Beg Sabrin Beg - Strengthening Teacher Ability to Reach all Students
  • Lauren Covington Lauren Covington - Identifying Multi-level Determinants of Child Sleep Health in Under-resourced Families
  • Xiang Gao Shalom Xiang Gao Shalom - Shanghai
  • Martha Hall Martha Hall - Development of Novel Orthopedic Boot
  • Sean Healy Sean Healy - Adaptation, acceptability and feasibility of an automated smart-scale intervention for weight management among young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
  • Cresean Hughes Cresean Hughes - GUR Hughes
  • Pinki Mondal Pinki Mondal - Analyzing radar satellite data to examine changing rice intensification patterns in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta
  • Chiara Sabina Chiara Sabina - A holistic community-based intervention for domestic violence in Quito, Ecuador
  • Aaron Terry Aaron Terry - Study of responses to local and global politics, media and propaganda in Post-Cold War visual art, media and design to create and inform studies for exhibition, publication and educational opportunities
  • Yi-Lin Tsai Yi-Lin Tsai - The Politics of Offline Consumer Search for Single Family Homes
  • Jaipreet Virdi Dhesi Jaipreet Virdi Dhesi - Becoming "Hearing-Minded:" Women Researchers and the Politics of Deafness in Interwar Britain

2017-18 GUR RECIPIENTS

2017-18 Recipients

  • Anjana Bhat Comparing fNIRS-based cortical activation during social cooperation between children with and without ASD
  • Pascha Bueno-Hansen GUR 18 BUENO-HANSEN
  • Abigail Donovan Considerations Relating to the Shape of Equilibrium (Reprise)
  • Chad Forbes Enhancing Performance for At-Risk Women in STEM Contexts: Retraining Complex & Persistent Stress Responses with Neural Feedback
  • Laura Helton Collecting, Collectivity, and the Making of African American Archives
  • Jason Hill Criminal Visibility: Photographic Culture of Crime and Punishment in the United States, 1839-Present
  • Paul Jackson Mapping the Lives of Chronic Pain Sufferers and Access to Disability Assistance
  • Xiaopeng Ji The Relationship among Sleep, Executive Function and Diabetes Management in Late Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes
  • Peter Mende-Siedlecki Psychological and Perceptual Contributions to Biased and Accurate Pain Care
  • Isai Munoz Visca L'Amor! A Reference Audio Recording Documenting the Tenor Voice in Underrepresented Classical Vocal Repertoire by Catalan Composers of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
  • Georgina Ramsay Humanitarian Exploits: Exploring the Livelihood Strategies of Women in Situations of Displacement
  • Junbo Son Data Analytics Framework for the Smart Asthma Management System with Bluetooth-enabled Personal Inhalers

2016-17 GUR RECIPIENTS

2016-17 Recipients

  • Tara Trammell
    Tara Trammell, Agriculture & Natural Resources - Investigating Urbanization Pressures on Soil Carbon, Nitrogen, and Microbial Community Composition Under Different Tree Species
  • Christopher Nichols
    Christopher Nichols, Arts & Sciences - Music: Clarinet Recording
  • Sheng Lu
    Sheng Lu, Arts & SciencesRegional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Its Impact on the Pattern of Textile and Apparel Production and Trade in the Asia-Pacific Region
  • Sue McNeil
    Sue McNeil, Arts & Sciences - A Stated Preference Survey to Model Patient Behavior During a Biological Outbreak
  • Julian Yates
    Julian Yates, Arts & Sciences - Noah’s Arkive: Adventures in Groundless Reading from the Beginning to the End of Time
  • Sarah Wasserman Sarah Wasserman, Arts & Sciences - The Death of Things: Ephemera in America
  • Martin Brueckner
    Martin Brueckner, Arts & Sciences - Literary Things: Material Culture and the Performance of Popular Literature in the Atlantic World, 1700-1900
  • Abdol-Razagh Oskooii
    Abdol-Razagh Oskooii, Arts & Sciences - How Experiences of Discrimination Impact the Civic and Political Engagement of Muslim-Americans
  • Mieke Eeckhaut
    Mieke Eeckhaut, Arts & Sciences - Contraceptive Sterilization in the US: The Role of Race/Ethnicity
  • Edward Winn
    Edward Winn, Arts & Sciences - Digital Inputs and Outputs to Create Objects that Reflect Their Design in Virtual Space
  • Ashley Pigford
    Ashley Pigford, Arts & Sciences - The Internet of Things (IoT): Internet-Connection of “Smart Devices” Serving the Needs of Users
  • Lauren Bailes
    Lauren Bailes, Education & Human Development - GUR Bailes
  • Erica Litke
    Erica Litke, Education & Human Development - Empowering Teachers to Improve Algebra Instruction
  • Tia Barnes
    Tia Barnes, Education & Human Development - GUR BARNES
  • Frederick Bereskin
    Frederick Bereskin, Lerner College of Business & Economics - The Effect of Cultural Similarity on Mergers and Acquisitions: Evidence From Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Jing Ma
    J ing Ma, Lerner College of Business & Economics - Targeting Norovirus on Cruise Ships and Recommendations for Food Safety Improvement
  • Gang Wang
    Gang Wang, Lerner College of Business & Economics - Impacts of Social Influence on Consumer Consideration Set Formation and Choice

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 supporting fundamental research in all science, engineering, and social science fields. Although an independent corporation, it is chartered primarily to support the University’s research mission.

