Research Development
Empowering UCF researchers through expert guidance and strategic support in funding and proposal development
ABOUT RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT
Our team helps UCF researchers identify potential funding opportunities and craft competitive proposals. We offer informational workshops, provide hands-on proposal development support, assist with targeted funding searches, and coordinate limited submissions and internal research programs.
Proposal Development
We help researchers build the perfect proposal. Our team supports you with planning, preparation assistance, draft review feedback, informational resources, and more.
Proposal Support
- Proposal Review (PDF) – Editorial review, internal/external peer review, and more are available.
- Supplemental and Personnel documents – support as needed with required non-technical documents.
- One-on-One Mentoring – One-on-one guidance for external submissions (CAREER, OOR Mentoring)
- Federal Agency Pitch Circles – an opportunity for a faculty researcher to present his/her research idea to a panel of experienced and successful researchers. The panelists will provide feedback and comments that will help strengthen the proposal before submission to the sponsoring agency.
- Templates – Templates can help in proposal planning and writing to ensure relevant content and review criteria are addressed.
- NIH R15 AREA (required eligibility letter) – For eligible faculty interested in the R15 AREA grant, a signed letter is required by the Provost verifying the eligibility of the applicant and institution at the time of submission. The Research Development team is the designated point of contact for requesting and securing this letter. Please contact Research Development for more information and details required for the letter.
Proposal Resources
- PI Handbook for Proposals and Awards – A reference guide for UCF researchers detailing available services, resources, and support teams from proposal planning through post-award activities.
- UCF information to help with proposal planning and preparation
- SciENcv Info and Resources – A tool to assemble biosketches and required federal grant information, including publications, appointments, and pending grants.
- Funder Tool Kits – Fund-specific guides containing tips, proposal sections, award history, news, and more.
- Proposal Library – View sample funded proposals to explore competitive formats and language. Visit Open Grants or the Funder Tool Kits for examples from federal agencies and private foundations. Contact us to request a sample for a specific opportunity.
- Public Access Initiative – In support of the White House Open Science Mandate, federal agencies require that peer-reviewed publications and data be freely available by 2025. Visit the NSF Public Access Repository for examples.
- UCF Research Cyberinfrastructure – A variety of digital services and computing resources available to UCF researchers.
- Team Building Resources – Find tools and platforms to help identify potential collaborators and strengthen research teams.
- Research Lifecycle – A visual tool outlining the full spectrum of support and services available to UCF researchers across all project phases.
Research Strategies
We offer a range of tools and individual support to help the research community identify potential funding opportunities
Funding Announcements
- Limited Submissions – External funding opportunities that restrict how many proposals an applicant or institution may submit. The Office of Research manages this process for UCF.
- Targeted Research Alerts (TRAs) – Weekly alerts tailored to strategic UCF research areas. Faculty can sign up to receive opportunities that match their interests.
- UCF Internal/Partnership Programs – A variety of internal and partnership funding opportunities are offered to support the research efforts of UCF faculty.
- DoD (Air Force, Army, DARPA, Navy) Early Career Funding Opportunities – Recurring programs that support early career investigators and can lead to additional DoD research funding.
Funding Search Tools
- Pivot Funding Opportunity Database – A powerful search tool for funding opportunities from federal, state, private, and international sponsors. Free for UCF faculty, staff, and students. You can also automate searches for weekly updates. Need help searching? Contact us!
- State of Florida Funding – A curated Pivot saved search highlighting all current state funding options.
- Grants.gov – Comprehensive database of opportunities from all federal agencies.
- Contract Opportunities (formerly called FedBizOpps) – Explore federal contract opportunities and procurement listings.
- Private Foundation Funding – The Private Foundation Tool Kit contains databases and resources for exploring foundation-sponsored research funding.
- Web of Science/Knowledge – Search funder acknowledgements in scholarly publications to discover potential sponsors.
- Philanthropy News Digest – View announcements from nonprofits.
Faculty Engagement & Outreach
RD offers workshops and resources to help build connections, find collaborators, and foster research teams.
Workshop Materials & Resources: Click here to enroll in the Research Development – Outreach Webcourse to access outreach material linked below.
Upcoming RD Events
See Calendar of Events or List of Events
New and Early Career Faculty Workshops
- New Faculty Orientation – Annually in Fall. At the Office of Research session, faculty will receive an overview of the research lifecycle and available services, from funding opportunity identification to project closeout.
- Kickstarting Your Research Workshop Series – These workshops provide New and Early Career Faculty with information on available services and resources at UCF that can assist them with their research.
Special Topic Workshops
- Agency Workshops – Workshops designed to help faculty strengthen their grant applications for federal, state, and private funding sources.
- Proposal and Office of Research Workshop Series – These workshops offer guidance on data management, HSI certification, and other resources to support research.
- College Specific Workshop Series – Tailored workshops for each college focusing on proposal support and college-specific resources.
Collaboration Events
- Mentoring Events and Resources – Designed to enhance the success of researchers seeking external funding through mentoring programs and events.
- UCF Collaborates – A Spring and Fall event aimed at fostering collaboration and expanding multi- and interdisciplinary research capacity.
- Large Team Proposal: Writing Large Multi-Disciplinary Proposals – This program is intended for experienced researchers who are ready to lead large grant proposals. It provides resources available to build and lead a team for proposal success.
Team Building Resources
- UCF Scholar Expertise Portal – Search for potential collaborators across the university by expertise, grants, patents, and more.
- COLLABORATE: FloRDA – Virtual networking events hosted by the Florida Research Development Alliance (FL-RDA) to foster statewide interdisciplinary research collaborations.
- Pivot: Profile Search – Use Pivot to identify collaborators by topic, department, or college, both internally at UCF and externally.
- UCF Business Incubation Program – Connect with industry partners through the UCF Business Incubator, which supports emerging companies in high-tech to low-tech industries.
- Florida ExpertNet – A portal designed to connect businesses, industry, and government with research expertise at Florida’s universities
- TeamScience.net -A resource for expert information on forming, leading, and evaluating research teams.
- Team Science Tool Kit – A collection of resources supporting the practice and study of team science across disciplines.
- Science of Team Science (SciTS) – A rich collection of presentations and information shared at the annual SciTS Conference focused on team science.