The primary goal of the Small Grants Program is to enhance opportunities for faculty, especially junior faculty, at the University of Pittsburgh to engage in high-quality research, scholarship, and creative endeavors. The program is intended to provide funding support that cannot be obtained from other sources (including the faculty member’s department and school and external funding agencies). Small Grants provide:
- seed funding to develop ideas to the point where external funding can be obtained;
- awards to support scholarship in areas where external funding is extremely limited.
Small Grants awards cannot be used to support or supplement faculty salaries or for travel to meetings and conferences; computer equipment is not given priority. In the past, awards have ranged from $2,000 to $16,000. The maximum that may be awarded this year is $16,000. The Small Grants Program is administered by the Office of Research and the University Research Council.
Eligibility:
At this time, faculty in the School of Medicine are not eligible to participate in the Small Grants Program. No faculty from outside the University of Pittsburgh are eligible to participate, even as Co-Investigators. All other full-time, tenured and tenure-stream faculty at the Pittsburgh (Oakland) and regional campuses, with a primary appointment in an academic department, may apply. The principal investigator may not be a graduate student, post-doctoral fellow, research associate, or visiting faculty. Grant awardees must have started their Pitt position no later than October 1 of the prior year. Only one proposal submission is permitted per Investigator.
Proposal Submission:
Proposals are due NO LATER THAN 4 P.M. ON Friday, MARCH 15, 2013. Please note that this is the only application deadline for fiscal year 2014 funding.
To complete proposals, go to: https://www.pitt.edu/offres/crdf/main.aspx and use your University login and password.
Review Procedures:
Proposals must be the original work of the proposer and will be subject to peer review. Each proposal will be assigned to one of three review committees – Science and Engineering, Health Sciences, or Social Sciences and Humanities. Review committees give preference to proposals submitted by junior-level faculty. The Vice Provost for Research makes the final decisions on funding. Small grants are made from the Central Research Development Fund.
Grant Period:
The award period begins July 1, 2013, and runs through June 30, 2015. Notification of funding decisions will be made by June 30, 2013. Please note that award funding and account number assignment for these awards will be available July 31, 2013. Do not anticipate related trips or purchases prior to this date, as funds will not be available before this time.
If you have any questions, please contact Tammeka Banks at tbanks@pitt.edu.