UDRF Application Deadlines

LETTER OF INTENT: December 12, 2025
FULL PROPOSAL: January 19, 2026

UDRF APPLICATION

 

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. However, PIs may receive only one award per calendar year.

 

UDRF Deadlines

UDRF proposals are due to the Research Office by:

  • December 12, 2025: Letter of Intent Deadline
  • January 19, 2026: 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? New research directions for the PI are particularly encouraged.
  • 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? (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 to 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 presented in the UDRF Post-Award section of this document.

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 scientific scope of the proposal 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:
    • Direct Costs: Enter up to $30,000 base award from UDRF as direct costs. The PI may also have requested and received an additional $5,000 as direct costs for a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) supplement. Note: The undergraduate student must be budgeted under participant support costs (see details below).
    • Cost Share:
      • $7,500 from the Provost’s Office should be entered as cost share from department ID #01551. (This cost share will be approved by the Research Office. The Provost Office does not need to approve the Proposal Summary Form.)
      • $7,500 from the College Dean should be 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 supplements are limited to $5,000 and must be budgeted under account code 146115 with budget category PTSTIP. These funds can only be used for the REU and may not be used for other wage categories or other project expenses. A separate project must be created for REU participant support costs.
    • 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
    • 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 Research Office per standard procedures.

 

FACULTY S-CONTRACT PROCEDURES

If the PI chooses to receive a stipend from their recently awarded UDRF grant, the S-Contract that is processed by their 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 the PI's 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 the award number and purpose code. All proposals funded at a level different than what was proposed must provide a revised budget before the purpose code is established.

The UD Internal Seed Grant Request form must be used for re-budgeting and requesting no-cost extensions. The UD Seed Grant Final Report form must be used 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. Funds awarded for an REU stipend paid on account 146115 may not be rebudgeted.

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.

2024-25 AWARD RECIPIENTS
  • Arijit Bose — Alternate Concepts for Inertial Fusion Energy – Which Include Shock Ignition and Magnetized Laser Driven Implosions, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Brian Kwee — Biomaterials for Enhancing Regulatory T-Cell Proliferation at Muscle Injury Sites, ENGINEERING
  • Bryan VanGronigen — An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study of the Experiences and Perceived Usefulness of School Principal Professional Development, EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
  • Harikrishnan Ramani — Axion Dark Matter Detection at Kilohertz Frequency, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Kelsey Malloy — A Comprehensive Assessment on Climate Predictability of U.S. Wind Energy Capabilities, EARTH, OCEAN & ENVIRONMENT
  • Micki Burdick — The Impact of Coercive Violence on Reproductive Justice: Exploring Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence as a Factor in Black Maternal Hhealth Outcomes, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Rahmatollah Beheshti — Enabling Scalable Evaluation of Fairness in Health LLMs, ENGINEERING
  • Yixiang Deng — Intelligent Antibody Design Via Interpretable and Efficient Deep Learning, ENGINEERING
PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS

2022-23 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2023-24 Recipients

  • Amber Krauchunas — Establishing A Role For Spe-40 In The Process Of Fertilization, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Ariel Alperstein — Development Of Microscale Cell Temperature Screening, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Austin Keeler — Proteomic Profiling Of Joint Pain-Mediating Neurons, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Ibra Fancher — Harnessing Adipose Adaptations To Prevent Endothelial Dysfunction In Obesity, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Jeremy Bird — Deciphering The Nad Cap Interactome, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Lauren Covington — Social Determinants Of Sleep And Obesity Disparities In Emerging Adults, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Marco Messina — 3-Dimensional Polymer Materials For Protein Therapeutic Stabilization, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Nathan Lazarus — Stretchable Electromagnetic Devices For On-Body Energy Harvesting, ENGINEERING
  • Rachel Davidson — High-Precision Single-Step Printing Of Nanostructured Battery Electrodes Through Electrochemical Additive Manufacturing, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Sarah Lacy — Neanderthal Crossroads Project: Exploratory Field Season 2024, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Xing Gao — Securing Continuous Software Development From Software Supply Chain Attacks, ENGINEERING

2022-23 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2022-23 Recipients

  • Aditya Dutta — Investigating The Therapeutic Role Of Metformin In Prostate Cancer, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE
  • Alon Hafri — The Neural Representation Of Visual Relations, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Elise Corbin — Tunable And Dynamic Materials To Exploit And Assess Spatiotemporal Mechanobiology, ENGINEERING
  • Emil Hernandez-Pagan — Stimuli Responsive Electroactive Materials For Sustainable Fuel Production, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Justin Parreno — Transgelin Regulates Myofibroblast Contraction During Ocular Lens Posterior Capsular Opacification, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Roderick Carey — Exploring How “Mattering” Matters For Improving Outcomes For Black And Latinx Adolescents In Delaware Schools, EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
  • Stephanie Cone — Structural And Functional Analyses Of The Human Iliotibial Band During Locomotion, ENGINEERING
  • Vincenzo Ellis — Population Genomics Of The Lyme Disease Bacterium Borrelia Burgdorferi And Its Reservoir Hosts In The Northeastern United States, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE

