Internal Funding Opportunities

This page provides information on several internal funding programs. It should not be considered exhaustive. There may be additional opportunities available through the individual schools within the University.

  • The Office of the VPR coordinates the Small Grants/Travel Grants program to provide funds for supplies, editing, travel to libraries, and other small requests.
  • The Office of the Provost manages the 4-VA Research Grant Program. 4-VA research grants are intended to improve research competitiveness within the Commonwealth by providing funding for faculty to engage in pilot research focused on 4-VA goal areas that could be used as a springboard for subsequent, major federal grants. Active dissemination of the research findings is a requirement. The Request for Proposals is here.
  • The Brain Institute has created seed funding programs for Transformative Neuroscience Pilot Grant and shared instrumentation, which foster cross-Grounds collaboration and enable collaborations that break down barriers, including providing support and infrastructure for research trainees that transmit new ideas and approaches between research groups. Since 2017, the Institute has awarded over $3 million to over 120 faculty members across 34 departments in 6 Schools.
  • UVA’s Environmental Institute (EI) offers a variety of grant opportunities to facilitate the cross-disciplinary connections needed to form sustainable collaborations. The EI invests in and facilitates interdisciplinary research, merging theories, methods, and data to develop novel frameworks and applications that are transformative and have societal impact.
  • The UVA LVG Seed Fund provides capital and other resources to accelerate technologies based on UVA research to market. The fund is evergreen and will re-invest its gains to provide capital for additional investments. Investment decisions are made with the oversight of the Seed Fund Committee.
  • The Integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia offers two seed funding programs.
    • The iTHRIV Pilot Translational and Clinical Studies (PTC) Program helps teams transition from early-stage seed grants and proof-of-concept studies to externally funded translational research and clinical application. The iTHRIV PTC Program is particularly interested in funding projects related to data science and those that involve collaboration across the iTHRIV partner institutions: Inova, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic.
    • The iTHRIV Community Seed Grant Program supports community-based research projects that may address a wide range of health-related topics. This funding opportunity is specifically seeking applications that aim to reduce health disparities and improve health among communities that experience poorer health outcomes and have historically been excluded from opportunities to engage in research (e.g. racial/ethnic minorities, rural communities, women, low-income families).
  • The Ivy Biomedical Innovation Fund was created by The Ivy Foundation to support biomedical innovation and translational research projects at the University of Virginia. The program encourages proposals that involve faculty co-investigators from multiple departments, schools, or specialties at UVA.
  • The Launchpad for Diabetes Program is an internal, translational research fund supporting collaborative research projects proposing innovative solutions for the treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Although not required, it is anticipated that most projects will result in new intellectual property, commercial partnerships, or lead to start-up company creation.
  • The Bankard Fund for Political Economy provides annually awarded support for faculty research that will have the greatest possible influence upon the development and continuation of the public policy necessary for a healthy private business system and a healthy national economy.
  • The Jefferson Trust funds new programs and projects that enhance UVA and enrich the student experience. Any student, faculty, or staff member may apply.
  • The Center for Global Inquiry + Innovation (CGII) administers several grant programs to stimulate research addressing problems and challenges of global scale, scope, concern, perspective, and impact. They are particularly interested in proposals that outline innovative methods and promote cross-university and international collaborations.