Eager to pursue competitive grants, faculty maximize new research fund

A new University of Maine program designed to encourage and recognize faculty pursuit of competitive research funding drew a robust response, with available resources fully committed just weeks after its launch.

In July, Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Kody Varahramyan and Interim Provost Gabriel Paquette announced the Faculty Research Support Fund, a $50,000 initiative supported by a charitable gift account administered through the Office of the Provost. The fund provides a one-time support to faculty or faculty teams who submitted eligible external funding proposals by Oct. 15.

“Faculty across UMaine are eager to engage in externally funded research that advances knowledge, supports students and strengthens Maine’s economy,” Varahramyan said. “Preparing a competitive proposal requires an extraordinary investment of time and effort, and the Faculty Research Support Fund provides meaningful encouragement for those rigorous efforts. We look forward to tracking the outcomes of these ambitious projects.”

To qualify, researchers must request at least $100,000 from an external sponsor — including national-scale philanthropies, new corporate or private research funding, or state or federal funding programs — for single-investigator proposals or $250,000 for collaborative projects. Applications for prestigious awards in disciplines with limited funding opportunities were also considered eligible, even if they did not meet these thresholds. Applications also had to represent new efforts initiated after the July program announcement.

Interest quickly surpassed expectations. By the end of August, dozens had applied, with 18 meeting eligibility requirements. Together, the projects accounted for the full allocation of available funding.

Several supported projects have already been submitted to sponsors. Organizers plan to monitor outcomes, including funding decisions, follow-on submissions and resubmissions stemming from this year’s cohort.

“The remarkable response to this initiative demonstrates the talent and ambition of our faculty as well as the intensity of today’s funding landscape,” Paquette said. “This program was designed to lower barriers and acknowledge the important work of competing for major grants. We are proud to support these scholars and are hopeful that their efforts will yield lasting benefits for our university and the state. We are also deeply grateful to Saul Allen and Danielle O’Neill for their outstanding efforts in administering the fund through their work in the Office of Research Development.”