2021-22 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2021-22 Recipients

  • Austin Brockmeier — Mapping And Decoding The Brain’S Activity During Human-Ai Interaction, ENGINEERING
  • Christina Barbieri — Supporting Student Attention, Metacognition, And Mathematics Learning With The Byexample Approach, EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
  • Evan Usler — The Role Of Motivational Conflict In Developmental Stuttering, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Jaclyn Sions — Identification Of Biopsychosocial Factors Associated With Persistent Low Back Pain Among Adults With Lower-Limb Amputation, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • John Xiao — All-Electrical Magnon-Mediated Spin Qubit Gate As A Building Block Of Hybrid Quantum System, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Laure V Kayser — Synthesis And Properties Of Thermo-Responsive Conducting Polymers, ENGINEERING
  • Michael Crossley — “Revamp” Waste: Recycling And Value-Added Mealworm Processing Of Waste, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE
  • Roxana G Burciu — How Aging Affects The Neural Control Of Upper And Lower Extremity Movements, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Vijay Parashar — Targeting Second Messenger Metabolism In Bacteria For Novel Antibacterial Adjuvants, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • William Kenkel — Using Open-Source Technology To Track Weigh Gain In An Animal Model Of Obesity, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Xi Peng — Harnessing Web And Laboratory Data For Large -Scale Fall Modeling In Freeliving Environments, ENGINEERING
  • Xi Wang — Novel Neuromorphic Photonic Integrated Circuits Using Phase-Transition Materials, ENGINEERING
  • Yihang Li — Identifying The Impacts Of Early Life Adversity On Intestinal Amino Acid Sensing And Transport Efficiency In A Pig Model, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE

2020-21 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2020-21 Recipients

  • Alyssa Betts — Managing A Can Of Worms: Integrated Approaches To Reduce Yield Loss Due To Root-Knot Nematodes In Lima Bean Production, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE
  • Anne Siders — Evaluating Floodplain Buyouts: Understanding How Voluntary Property Acquisitions Affect Participants, RESEARCH OFFICE(EXCL NIIMBL)
  • Charles Dhong — Quantifying And Controlling Tactile Perception Through Polymer Crystallinity, ENGINEERING
  • Chi Keung Lam — Elucidating The Role Of Hsp90 Complex In Cardiac Diseases, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Chitraleema Chakraborty — Spin Engineering In 2D Materials For Quantum Information Science, ENGINEERING
  • Jeffrey Mugridge — Structure And Function Of A Trna Modifying Enzyme With Links To Neurodegenerative Disease, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Jodi Hadden-Perilla — Implementing The Amber Force Field For Large-Scale Biomolecular Simulations In Namd, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Joshua Cashaback — Learning Joint Actions During Cooperative And Competitive Human-Human Interactions, ENGINEERING
  • Lisha Shao — Functional Dissection Of Neuropeptide F And Its Downstream Neural Pathways In Reward-Driven Behaviors, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Nektarios Georgios Tsoutsos — Zilch: A Framework For Remote Verification Of Security Properties Using Zero Knowledge Proofs, ENGINEERING
  • Shangjia Dong — Integrated Household Vulnerability And Flood Risk Analysis For Equitable Transportation Access To Emergency Medical Services, RESEARCH OFFICE(EXCL NIIMBL)
  • Yuping Zeng — High Performance Gan Transistors With Hfzro Ferroelectric Gate Dielectric, ENGINEERING

2019-20 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2019-20 Recipients

  • Aditya Kunjapur — Engineering Targeted And Conditional Proteolysis In Aerobic Environments, ENGINEERING
  • Aimee Jaramillo-Lambert — Elucidate The Mechanism Of Tdpt-1Mutant-Mediated Suppression Of Top-2(It7) Lethality, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Christopher Martens — The Role Of Intracranial Pressure On Global Brain Stiffness And Cognitive Function In Human Aging, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Frances Earle — Investigating The Roles Of Sleep And Wakeful Rest In The Consolidation Of A New Speech-Motor Pattern, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Kalim Shah — Designing Energy Policy For Secure, Renewable Transitions: Application Of The Osemosys Energy Modelling Tool In U.S. Island Territories, BIDEN SCHOOL
  • Lauren Bailes — Psychometric Analyses Of The Delaware Performance Appraisal System For Administrators And Selected Evidentiary Artifacts, EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
  • Lena Mashayekhy — Cloudlet Management: Enabling Cooperative Edge Computing, ENGINEERING
  • Sarah DeYoung — Udrf: Infant Feeding In Emergencies: Measuring Changes During Natural Hazards In The United States, RESEARCH OFFICE(EXCL NIIMBL)
  • Stephanie Del Tufo — Investigating The Changes In Neuroarchitecture And Neurochemistry That Result From Reading Intervention., EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
  • Sunita Chandrasekaran — Developing An Accelerated Next Generation Sequence (Ngs) Alignment Tool Using Gpus For Paired-End Reads, ENGINEERING
  • Sunita Walter — Solving A Surface Ocean Mystery: Determining The Function And Biogeochemical Role Of Archaea In Shallow Waters, EARTH, OCEAN & ENVIRONMENT
  • Teomara Rutherford — Exploring The Impact Of Scaffolds On Ct Skills Within A Robot Obstacle Course Task, EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
  • Xi Wang — Laser-Based Strain Engineering To Tune Electrical, Optical And Magnetic Properties Of 2D Materials, ENGINEERING
  • Zachary Collier — Data Mining To Evaluate Politics And Policymaking In Education, EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

