Research Resilience Critical UO Investments and Priorities Funding Program

This webpage describes the purpose and process of applying to the Research Resilience Critical UO Investments and Priorities Funding Support Program as part of the university's Research Resilience Initiative.

Overview and Program Goals

Given the significant shifts in federal research investments and priorities, such as the potential dissolution of the U.S. Department of Education, changes in priorities related to climate science, children’s behavioral health, innovation/translation programs (like SBIR) and other areas of UO research strength prioritized in Oregon Rising Goal 4, we need to identify investment strategies to sustain research programs and personnel that are at-risk under the current administration but do not align with traditional bridge funding support, given that there will not be a guaranteed likelihood of federal funding to sustain the program for several years.

The process for this program is as follows: Department and Centers & Institute leadership should work to develop proposals in consultation with their appropriate Dean or Division VP (or delegate identified by that leader, see below). Pre-consultation with Research Development Services is recommended but not required. Following submission, Deans/VPs will review requests and provide feedback on proposal, with ranked priority, to the Research Resilience Committee. Note that proposals should not be for new research activities—the OVPRI seed funding programs are the appropriate mechanism for facilitating new collaborations/directions.

We plan to have two deadlines: November 3, 2025 and April 6, 2026. Budgets for a one-year term will be requested. A report on outcomes at the 6-month mark will be requested (May 2026 or October 2026). PIs may apply for renewal of funding for a second year. The 6-month report on outcomes will be a factor in the evaluation of applications for renewal.

Confirmed Dean/VP/Other Reviewer for Units

CAS Departments, Dean

COE Departments/Research Units, Dean

DSGN Departments/Research Units, Dean

SOJC Departments/Research Units, Dean

CHC, Dean

LCB Departments/Research Units, Dean

SOMD Departments, Dean

LAW Departments, Dean

Libraries, Dean

Ballmer Institute, Provost

OVPRI Centers and Institutes, VPRI

Knight Campus, VP

Timeline

  • Application Deadline
    • Fall Submission: Monday, November 3, 2025
    • Spring Submission: Monday, April 6, 2026
  • Dean/VP Review Period
    • Fall Submission: November 3-14, 2025
    • Spring Submission: April 6-17, 2026
  • Estimated Notification
    • Fall Submission: December 2025
    • Spring Submission: June 2026
  • Project Period
    • Fall Submission: January 2026-December 2026
    • Spring Submission: July 2026-June 2027
  • Reporting
    • A progress report is due 6 months into the initial project period.

Request for Proposals and Templates

Eligible Applicants

Department heads or center/institute directors submit proposals on behalf of their unit (a unit being a department, center, or institute). We expect that departments or centers/institutes would work collaboratively to prepare and submit one proposal for unit-level continuity. Should units wish to submit a collaborative proposal representing multiple departments or C&Is, that would serve as their unit's one submission.

Individual requests from PIs should either be represented in a unit-level proposal submitted via this mechanism or submitted as an individual Research Resilience Bridge Funding or Grant Termination Support request.

Budget & Use of Funds

Amount: Requests should be limited to the minimum funding necessary to prevent layoffs of funding contingent researchers with exceptional expertise and to enable critical continuity for research programs of critical importance to the UO (based on program rankings, AAU research metrics, Oregon Rising priorities, etc.).  Research continuity would include both continuity of funding-contingent researchers, as well as research partnerships and programs with longstanding, vulnerable community partners, longitudinal data collection efforts already underway for which disruption of work would result in significant research loss, maintenance of essential research infrastructure, etc. Please align your request with the Research Resilience Guiding Principles.

Length of Project: 12 months or less. Renewal for a second year will be considered following a 6-month progress report.  

Allowable costs:

  • Essential salary for career research faculty
  • Salary/fringe of postdocs, graduate students, or other vital research staff
  • Core/shared user facility fees: Please note that funds will be transferred directly to the Core (funds for all other costs will be transferred to a faculty-managed departmental/C&I index for the award)
  • Essential supplies or research costs (e.g., reagents, participant remuneration, costs associated with book publications, etc.)
  • 9-month salary, summer salary, or course release for tenure-track faculty may be considered in exceptional circumstances

 

Ineligible costs:

  • Replacement funding for projects that are completed or have been funded through other mechanisms since the termination
  • Cost overruns
  • Costs not directly related to personnel continuity or deliverables

 

We expect budgets to be submitted using a current SPS R&R budget form. See budget instructions below.

Application Components

Application: Applications must be submitted using the online submission form. Note that this form cannot be saved.

