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University Research Foundation: Research Grant

General Information

Program Description

The University Research Foundation (URF) is an internal funding program that supports the research mission of the university. While the details of structure and funding have evolved over its 37-year existence, the goals have remained the same: to support faculty as they start their careers; to help established faculty pivot into new research directions; to compete for external funding; and, to facilitate collaborations across disciplines.

Limitation

Schools are not limited in number of applications to this competition.

Eligibility

  • Biomedical Science: Limited to Penn assistant and early-stage associate professors (first 3 years) who have not previously received URF support. Full professors may ONLY apply for a conference grant.
  • Natural Science & Engineering, Humanities, and Social Science: Open to all Penn Assistant, Associate, and Full professors.
  • Instructors, Research Associates, and Lecturers: Must provide a letter from their Department Chair confirming appointment as an Assistant Professor by the time of the award (before March 1, 2025).
  • Applicants with Previous URF Funding: Less competitive if funded in the past three cycles.
  • Applicants with unspent start-up/research funds will be less competitive.
  • Adjunct and Emeritus Faculty: Not eligible.
  • Application Limit: One application per Principal Investigator (PI) per cycle.
  • CHOP-based Faculty: Eligible, but awards must be used on Penn facilities, equipment, and/or associated University technical staff, postdocs, and undergraduate students.
  • For any sponsored research projects, the applicant must be eligible to serve as Principal Investigator for the project, unless otherwise noted in the LSO. Please see Penn’s PI Eligibility requirements to ensure you are eligible. 

Award Information

  • A total research award of $75,000 for one (1) year.
  • Financial Support: The grant provides financial support for research-related expenses, including but not limited to, equipment, supplies, and personnel.
Apply here

OVPR URF Application Guidelines

Selection Criteria:

All proposals are reviewed by a faculty committee in one of the four review panels. Each panel makes its recommendation to the Vice Provost for Research who makes the final selection of grants. Each grant has a project start date of March 1, 2025.

Applications must include the following:

  1. Cover Page (InfoReady will generate).
  2. Research Proposal - Research Grant Application (maximum 3 pages, not including references): single-spaced, 12-point font with one-inch margins.
  3. Curriculum Vitae (CV) (using NIH Format or the appropriate format for your discipline) (maximum 5 pages)
  4. Collaborators: Up to three collaborators may be included. (2-page CV for each)
  5. Undergraduate Participation (maximum 1 page, optional but encouraged):
  6. Budget (maximum 1 page):
    • Download the budget template and complete the information
    • Include and identify support from other sources