2018-19 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2018-19 Recipients

  • Aimee Jaramillo-Lambert — Elucidate The Mechanism Of Tdpt-1Mutant-Mediated Suppression Of Top-2(It7) Lethality, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Danielle Durham — Understanding How Habitat Degradation Could Be Impacting De Fisheries Through Larval Supply, EARTH, OCEAN & ENVIRONMENT
  • Frank Gerhard Schroeder — Radio Detection Of Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays At The Pierre Auger Observatory, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Jennifer Semrau — Upper Limb Proprioceptive Plasticity And Learning In Sub-Acute Stroke, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Jovan Tatar — Smart Polymer Sealant For Natural Hazard Resilient Energy-Efficient Buildings, ENGINEERING
  • Karl Schmitz — High-Throughput Identification Of Sequences That Target Proteins For Destruction By Cellular Proteases, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Kathryn Franich — Investigating Cross-Cultural Variation In Speech-Body Coordination And Communicative Timing, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Koffi Pierre Yao — Addressing The Need For Fast-Charging Electric Vehicles: An Unprecedented Approach To Enhance The Li Cation Diffusion Rate Through Engineered Hybrid Particles With Mismatched Free Energies, ENGINEERING
  • Pinki Mondal — Big Data Analytics For Quantifying Land Cover Transitions In Coffee Production Systems In Vietnam, EARTH, OCEAN & ENVIRONMENT
  • Rebecca Pompon — Modification Of A Measure Of Resilience For People With Aphasia., HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Roghayeh Barmaki — Mirrored Augmented Reality For Nurse-Practitioner Workforce Training, ENGINEERING

2017-18 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2017-18 Recipients

  • Andrew Wozniak — Probing The Estuary’S Skin: Environmental Controls On The Chemical Composition Of Delaware Bay’S Surface Microlayer, EARTH, OCEAN & ENVIRONMENT
  • Carlos Moffat Varas — Topographic Controls On The Rapid Melting Of Marine-Terminating Glaciers In Patagonia, EARTH, OCEAN & ENVIRONMENT
  • Catherine Fromen — Optimizing Nanoparticle Delivery To Lung Dendritic Cell Subsets For Development Of New Pulmonary Therapeutics, ENGINEERING
  • Elisa Arch — Evaluating The Influence Of Novel Deformable Foot Orthoses On The Energetics Of Walking, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Erin Sparks — Bracing For Impact: The Role Of Aerial Roots In Maize Stability, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE
  • Giovanna Morini — Combining Fnirs And Eye-Tracking Measures To Examine Dynamic Changes In Neuroplasticity And Language Skills In Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing Infants, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Jessica Tanis — Investigating The Impact Of Diet On Amyloid-Beta Toxicity In C. Elegans, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Lena Mashayekhy — Cloudlet Management: Enabling Cooperative Edge Computing, ENGINEERING
  • Naomi Samimi-Sadeh — Assessing Stability And Change In Inhibitory Brain Networks Related To Psychopathology And Risky Behavior, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Peter Mende-Siedlecki — Perceptual Determinants And Neural Bases Of Racial Bias In Pain Care, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Tingyi Gu — Plasmonic Nanomaterials Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Fuel Cells, ENGINEERING
  • Veronique Petit — The Origin And Fate Of Magnetic Massive Stars, ARTS & SCIENCES

2016-17 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2016-17 Recipients

  • Allison Karpyn — Understanding The Impact Of Economic Incentives At Farmers Markets For Low-Income Shoppers, EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
  • Amy Biddle — Using An In Vitro System To Identify Interactions Between Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (Nsaids), AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE
  • Carly Pacanowski — Self-Weighing’S Psychological Effects: A Randomized Controlled Trial Using Ecological Momentary Assessment, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Eric Bloch — Small Molecule Activation With Bimetallic Complexes, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Jeffrey Spielberg — The Interactive Impact Of Testosterone And Brain Network Myelination On The Developmental Trajectory Of Anxiety, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Mahya Ghandehari — Udrf Study Of Spatial Networks Via Graph Limits, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Md Hossain — Determining The Molecular Origin Of Osteoporotic Fracture, ENGINEERING
  • Michele Lobo — Development And Testing Of Wearable Technology To Promote Early Movement And Cognition, HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Shuo Wei — Adam9 Function In Colorectal Cancer Progression, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Tara Trammell — Urban Forests Predict Impact Of Global Change And Plant Invasion On Future Forest Ecosystem Services, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE

2015-16 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2015-16 Recipients
  • UDRF COWPERTHWAIT 2016 – 2018 — Amy Cowperthwait, College of Health Sciences
  • UDRF GUILLOT 16-18 — Dominique Guillot, College of Arts & Sciences
  • Accelerated magnetic resonance elastography of the brain — Curtis Johnson, College of Engineering
  • Identifying The Role Of Chondrogenesis, Driven By Fibroblast Growth Factor 18, In Tendon-to-Bone Attachment Maturation and Healing — Megan Killian, College of Engineering
  • Development of a Scalable Method for Identifying Dietary Clusters in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey using MapReduce — Mia Papas, College of Health Sciences
  • UDRF PARK 16-17 — Junguen Park, College of Arts & Sciences
  • UDRF: REINFORCEMENT LEARNING IN SPEECH MOTOR CONTROL — PARRELL — Benajmin Parrell, College of Arts & Sciences
  • Sedentary behavior and Cardiovascular Disease: Using Big Data to Quantify the Role of Sedentary Behavior In Predicting Cardiovascular Disease — Freda Patterson, College of Health Sciences
  • Understanding Changes in Precipitation Seasonality in the Tropics — Sara Rauscher, College of Earth, Ocean & Environment
  • UDRF RIZZOLO 16-18 — Douglas Rizzolo, College of Arts & Sciences
  • High-power MRI-compatible haptics to study brainstem correlates of post-stroke spasticity — Fabrizio Sergi, College of Engineering

