Proposal deadlines for Discovery Grants and Research Scholar Grants are coming up in the next few weeks, with Discovery Grant proposals due Jan. 30 and Research Scholar Grant proposals due Feb. 6.
Open to VU-employed faculty in all schools and colleges, these internally funded award programs primarily support faculty research, scholarship and creative expression projects. All faculty are eligible to participate in a proposal for either program, but the primary awardee must be a tenured or tenure-track VU-employed faculty member.
Discovery Grants are one of the primary ways that Vanderbilt invests in advancing core disciplines, which strengthen the university’s scholarly profile. The program is designed to support new ideas, cutting-edge research and infrastructure development and to serve as a catalyst to significant external funding. Proposals that advance research in areas related to race, diversity and inclusivity are welcome.
Proposals, which must be based partly on need, must demonstrate a strong potential to attract ongoing external funding. The Discovery Grants program has awarded more than $16.5 million to Vanderbilt researchers since its launch in 1998. Previous Discovery Grants include MagRide, which is developing a magnetic levitation vehicle, and the Coffee and Capabilities program, which focuses on discovering ways to increase direct trade opportunities for impoverished small-scale coffee farmers in Guatemala.
Research Scholar Grants fund innovative scholarship and creative expression projects that are unlikely to have outside funding options. These awards support humanistic research and efforts that result in the creation of artistic or humanist bodies of work. More than $5 million has been awarded to Vanderbilt researchers under the program since 2000. One example is the grant to support Blair Associate Professor Bil Jackson in his creation of a definitive recording of Clarinet Concerto, written for him by Pulitzer Prize-winner Kevin Puts.
Additionally, proposals for Undergraduate Research Supervision Grants are due Feb. 17. Faculty members applying for these grants must contact Schyler Turrin (schyler.b.turrin@vanderbilt.edu) before submitting a proposal.
All proposals must be submitted through InfoReady, an online portal that will streamline the submission and review processes. General questions about any of Vanderbilt’s internally funded grant programs may be directed to Schyler Turrin (615-875-1027, occi@vanderbilt.edu).
Proposal deadlines
Jan. 30: Discovery Grants
Feb. 6: Research Scholar Grants
Feb. 17: Undergraduate Research Supervision Grants
