SBSRI Funding

Competition Applications (2024-2025)

The Competition Guidelines for AY2024-2025 are posted below and the link to the applications, accessible via SBS's Arizona Cultivate microsite, is now live.

Proposals must be linked to the applicant’s name and official UArizona email address. Please use your NetID to log into the system. Late applications will not be accepted.

  • Fall 2024 Deadline: Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m., Monday, September 30th
  • Spring 2025 Deadline: Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m., Monday, January 27th

Apply to SBSRI Competitions

Funding Competitions

SBSRI offers the following awards for faculty and students in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. All are subject to funding availability, and all expenditures are handled through the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences in accordance with University policies and procedures.

It is the Principal Investigator's (PI's) responsibility to learn about those policies and follow those procedures. Unit business managers can help, as can SBSRI staff. If you receive an award, you must credit SBSRI as you disseminate your research.

SBSRI Competition Guidelines

 

SBSRI has limited funds for Leveraging Grants. These $3,000-maximum grants have a clear return on SBS's investment and connect to or support SBS's Strategic Plan. Leveraging Grants cannot be used to leverage additional internal grants funded through sponsors such as the Office of Research, Innovation, and Impact, the UArizona Library, or the Confluencenter.

Leveraging Grants can be completed in Arizona Cultivate anytime; the reviews and decisions are usually ready within two weeks of submission. Multiple collaborators within SBS cannot receive Leveraging Grant funds for the same project and individual PIs can receive only one Leveraging Grant from SBSRI in a one-year period.

Leveraging Grants Guidelines

Faculty Small Grants provide up to $5,000 of funds for research projects, including seed money for research that could lead to external grants and fellowships, or standalone projects that can be completed with a small grant. Faculty Small Grants connect to or support SBS's Strategic Plan. Allowable expenses include research-related travel, subject payment, supplies, short-term research assistance, small equipment, and computers and related equipment. These grants do not support the PI’s normal living expenses, publication costs, faculty supplemental compensation, conference-related registration fees and/or travel expenses. See guidelines for further information, including eligibility requirements.

Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 Research Professorships: Research Professorship applications will only be accepted once annually during the Fall competition cycle. Research Professorships provide one course release for faculty so they can give more time to a research project that connects to or supports the college’s Strategic Plan. Awards are contingent on the teaching needs of the applicant’s unit, so the unit head/director must approve the application and the proposed timing for a course release. This application has no budget component. Depending on instructional need, SBS may fund replacement instruction (arrangements to be determined on a case-by-case basis between the Dean and unit head/director). 

This opportunity supports faculty leadership of large, external grant proposals that advance team-based, institutionally significant initiatives relevant to the SBS Strategic Plan. Support is in the form of a course release for the PI to enable additional time for proposal development.

Applicants should target a minimum of $1M in external funds. Well-justified exceptions for a lower amount will be considered in cases of extraordinary institutional significance and potential impact.  

The submitted proposal, if awarded, must have impact beyond an individual PI’s research program. Forms of impact may include:

  • Research innovation through integrative, interdisciplinary team science or scholarship.
  • Infrastructure development: creation of new or upgraded facilities (labs, scientific instruments, digital resources) that will benefit multiple users.
  • Financial ROI: potential to scale to even larger longer-term funding ($5M+)
  • Student success: Creation or improvement of curriculum or related high-impact practices at programmatic scale. 
  • External partnerships: community-engaged or use-inspired initiatives with partners from government, industry, or civil society. 

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with Jane Zavisca, SBS Associate Dean for Research, and Beth Stahmer, SBSRI Director, about the potential fit of the target external proposal with the goals of this opportunity prior to submission.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, through Arizona Cultivate.  A limited number of professorships will be awarded each fiscal year; check Arizona Cultivate to confirm the competition remains open. 

SBS Grant Development Professorship Guidelines

Up to $3,000 for graduate students who have advanced to PhD candidacy and who require funding to conduct their dissertation research. Allowable expenses include research-related travel, subject payment, supplies, small equipment, and computers and related equipment. These grants do not support publication costs, student/PI supplemental compensation, normal living expenses, conference-related registration fees and/or travel expenses. Students may be awarded only one Dissertation Research Grant; prior awardees are not eligible. Graduate Interdisciplinary Program (GIDP) students should contact Beth Stahmer to determine eligibility. See guidelines for further information.

Up to $600 for PhD and Master's level research activities. Allowable expenses include research-related travel, subject payment, supplies, small equipment, and computers and related equipment. These grants do not support publication costs, student/PI supplemental compensation, normal living expenses, conference-related registration fees and/or travel expenses. Students may be awarded only one Pre-doctoral Research Grant; prior awardees are not eligible. GIDP students should contact Beth Stahmer to determine eligibility. See guidelines for further information.

Award Expenses and Activity Reporting

All applicants receiving awards must report on their expenditures and activities via a final report in Arizona Cultivate after the end of the funding period.

Questions

If you have any questions about SBSRI's funding contact Beth Stahmer, Director SBSRI (estahmer@arizona.edu), before submitting a proposal or a report.