2014-15 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2014-15 Recipients
  • Development Of An Innovative Mass Vaccine Administration Method For Poultry — Hong Li, Agriculture & Natural Resources
  • Investigating Neural Control Of Social Communication In Mouse Models Of Autism — Joshua Neunuebel, Arts & Sciences
  • Novel Mechanisms Of Pathogen Survival In Human Cells — Maria Neunuebel, Arts & Sciences
  • Evaluation Of Change In Viscoelastic Tendon Properties Following An Achilles Tendon Rupture — Karin Gravare-Silbernagel, Health Sciences
  • Assessment Of Sepiolite-Palygorskite Group Minerals For CO2 Capture And Storage — Adam Wallace, Earth, Ocean & Environment
  • Achieving Fundamental Understanding Of Alkaline Electrochemical Interfaces — Bingjun Xu, Engineering

2013-14 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2013-14 Recipients
  • Photothermally Active Spherical Nucleic Acids for Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer — Emily Day, Engineering
  • Design of Embedded Nanostructures with High Phonon Scattering Efficiency — Joseph Feser, Engineering
  • Learning To Let Go: Why Women Are More Likely to Leave STEM Domains — Chad Forbes, Arts & Sciences
  • Traumatic Stress Exposure Induces Long-Term Extinction Deficits By Enhancing Glucocorticoid Receptor Interactions With Kinases in the Ventral Hippocampus — Dayan Knox, Arts & Sciences
  • Couple Wave-Ocean Modeling System for the Delaware Coastal Environment to Assess Storm Hazards — Tobias Kukulka, Earth, Ocean & Environment
  • Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation for Physical Rehabilitation After Stroke — Susanne Morton, Health Sciences
  • Ionic Liquid Gas Uptake at the Interface: An In Situ Molecular Level Investigation — John Newberg, Arts & Sciences
  • Application of Optogenetic Tools to Dissect Osteocyte Behavior and Cell-Cell Communication — Christopher Price, Engineering
  • Determining the Underlying Mechanisms of a Sex Difference in Developmental Disorders — Jaclyn Schwarz, Arts & Sciences
  • Toward Global Food Security: Understanding the Impacts of Altered Dissolved Silicon on Iron Plaque Formation, Mineralogy, and Arsenic Uptake by Rice —Angela Seyfferth, Agriculture & Natural Resources
  • Fabrication of Polymer Embedded uFluidic Derived from In Vivo Vascular Architecture — John Slater, Engineering
  • The Neural Basis of Reward Learning — Timothy Vickery, Arts & Sciences

2012-13 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2012-13 Recipients
  • Understanding avian host movements for developing a holistic approach to reduce tick-borne diseases in an urban landscape — Jeffrey Buler, Agriculture & Natural Resources
  • Hydro-ecological examination of the effectiveness of urban stormwater retrofitting in reducing watershed nutrient export — Lodevicus Claessens, Earth, Ocean & Environment
  • The effects of land-use practices on the genetic diversity and temporal stability and health of economically important pollinator species in forest fragments in the Mid-Atlantic region — Deborah Delaney, Agriculture & Natural Resources
  • Development of an Ultrafast Time-resolved IR Microscope — Lars Gunclach, Arts & Sciences
  • Observing Plastic Garbage Island from Space —Young-Heon Jo, Earth, Ocean & Environment
  • Intelligent Nano Composite Material For Bone Tissue Repair and regeneration — Arun Kumar, Health Sciences
  • Understanding the Body Schema – The Cognitive Neuroscience of Body Representation — Omar Jared Medina, Arts & Sciences
  • Reverse engineering cellular networks from single-cell gene-expression data — Abhyudai Singh, Engineering
  • Multifunctional Textile Structures with Integrated Carbon Nanotube Networks — Erik Thostenson , Engineering
  • On the immortality of plants: Identifying the role of non-structural carbon reserves on long-lived desert plants—Rodrigo Vargas, Plant & Soil Sciences
  • Altered ET-B receptor expression in postmenopausal women — Megan Wenner, Health Sciences
  • Functional and biomechanical impairments in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty: A longitudinal analysis — Joseph Zeni, Health Sciences

