Set
You’re ready to enter the arena, but there’s still some strategic work to do if you want to successfully compete for sponsored funding. Grants Hub will help you identify aligned opportunities and prepare for a quick launch at the starting line.
Finding External Funding and Collaborators
Our consultation shows you where and how to search, find, and share opportunities with collaborators.
What’s included . . .
- Tailored walkthrough of sponsor sites and funding databases
- Saved Pivot searches and email alerts based on your topics
- Searches performed in databases like Instrumentl that are not broadly available to Iowa State faculty
- Tips for evaluating fit and competitiveness
- Guidance on finding collaborators at Iowa State and beyond
- Introduction to industry and community partners
Tools you may use . . .
Internal Funding
The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) offers a number of seed grants and other funding opportunities for interdisciplinary research, specialty research advancement, bioscience platform research, arts and humanities scholarship, cost sharing, and publication subvention. Grants Hub manages the competitions for these programs.
Limited Submissions
These are funding opportunities where the sponsor limits the number of proposals each institution may submit. Exceeding the limit can disqualify all of the institution’s proposals. Grants Hub will publicize opportunities and manage Iowa State’s internal competitions, as well as provide proposal‑development support to selected Iowa State nominees
Why sponsors use limited submissions . . .
- Reduce the number of proposals received
- Increase the quality of proposals
- Promote collaboration within institutions
- Reduce sponsor review time and costs
- Announcement. OVPR posts open limited‑submission opportunities and emails summaries/links to associate deans for research for distribution.
- Express interest or pre‑proposal. Respond via an Expression of Interest (EOI) form or an opportunity‑specific form. If interest exceeds the institutional slots, an internal competition is held.
- Pre‑proposal (if competing). Typically, a 3‑page summary aligned to the program plus any required docs (e.g., CV, list of participants, brief budget). Combine all required files into a single PDF named with the PI’s last name.
- Internal review. Faculty peer review (and may include associate deans for research) evaluates fit and competitiveness per sponsor criteria/guidelines. When appropriate, OVPR may recommend merging overlapping teams. Reviews are completed promptly to maximize writing time.
- Notification. PIs and associate deans for research are notified which proposal(s) may proceed to the sponsor.
Team Formation and Facilitation
Federal and other sponsors are increasingly prioritizing interdisciplinary research (IDR). Building a high-functioning and high-impact IDR team requires much more than just recruiting collaborators. Grants Hub offers the following support . . .
- Workshops/meetups for team formation
- Tools/templates for communication, collaboration, and conflict management
- Strategy discussions and ideation for IDR teams
Societal Impacts of Research
Many sponsors require proposals to address the broader societal impacts and not just the intellectual merit of the research. Grants Hub can help you prepare a substantive and meaningful plan to generate and communicate these impacts . . .
- Identify education, outreach, or community engagement areas that can be integrated into your research enterprise
- Connect with existing outreach programs at Iowa State and advise how to effectively work with them
- Collaborate with workforce/economic development partners
- Develop evaluation resources for these activities
Grants Hub Concierge
We can help you find the right resources wherever you are on your research development journey.