The Research Development Office (RDO) invites you to engage with an array of opportunities designed to amplify your research, scholarship, and creative endeavors this fall. Explore the full lineup of opportunities below and download the fall flyer for easy reference.
Early Career Clubs
*Specific to early career faculty
- *NSF CAREER Club
Designed to give you the knowledge and resources to craft competitive CAREER award applications. CAREER Club participants will take part in skills development events and services including editing, graphic design, and internal/external reviews. - *NIH K Club+
Designed to give you the knowledge and resources to craft competitive K award applications. K Club+ participants will take part in skills development events and services including graphic design, editing, and internal/external reviews
Improving Grantsmanship
- Maximizing Pivot to Find Funding and Collaborators
Sept. 17, Oct. 20, Nov. 19, Dec. 16 (1 hour)
Pivot-RP is a powerful online tool that helps researchers discover funding, connect with collaborators, and manage grant strategies - all in one place. Join us for a monthly information and demonstration session to learn how Pivot-RP can help you quickly find the right funding and research partners. Sessions alternate virtual and in-person. - W.M. Keck Foundation Information Session
Sept. 11 (1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.)
The W.M. Keck Foundation funds high-risk and high impact work to lay the groundwork for new paradigms, technologies, and discoveries. This virtual session will highlight Keck’s Research Program’s funding priorities (Medical; Science and Engineering), the internal limited submission process, as well as the Keck concept call
and review process. - Limited Submission Policy Updates and Information Session
Sept. 18 (10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.)
During this virtual session, attendees will learn how to identify limited submission opportunities, navigate the internal application process, and hear about recent updates to the UI limited submission policy. - AHI Unveiled: AHI Insights and Opportunities
Sept. 23 (10:00 am-11:00 am)
The Arts and Humanities Initiative (AHI) is an internal funding program within the OVPR that encourages leading edge scholarship, creative activities, and interdisciplinary research. This virtual session brings together past reviewers to answer your questions and share their insights about this program. - Write Winning Grant Proposals Seminar
Oct. 9 (8:30 am-4:30 pm)
The Write Winning Grant Proposals Seminar (virtual and in-person) comprehensively addresses both practical and conceptual aspects, using NIH and NSF examples, that are important to writing competitive grant proposals. Presented by Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops (GWSW). - *NIH K Club+ Information Session
Oct. 17 (10:00 am-10:45 am)
This virtual information session will describe the NIH K Club+ skills development events, services, and expectations. NIH K Club+ event. - *NSF CAREER Club Information Session
Oct. 17 (11:00 am-11:45 am)
This virtual information session will describe the NSF CAREER Club skills development events, services, and expectations. NSF CAREER Club event. - Humanities Award Showcase and Reception
Nov. 4 (3:30 pm-5:30 pm)
This in-person panel session will provide an opportunity to hear from accomplished University of Iowa humanities award recipients regarding their experience with the application process, need-to know information, plus much more. Presented by the Office of the Provost, Office of the Vice President for Research, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. - Pivot Administrative Features: Connect Your Researchers to Funding Opportunities
Nov. 6 (1:00 pm-2:00 pm)
This virtual session will introduce Pivot’s administrative features including the process of adding internal funding opportunities. - *Early Career Funding, Support, and Perspectives Information Session
Nov. 11 (1:00 pm-2:00 pm)
Explore a wide range of funding opportunities designed to launch early research careers. This virtual session will spotlight key federal and private foundation programs, showcase UI support resources, and feature insights from successful awardees on navigating the early stages of research funding. - Planning and Writing Successful Grant Proposals in the Creative Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities
Dec. 3 (8:30 am-4:30 pm)
This in-person seminar will walk you through fundamental concepts of proposal planning and writing for Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences faculty backed by concrete tips and operational strategies that support planning and longer-term sustainability. Presented by AtKisson Training Group (ATG). - *K Award Ecosystem: Writing a Competitive K Award
Dec. 4 (8:30 am-12:30 pm)
A competitive NIH Career Development K Award fits together like a complex ecosystem. This in-person seminar will walk you through all the parts of the proposal, emphasizing the purpose of each part and how different sections must mesh. Presented by ATG. NIH K Club+ event. - *Planning and Writing Successful NSF CAREER Grant Proposals
Dec. 5 (8:30 am-4:30 pm)
An NSF CAREER award application is more than an NSF Standard Grant with an education plan added in. Highly competitive awards integrate the research and education plan. In this in-person seminar, we talk about why and how to create a plan that results in a competitive proposal. Presented by ATG. NSF CAREER Club event.
Apply for Internal Funding
- Arts & Humanities Initiative (AHI) Internal Deadline
Oct. 14 (11:59 pm)
AHI is an internal funding program within the OVPR that encourages leading edge scholarship, creative activities, and interdisciplinary research. Applications for the Fall 2025 cycle are due October 14.
Grow Your Network
- Social Determinants of Mental and Physical Health Micro Lab
Sept. 24 (9:00 am-11:00 am)
Researchers across disciplines will come together in person to generate bold ideas and forge new collaborations. Whether your expertise lies in social science, public health, medicine, engineering, environmental studies, or beyond—your perspective is vital. Register to attend the Micro Lab and/or complete the Networking Survey if you are interested and cannot attend. Presented by the Center for Social Science Innovation and the RDO. - Precision Medicine & Cancer Ideas Lab
Tentatively Jan. 2026
The Precision Medicine and Cancer Ideas Lab is a collaborative, multi-day workshop designed to bring together researchers from diverse disciplines to form new teams and generate innovative, fundable ideas. Stay tuned for the details about how to engage.
RDO Resources
- External Grant Review
The RDO facilitates external grant reviews with leading experts to assist faculty in submitting more competitive proposals to external funding agencies. - Proposal Resource Library
The Proposal Resource Library contains examples of successful proposals including federal agencies and private foundations. - RDO Newsletter
Sign up for the RDO Monthly Newsletter to receive communication on upcoming RDO events and resources. The newsletter is sent on the last Monday of each month. - Funding Focus
Sign up for the Funding Focus newsletter to receive a weekly digest of limited submission opportunities available to the University of Iowa community. Limited submission programs are competitive funding programs that restrict the number of applications from one institution. - Broader Impacts/Research Impacts Seminars Recordings
View the recordings presented by the training team from the NSF-supported Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) organization.