2011-12 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2011-12 Recipients
  • Simulating kinetic energy dissipation by wind turbines — Cristina Archer, School of Marine Sci & Policy
  • Survival in the plankton: neural integration of chemical and visual information in a larval crab — Jonathan Cohen, School of Marine Sci & Policy
  • Bacterial Cell Wall Remodeling: A Tool for Studying Mammalian Innate Immune Activation — Catherine Grimes, College of Arts & Sciences
  • Role of Non-terrestrial Phosphorus Sources in Eutrophication in the Chesapeake Bay — Deb Jaisi, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
  • Thio-Ether Nucleic Acid (TNA) Arrays for Rapid Detection of Genetic Disease —Christopher Kloxin, College of Engineering
  • Multi-mode degradable hydrogels for controlled in situ therapeutic release — April Kloxin, College of Engineering
  • TDRD7 function in mammalian eye development and disease — Salil Lachke, College of Arts & Sciences
  • Detection of Osteoarthritis at Early Stage — Xin Lu, College of Engineering
  • Compressive Super Resolution Imaging — Edward Lyman, College of Arts & Sciences
  • Microbially-mediated detection and repair of damaged concrete — Julia Maresca, College of Engineering
  • The Path Less Taken: Understanding the Experience of Black Pre-Medical Students — Michalec Barret, College of Arts & Sciences

2010-11 UDRF RECIPIENTS

2010-11 Recipients
  • Labeling the party wallflowers: use of laser dissection to interrogate low-activity estuarine microorganisms — Jennifer Biddle, Marine Science & Policy, College of Earth, Ocean & Environment
  • Novel Nanoporous Cathode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries— Feng Jiao, Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
  • Creating efficient and modern software tools for plant breeders in developing countries—Jong-Soo Lee, Food & Resource Economics, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
  • Electrocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Chemical Fuels—Joel Rosenthal, Chemistry & Biochemistry, College of Arts & Sciences
  • DNA methylation changes associated with early-life experiences—Tanya Roth, Psychology, College of Arts & Sciences
  • Quantitative Acoustic Emission Monitoring for Reinforced Concrete Bridges—Thomas Schumacher, Civil & Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering
  • Dolphin sound studies in the Xiamen Waters—Aijun Song, Physical Ocean Science & Engineering, College of Earth, Ocean & Environment
  • Proteomic approach in identifying conserved microRNA gene targets—Jia Song, Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Energy balance in infants with ‘rapid’ versus ‘normal’ weight gain —Jillian Trabulsi, Behavioral Health & Nutrition, College of Health Sciences
  • Efficient Energy and Thermal Management through Application- and Architecture-Specific Optimizations—Chengmo Yang, Electrical & Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
  • Tracing Land-derived Nitrogen into Inland Bays Macroalgae: A Stable Isotopic Assessment—Joanna York, Marine Science & Policy, College of Earth, Ocean & Environment

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 14, 2025
FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: November 7, 2025

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 are included in the Appendix.

UDRF-SI APPLICATION

 

UDRF-SI PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Eligibility Requirements

UDRF-SI grants have traditionally been primarily in the fields of engineering and the natural and physical sciences. However, any proposals using scientific methods geared towards improving the PI’s research competitiveness for future external funding is eligible. Teams must include only one untenured, tenure-track faculty Principal Investigator (PI) and at least one tenured faculty Co-PI.

Continuing Track and Research Track faculty are not eligible to be PI or lead Co-PI, but may be a second Co-PI. Postdoctoral Research Scientists and Primarily Staff appointments are not eligible to participate as PI or Co-PI. All PIs and Co-PIs must be UD employees. New faculty hires are ineligible to apply to the UDRF-SI competition as PI or Co-PI if their work start date is after the submission deadline.

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 plan for mentoring the untenured PI?
  • 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.

 

BUDGETING GUIDELINES
  • Personnel: Graduate research assistant (RA) stipends, hourly wage, and other positions providing technical assistance are allowable (not PI or Co-PIs).
  • Fringe Benefits: Fringe benefit costs are required for all personnel categories budgeted.
  • Direct research expenses: Equipment, travel, participant support costs, and supplies and other direct research costs typically allowed by federal sponsors are allowed.
  • Unallowable budget categories: Facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, graduate tuition, and faculty salary are not allowed.

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 the project start date. No-Cost Extensions may be granted up to three times only when circumstances warrant. Instructions can be found in the UDRF-SI Post-Award section.

 

PROPOSAL COMPONENTS & FORMATTING

Submit the UDRF-SI proposal 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: The Overview should include a description of the scientific scope of the proposal and potential future sources of external funding.
  • A statement of Intellectual Merit: This section should describe how the project will advance knowledge and understanding in the domain.
  • A statement of Broader Impacts: This section 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 entire Project Description should be clear to a reviewer with a technical/scientific background, but who may not be an expert in the field. The project’s intellectual merit and broader impacts should be fully described in the Project Description (although they do not need to be in separate labeled sections). Additionally:

  • PIs must include a timeline for the project and should include any relevant figures or tables.
  • Investigators should specifically address approaches for seeking external funding.
  • The Project Description must include a brief description of a Mentoring Plan for mentoring of the untenured, tenure- track PI by the tenured faculty Co-PI.

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 the PI and Co-PI(s);
    • 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 an 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 (1 page maximum)
    • Project Description (3 pages, maximum)
    • References
    • Budget
    • Budget Justification (1 page maximum)
    • Three-page biosketches for each PI and Co-PI (NSF -style preferred); and
    • Current & Pending Support (C&P) for each PI and Co-PI (departmental start-up funds are excluded from the C&P).
  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 using the UD Internal Seed Grant Final Report form.
  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.
  6. 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).

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 using the Seed Grant Final Report Form no later than ninety (90) days after the end date of the grant. The Seed Grant Final Report Form may be found here.