  1. Application Form – All fields must be completed. The form cannot be saved midway through.
     
  2. Proposal Documents
    1. Narrative: RFP has a suggested template. Briefly (no more than 3 single-spaced pages) explain the current need for requested support and the rationale behind the specific staff retention and research continuity you propose to complete with additional investment. Describe the key outcomes of the proposed research support you will be able to achieve with the requested funds. Please be sure to address how your request aligns with “Guiding Principles” in your justification of need and conservative approach to use of funds. Briefly detail the expected impact of the proposed investment to the UO and the mission/goals of your unit and the institution overall.
    2. References Cited: If applicable, no page limit
    3. Budget: Please complete the "R&R 1 to 5 Year Detailed Budget" Excel template on the Sponsored Projects Forms webpage.
      1. Note 1: internal awards do not require indirect (F&A) costs. Please set that cell in the template to 0.
    4. Budget Justification (no page limit): Use the Budget Justification template in the RFP to complete this component of the application.
    5. Other Actions (no page limit): Please describe all of the continuity actions already undertaken within your unit to address gaps prior to making this request. Note staff FTE reductions, transition of personnel to teaching or other grants, other support utilized (e.g., licensing revenue, endowed chair funds, etc.). If there are individual Research Resilience Bridge applications pending or approved in your unit that you propose to modify based on this more comprehensive ask, please explicitly note here. 

 

Submission Instructions:

  1. Complete all components of the application documents listed above.
  2. Combine into a single PDF in the order listed above.
  3. Save with the naming convention [Contact PI Last Name] Critical UO Investments.
  4. Fill out the basic information on the online form and upload the complete PDF.
  5. Submit form.

Review Process & Criteria

Upon submission, proposals will first be evaluated by Research Development Services for compliance (e.g., eligibility, all applicant components complete). The proposals will then be shared with the Dean/VP/Delegate for the submitting unit. The Dean/VP/Delegate will review, offer comments, and categorize proposals as “highest priority,” “moderate priority”, “low priority”, or “not recommended for support.” A subset of members from the Research Resilience Committee will then review proposals based on the following review criteria.

NOTE: We highly encourage Deans/VPs to engage directly with Department Heads and C&I Directors during the proposal development process. This is critical to ensure that proposals from units reflect the priorities of the Dean or VP for their respective college or division. We also recognize that researchers in centers and institutes are also faculty within schools and colleges and thus encourage conversations with Deans, Associate Deans for Research, etc. to ensure alignment with college priorities as well. Members of the Research Resilience Committee will facilitate meetings between research center and institute directors and relevant college leadership (e.g., CAS, COE, etc.) to enable shared understanding and awareness of requests.

As needed, members of the Research Resilience Committee may request additional information from the unit head and/or approver. This will be a more dynamic review and award process than traditional internal funding programs to ensure that we are the most effective stewards of limited resources to achieve maximum impact.

Below are the criteria used by the review committee when scoring proposals. The committee scores each criterion on the following scale: 1 – Excellent; 2 - Very Good; 3 – Good; 4 – Fair; 5 – Poor.

 

Review Criteria Based on Guiding Principles

  1. People First and Research Timing
  • Does the requested funding enable continuity of critical personnel, especially those in transition (e.g., students completing dissertations, postdocs on the job market, faculty near promotion/tenure, career faculty critical to research infrastructure)?
  • Does the application justify how the requested support will safeguard or advance time-sensitive research efforts?
  1. Conservative, Strategic, and Adaptive Planning and Collaborative Problem Solving
    • Does the proposed funding request provide a conservative and reasonable strategy to achieve key research and scholarly outcomes and/or provide continuity for individuals at key moments of career transition?
    • Is the unit actively exploring all possible alternative funding options (teaching schedules, foundation, corporate-sponsored research, licensing distributions to academic or research unit)?
  2. Protecting Research Infrastructure and Investments:
    • Does support of this application enable continuity of critical investments in UO’s research infrastructure or programs (e.g., contributions to AAU metrics, protection of critical assets such as longitudinal data sets, long-term research programs, or unique institutional investments)?
  3. Redefining Metrics for Impact:
    • Do the research objectives, goals, and requested support advance high-impact research, scholarship, and creative endeavors that align with our institutional mission as a public research university?
    • Will the achievement of the research outcomes enhance the competitiveness of the researcher(s) to secure future funding?

 

Reporting

A progress report will be due after six months, at which time the Research Resilience Committee will discuss potential for renewal applications with funded teams.

A final report is required and due to Research Development Services no later than one month (30 days) after the conclusion of the project period. RDS will provide awardees a link to the final report form in the last quarter of their project.

 

Inquiries

Questions about the Grant Continuation Support Program application or submission process may be directed to Research Development Services, rds@uoregon.edu.