OVCR Programs, Projects and Services
Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity
AdvanTx: UNC Advance Therapeutics Initiative
Internal Grant Programs
The Office of Research Development coordinates funding opportunities sponsored by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. These funding opportunities support faculty’s foundational research, creative practice, publication expenditures, and offset travel costs related to visiting extramural sponsors.
As of Fall 2018, the OVCR has restructured the URC Small Grants program offered in prior years. The current internal funding opportunities are listed below.
On this page:
UNC Idea Grant
The UNC Idea Grant is a pilot funding program that encourages researchers to develop novel ideas that address important problems or roadblocks to a current line of inquiry. This competition is open to any field of research and/or scholarship conducted by UNC-CH researchers. Proposers must demonstrate how their proposed research project will have impact by addressing an important problem in their research field. The goal of this program is to provide initial support to projects so that researchers will be more competitive for additional external or large-scale internal funding. This funding program will not serve as bridge funding or to supplement existing funding.
This program is part of the Vice Chancellor for Research’s university-wide pilot funding portfolio, with the goal of furthering the University’s pre-eminence as a national and world-renowned leader in foundational research, creative practice, and the translation of research into social settings.
- Complete application details, including eligibility requirements, submission instructions, and allowable costs.
- Please use this required template for the cover page of your application.
Creativity Hubs
Creativity Hubs are evolving virtual research networks that concentrate talent and resources on bold ideas for defined periods of time. Launched by the Vice Chancellor for Research in Fall 2017, Creativity Hubs Creativity Hubs will create an environment where investigators can leverage advances to keep Carolina at the forefront of creativity and innovation.
Arts and Humanities Research Grants
The Arts and Humanities Research Grant provides support to scholarly, creative, or artistic pursuits and research projects led by individuals or teams. The program is part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s strategic plan and the Vice Chancellor for Research’s University-wide pilot funding portfolio, furthering the University’s pre-eminence as a national and world-renowned leader in foundational research, creative practice, and the translation of research into social settings.
The program is co-funded by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Institute for the Arts and Humanities.
Competitions for the Arts and Humanities Research Grant will be held once annually. Proposal applications will be due May 20, 2024, to the Office of Research Development. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on the due date. Applications received after the deadline will be de-prioritized during the review period.”
- Complete application details, including eligibility requirements, submission instructions, and allowable costs.
- Please use this required template for the cover page of your application.
ORD Publication Grants
Beginning in late 2020, ORD and the Institute for the Arts and Humanities (IAH) began co-funding the Publication Support Grant program. IAH is the primary administrator for the program and welcomes requests for support on a rolling basis. Complete application information may be found on the IAH Grants and Awards Page.
OVCR Cost Sharing Program
The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) contributes matching funds, or cost-share, for costs related to enhancing research at UNC. The OVCR will consider cost-share funding requests for the following:
- Extramural grant proposals that require matching funds
- New technologies that facilitate the advancement of research at the university
- Other specific needs that are of strategic importance to research for the university
The OVCR’s cost share program does not provide funds to cover salaries or defray F&A costs.
In order to strategically deploy funds that provide the greatest impact to the university’s research portfolio, cost-share requests will now be reviewed six times a year (every two-months). Requests received by the below deadlines will be considered based on the below criteria and notification of decision will be sent within 2-3 weeks after requests within each cycle are reviewed. Specific due dates are listed below:
| CYCLE | COST SHARE REQUEST SUBMISSION DEADLINE |
NOTIFICATION OF FUNDING DECISION |
|---|---|---|
| CYCLE 1 | October 31 | Mid November |
| CYCLE 2 | January 2 | Mid January |
| CYCLE 3 | February 28 | Mid March |
| CYCLE 4 | April 30 | Mid May |
| CYCLE 5 | June 30 | Mid July |
| CYCLE 6 | August 31 | Mid September |
For any deadline falling on a weekend, holiday, or during university closure, that cycle’s deadline becomes the next business day.
Reduce the cost-share request to the OVCR for the project as much as possible through in-kind contributions and matching funds from participating units to maximize the University’s ability to provide research support. The cash portion of the request should be split among departments, dean’s offices, and, if applicable, other contributing units within the University (e.g. centers/institutes, offices). Matching commitments need to be obtained from department chair(s) and dean(s) and other relevant units with the appropriate approvals by the submission deadline. Once the matching funds request is completed online by the submitter, approval requests will be routed to the department chair, other relevant units, and the dean’s office. Please allow enough time to obtain all the necessary approvals before the submission deadline. OVCR will not provide funds greater than the contribution provided by participating units. Funding commitments will be considered by a committee and according to the below criteria.
Criteria for funding of cost-share requests:
- Leverages external funds
- Benefits multiple departments and schools
- Avoids unnecessary duplication of resources
- Matching funds are provided by participating units (e.g. departments and schools, center/institutes, offices)
- Responsive to current university strategic priorities
- Availability of funding
Limited Submissions:
If the request for cost share is part of the limited submissions process, the request needs to be submitted to the Office of Research Development as part of the limited submissions package on or before the internal submission deadline. Please refer to the limited submissions call from the Office of Research Development for specific instructions on the submission of cost share requests for limited submissions.