Georgia Regents University and UGA will expand their research collaborations through a new program designed to help inter-institutional teams of faculty successfully compete for externally funded research grants.
Up to $250,000 will be available to inter-institutional teams of faculty through the GRU-UGA Seed Funding Program, with a maximum award of $75,000 per team. The seed funding comes from state funding provided for expansion of the Medical College of Georgia at GRU to create a medical partnership with UGA through an Athens campus. It will enable faculty to generate preliminary data that give them a competitive edge as they seek funding from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and private foundations.
“This is yet another terrific opportunity resulting from our partnership with UGA,” said
Dr. Peter F. Buckley, MCG dean. “When we began our discussions about collaborative educational efforts years ago, one of our many goals was increased joint research endeavors as well, another logical point of synergy for two great research universities. Particularly at this time when external research funding is so competitive, this seed funding from our medical school will enable new research partnerships and the generation of findings that help secure external funding and strengthen the economic and physical well-being of our state and our nation.”
“This new program builds on the long history of collaboration between the University of Georgia and Georgia Regents University, and it strengthens both institutions and the state we serve,” said Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “By bringing some of Georgia’s greatest minds together, we’re creating new opportunities for advances across a myriad of health challenges that will ultimately improve the quality of life for those in Georgia and beyond.”
The program is open to faculty from all disciplines and interdisciplinary projects. Proposals that translate findings from basic research to clinical practice are encouraged.
Proposals will be reviewed by a team of UGA and GRU faculty and administrators jointly assembled by the Office of the Vice President for Research at UGA and the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research at GRU. Proposals will be judged on the basis of their competitiveness for the indicated funding opportunity. Criteria will include the strength of the team and its leadership, the extent of outreach to the funding agency and the quality of the plan leading up to proposal submission. Only meritorious proposals will be selected for funding.
Teams seeking funding must submit a brief letter of intent by Aug. 1 that lists the project title, the principal and co-principal investigators and provides a brief description of the project.
For more information visit: http://www.ovpr.uga.edu/iga/grants/.