2024-25 AWARD RECIPIENTS
2024-25 Recipients
  • Qi Mu — Enhancing maize resistance to pathogens causing Pythium Root Rot: Germplasm characterization and Phenomics, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCES
  • Yafei Ren — Light and Spin: Exploring Light-Magnon Interaction via Excitons for Magnonics, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Yixiang Deng — Intelligent Antibody Design via Interpretable and Efficient Deep Learning, ENGINEERING
  • Shuai Wang — Machine Learning Projections of Future Wind Energy and Global Impacts, EARTH, OCEAN & ENVIRONMENT
PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS

2023-24 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2023-24 Recipients

  • Alexandra Bayles — Optimizing Nozzle Geometry To Improve Cell Viability And Resolution In Extrusion-Based Bioprinting, ENGINEERING
  • Alexei Kananenka — Computational Spectroscopy Of Microbial Membranes, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Anamarie Whitaker — Understanding The Effect Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Delaware Children’S Classroom Composition And Early Academic And Social Emotional Development, EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
  • Maryam Vaziri-Pashkam — The Link Between Subcortex And Object-Selective Cortical Regions, ARTS & SCIENCES

2022-23 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2022-23 Recipients

  • Jiaheng Xie — Care For The Mind Amid Chronic Diseases: An Interpretable Ai Approach Using Iot, LERNER COLG OF BUS & ECON
  • Laure V Kayser — Integrated Experimental-Simulation Design, Synthesis And Characterization Of Synthetic Aggrecan Mimics, ENGINEERING
  • Mark Ku — Diamond Micro-Structures As A Building Block Of Quantum Technology, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Tingyi Gu — Wide Field-Of-View Fiber-Chip Coupler Array For Lab-On-Chip Single Cell Capturing And Spectroscopy, ENGINEERING

2021-22 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2021-22 Recipients

  • Adriana Gorea — Exploratory Development Of A Compressive Stocking Design To Minimize Occurrence Of Deep Venous Thrombosis (Dvt) In Patients Recovering From Achilles Tendon Rupture, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Lena Mashayekhy — Edge-Enabled Solutions For Assisting Patients Suffering From Dementia, ENGINEERING
  • Qingwu Meng — Let There Be Light: The Role Of Light Quality And Intensity In Disease Resistance Of Hydroponic Crops, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE
  • Vu Dinh — Information Theoretical And Geometric Measures Of Phylogenetic Diversity, ARTS & SCIENCES

2020-21 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2020-21 Recipients

  • Aditya Dutta — Investigating Tumor Evolution And Drug Response In Organoid Models Of Prostate Cancer, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE
  • Justin Parreno — The Role Of The Actin Cytoskeleton In Regulating Degeneration During Tendon Overuse, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Melissa Witman — Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease In Early Middle-Age Adults: Determining A Role Of Chrono-Behaviors, HEALTH SCIENCES

2019-20 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2019-20 Recipients

Awards were delayed until to 2021 due to pandemic.

2018-19 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2018-19 Recipients

  • Austin Brockmeier — Advancing Machine Learning For Neuroimaging Through Topology-Aware Signal Processing, ENGINEERING
  • Erin Sparks — Dynamic Plant Monitoring To Inform Structural Design Models, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE
  • Stephanie Del Tufo — Investigating The Changes In Neuroarchitecture And Neurochemistry That Result From Reading Intervention., EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

2017-18 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2017-18 Recipients

  • Aaron Carlisle — Development Of A New Biologging Tag To Record In-Situ Oxygen Use Of Fish In The Wild, EARTH, OCEAN & ENVIRONMENT
  • Benjamin Jungfleisch — Developing New Quantum Materials And Nanoscale Devices For Ultrafast Spintronics Generation Of Thz Radiation, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Eric Bloch — Electrochemical Synthesis Of Metal-Organic Frameworks, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Megan Killian — Improving Tendon Healing Using Designer Biomaterials, ENGINEERING
  • Mona Batish — Functional Characterization Of Post-Transcriptional Regulation In Congenital Cataract, HEALTH SCIENCES

2016-17 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2016-17 Recipients

  • Bingjun Xu — A Low-Temperature Thermochemical Cycle For Water And Co2 Splitting, ENGINEERING
  • Dominique Guillot — Udrf-Si Guillot Efficient Design Of Uniqueness Sets For Band-Limited Signals On Networks, ARTS & SCIENCES
  • Emily Slater — Nanoshell-Photosensitizer Conjugates For High Precision Therapy Of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, ENGINEERING
  • Jason Gleghorn — Development Inspired Design: Directed Self-Assembly Of Vascular Tissues, ENGINEERING
  • Jennifer Biddle — Exploring Marine Microbiomes For Potential Drug Development, EARTH, OCEAN & ENVIRONMENT
  • John Slater — Validation And Implementation Of A Tissue Engineered Microstroke Model To Investigate Capillary Stroke In The Initiation And Propagation Of Small-Volume Neuronal Necrosis, ENGINEERING
  • Joseph Feser — Thermal Transport In 2D Hybrid Perovskites, ENGINEERING
  • Rodrigo Vargas Ramos — Harnessing Knowledge For Environmental Research Using High Performance Computing Solutions, AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCE
  • Zhenghan Qi — Investigating Statistical Learning In Children With Asd Across Linguistic And Non-Linguistic Domains, ARTS & SCIENCES

