Sources of Funding for Faculty and Postdocs

Featured institutional and external funding opportunities for UMN faculty and postdoctoral scholars

Internal Funding

 
Global Programs and Strategy Alliance
International Travel Grants

Faculty and P&A staff can apply for funding to support travel for research, curriculum development, conferences, or initial project phases.

Office of the Vice President for Research
Artist-in-Residence

The Artist-in-Residence program allows artists to collaborate with scientists to benefit both science and art, spurring creative thinking and innovation. Awards of $25K each with two awards anticipated for 2024. Application opens August 14.
 
Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
K-R01 Transition to Independence Program and K Accelerator Program
Letters of Intent due 2/1/24

CTSI is now accepting applications for two research career development programs aimed at helping junior investigators build their research careers. The K-R01 Transition to Independence Program helps researchers position themselves to be competitive for R01 awards and the K Accelerator Program helps researchers position themselves for NIH K awards.
 
Office of Academic Clinical Affairs
Global Engagement Grants

These grants ($1,500 to $15,000) support work that includes pilot projects, travel, or capacity-building activities such as educational programs, curriculum development, or technical training. The goal of the program is to help advance socially responsible global health work that emphasizes mutual partnership and equity.
 
Technology Commercialization
Early Innovation Fund

The fund supports short-term projects that advance early-stage innovations, providing $3,000 to $10,000 per project to advance the technology readiness of an innovation through a variety of means. Open to all UMN researchers and employees, including faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and staff.  All are welcome, and registration is not required.

Office of Academic Clinical Affairs
ODAT Translational Research Funding
Deadline: proposals accepted on a continuous basis

Turn your innovation into a product, service, or approach that improves human health with support from the Clinical and Translational Science Institute's Office of Discovery and Translation (ODAT). Funding areas of interest include health equity and accessibility, pediatrics, and rural health. 

MnDRIVE 
MnDRIVE Neuromodulation Research Fellowship

Fellowships in neuromodulation are funded by MnDRIVE Brain Conditions. The yearlong fellowships will be awarded to outstanding doctoral students, postdoctoral trainees, and residents/clinical fellows pursuing research in neuromodulation. Projects with an industry partner are encouraged (but not required).

Limited Extramural Funding

The Limited Extramural Funding list features opportunities that require university coordination. A few opportunities are highlighted below. For more information or to list a new opportunity, contact OVPR Research Advancement at [email protected].
 

Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust
Catalyst Awards Program

Provides one year of seed funding to support high-risk, high-reward projects that address critical scientific and therapeutic roadblocks within the program’s principal areas of focus.

Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr Foundation
Mallinckrodt Grant Program

National Institutes of Health
NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) (R25)

NIH Director's Early Independence Awards (DP5)

Pew Charitable Trusts
Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences

William T. Grant Foundation
Institutional Challenge Grant

Johnson and Johnson
WiSTEM2D Scholars

W. M. Keck Foundation
Science and Engineering and Medical Research Grants
Deadline: 11/27/23; 5/1/24

National Science Foundation
Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM)
Deadline: 11/29/23; 3/28/24

Government Funding

Check out the NIH Matchmaker tool
NIH rolled out a  Matchmaker tool in RePORTER this spring that can help you determine which IC may be interested in "your idea or which NIH program official you might want to reach out to, and which study section you might want to suggest your application gets assigned to for review." (Check out the video demonstration of Matchmaker): 

·Simply enter your abstract or terms into the search field (give it enough information for it to make as precise a match as possible).

·Select whether you want to search for: 

o   Similar Projects, which will allow you to explore NIH funded projects that most closely match, which ICs funded those projects, to which study sections applications for those awards went, and more.

o   Similar Program Officials, which will show you which NIH program officials have grant portfolios that most closely match the information you input, allow you to explore the awards in those portfolios, provide you email addresses so you can contact the program officials, and shows you the ICs of the program officials   

o   Explore the results screens! Filter results by clicking on the histograms.  

When in doubt, reach out – NIH staff are there to help you navigate the grants process!

Federal

The UMN Washington Update is a weekly digest of congressional updates and funding opportunities prepared by Lewis-Burke Associates. A few opportunities are highlighted below.


State

Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) - Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF)
Deadline: 3/31/23

Industry Funding & Partnerships

The Industry Funding and Partnership Opportunities list is compiled by Technology Commercialization staff. For more information, contact Leza Besemann at [email protected]


Takeda, PepsiCo, and Corteva are currently seeking research partners. See new opportunities on the Halo website.


Halo Science
Halo Science is a quick and easy way for scientists to identify potential industry partners and find funding for research projects in their fields. Several UMN proposals have recently been funded.

Private Foundation Funding

The Corporate and Foundation Relations Private Foundation RFP list includes a wide range of funding opportunities that are currently available from private funders and foundations.
 
Proposal Central
Funding opportunities from professional societies and foundations.
 
Human Immunome Project
The Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants
Awards of $150,000 to support early-career investigators working to significantly advance human immunology and vaccine and immunotherapy research for major global diseases.

Vilcek Foundation
2024 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science
Awards of $50,000 to young, immigrant biomedical scientists who demonstrate outstanding early achievement. 
 

ORGANIZATIONS THAT FUND RESEARCH

A number of extramural funding opportunities are available for those interested in cancer-related research. A sampling of external funding agencies can be found below.

Other Funding Resources

University Libraries - The University Libraries provides resources for getting started with searching for funding and using reference databases, such as Pivot, SPIN, and the Foundation Directory Online (FDO).

Grant Forward - A funding opportunity database and recommendation service built by academics for researchers.

Strategic Partnerships and Research Collaborative (SPARC) - Engages researchers across disciplines in the US and globally to establish new large-scale programs. Supported by OVPR and GPS Alliance.

Charitable Grants Resource Hub

 

 

 

OVPR