2015-16 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2015-16 Recipients
  • Nanoshell-photosensitizer conjugates for high precision therapy of triple-negative breast cancer — Emily Slater
  • Exploring marine microbiomes for potential drug development — Jennifer Biddle
  • Validation and Implementation of a Tissue Engineered Microstroke Model to Investigate Capillary Stroke in the Initiation and Propagation of Small-Volume Neuronal Necrosis — John Slater
  • Harnessing Knowledge for Environmental Research using High Performance Computing solutions — Rodrigo Vargas

2014-15 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2014-15 Recipients
  • Building Trustworthy Cyber Physical Systems with Untrusted Devices — Chengmo Yang, Engineering
  • Investigation of Small Maf Proteins in Age-Related Cataracts — Salil Lachke, Arts and Sciences
  • Probing Catalytic Surfaces under Operating Conditions — John Newberg, Arts & Sciences
  • Seeing Inside Soil-Biochar Mixtures: Pore-Level Imaging with X-ray Microtomography — Kalehiwot Manahiloh, Engineering

2013-14 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2013-14 Recipients
  • NMR As A Tool To Investigate The Molecular Mechanism Of Ligand Recognition By The Innate Immune Receptor Nod2 — Catherine Grimes, Chemistry & Biochemistry
  • Multifunctional Collagen-Mimetic Materials To Enhance Bone Repair After Fracture — April Kloxin, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
  • Targeted Drug Delivery Via CNA Aptamer Hydrogels — Christopher Kloxin, Material Science

2012-13 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2012-13 Recipients
  • Smartphone-Improving Design Strategies For Biomimetic Self–lubricating cartilage repair and replacement materials — David Burris, Mechanical Engineering
  • Rational Design of Functional Catalysts Using Computational Tools — Feng Jiao, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
  • Targeting Nuclear Receptors with Synthetic Diarrylalkane Derivatives — Mary Watson, Chemistry & Biochemistry

2011-12 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2011-12 Recipients
  • Smartphone-based Treatment Enhancement for Clinical Depression — Hui Fang, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Next Generation Intermolecular Potentials for Virtual Drug Discovery: Application to Lead Development for Parkinson’s Disease — Edward Lyman, Physics & Astronomy
  • Role of Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 in the Spatial Redistribution of Bone Marrow Blood Vessels during Parathyroid Hormone-Induced Bone Remodeling — Rhonda Prisby, Kinesiology & Applied Physiology
  • Is Soy Food good for the Prevention of Prostate Cancer? — Changqin Wu, Animal & Food Sciences
  • Acoustic Communication for Monitoring the Arctic Interior —Aijun Song, School of Marine Science & Policy

2010-11 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2010-11 Recipients
  • Nickel–Cyclam Derivatized Electrode Surfaces for Catalytic CO2 Reduction — Joel Rosenthal, Chemistry & Biochemistry
  • Measuring Power Usage from a Software Engineer’s Perspective — James Clause/Kristina Winbladh , Computer & Info Sciences/Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Biogenic elemental sulfur: integrating nanoscale imaging and molecular — Clara Chan, Geological Sciences
  • Development and testing of a remote electronic sensor enabled insole for evaluation of gait and mobility in people with Parkinson’s disease — Ingrid Pretzer-Aboff, Nursing
  • Time-Resolved Optical Detection of Spin Waves: Towards an Energy-Efficient Alternative to Conventional Electronics —Virginia Lorenz, Physics & Astronomy
  • Energy Harvesting Using Thermoelectrics in Time-Varying Environments — Joshua Zide, Materials Science

2010 UDRF-SI RECIPIENTS

2010 Recipients
  • The Effectiveness of Hip-Focused Treatment for Older Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain — Gregory Hicks, Physical Therapy
  • Neurobiological Factors and Motor Learning Following Stroke — Darcy Reisman, Physical Therapy
  • An Early Warning System for Unrecognized Drug Side Effects Discovery — Hui Fang, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Determinants of Tau Protein Aggregation, a Key Player in Alzheimer’s Disease — David Colby, Chemical Engineering
  • Nanoparticle Stabilizaion of Co-continuous Polymer Blends for Organic Photovoltaics — Thomas Epps, Chemical Engineering
  • Advanced Nanocomposite Materials for Hydrogen Generation with a High Efficiency — Jonghwan Suhr, Mechanical Engineering
  • DNA-modified collagen scaffolds for improving acute wound repair —Millicent Sullivan, Chemical Engineering
  • Photo-patterning chalcogenide glasses for nanophotonic light trapping and extraction in photovoltaics and solid state lighting — Juejun Hu, Materials Science and Engineering
  • Hybrid, Multiblock Polymers by Condensation Polymerization Employing Tetrazine Ligation — Xinqiao Jia, Materials Science and Engineering

 

 

RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT
Eric Wommack, PhD
Senior Associate Vice President for Research Dev.
Ph: (302) 831-4362
Jennifer Doran
Administrative Assistant
Ph: (302) 831-6703
David Barczak
Communications Manager
Ph: (302) 831-8169
Jennifer Roth, M.Ed.
Research Ed. Coordinator
Ph: (302) 831-3777
John McMillan
Computing Support Specialist
Ph: (302) 831-8621
Ciara M. O’Connell, MEM
Research Dev. Manager
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Jessica Mankus, PhD
Grants Facilitator
William Repetto
Grants Facilitator
Research Dev. Office
Ph: (302) 831-7088