Funding Resources

Internal Awards Program

Council on research, scholarship & creative activity Internal Awards Program

Mission of the Internal Awards Program

The Council on Research, Scholarship & Creative Activity (CReSCA) Internal Awards Program is dedicated to advancing research and scholarship among USF faculty by providing strategic support for initiatives that enhance the pursuit of extramural funding. Funding allocation prioritizes activities with a strong potential to secure additional external funding and scholarly endeavors where extramural funding opportunities are highly limited.

Selection Process for Research and Scholarship Grants

The CReSCA Internal Awards Program is managed by USF Research in collaboration with the Research Development Institute. Each competitive cycle begins with a Call for Proposals, outlining the available grant types and corresponding timelines. Grant cycles are posted concurrently on the IAP website. To ensure a rigorous peer-review process, faculty members from diverse disciplines across USF serve as proposal reviewers, fostering a fair and comprehensive evaluation of submissions.

Guidelines and Applications

Internal Awards Competition Schedule 2026-2027
Recent assessments of USF’s research enterprise have highlighted the need for enhanced support, modernized infrastructure, and improved operational efficiency. In response, the USF Research Council has restructured the USF Internal Awards Program to foster growth and increase research productivity across the USF community. If you have any questions, contact Tina Lucas at rsch-internal-awards-program@usf.edu.

Award Submission and Announcement Timeline

All award applications must be submitted through  by the deadlines specified in the guidelines, with receipt required by 5:00 p.m. Announcements of award recipients will be made and posted within one month following the submission deadline.


  • Fall Open Date: August 13, 2026 – Deadline September 24, 2026
    Spring Open Date: December 18, 2026 – Deadline February 11, 2027

    Conferences play a vital role in the research and creative process by facilitating the dissemination of new information and fostering the exchange of ideas. The Conference Planning Grant provides supplemental funding to faculty engaged in planning and executing national and international conferences that enhance USF’s research environment while elevating its prestige and recognition within Florida and beyond.

    Preference is given to conferences held locally; however, those planned at national or international venues are also eligible. Applicants must demonstrate a significant role in the conference planning process to qualify for funding.


  • Fall Open Date: September 1, 2026 – Deadline October 15, 2026
    Spring 2027 Open Date: December 18, 2026 – Deadline January 14, 2027

    This program is designed to provide financial support for scholarly and creative presentations by the ÐÜèAVÃâ·Ñ faculty at major professional meetings and conferences outside the USA. These grants are available for faculty pursuing a career at USF.  The goals of the program are to enhance the international visibility and prestige of research activities and creative presentations conducted at USF and to encourage interaction with international colleagues. 
     
    Consequently, the highest priority will be given to faculty who are personally invited to give keynote speeches, plenary presentations or other major addresses, presentations, or performances.  In addition, to the type of presentation the prestige and scope of the conference will also be considered.
     
    Researchers who are serving in a temporary or post-doctoral capacity with short-term goals for employment at USF are not eligible for a FITG

  • New Researcher Grant (NRG) (Fall 2026 Guidelines to be announced)
    Open Date: September 1, 2026 – Deadline December 3, 2026

    The New Researcher Grants are designed for faculty to develop new research projects who do not have established funding sources (external or college/departmental) – this program is for early career faculty who are new to USF. The program’s goal is to enable faculty to launch productive research, scholarship, or artistic expression/performance activities that will ultimately result in grant funding from external agencies or foundations. This grant will fund pilot, draft, or preliminary studies/projects. It is expected that these results will provide the basis for external grant proposals, as well as publication or exhibition of the results. Prior recipients who fail to obtain funding for an earlier New Researcher Grant will no longer be eligible to apply for this internal award.

  • USF Multi-User Research Capital Investment Award (MuRCIA) (2026-27 Guidelines to be announced)
    Open Date: September 1, 2026 – Deadline October 22, 2026

    Multi-User Research Capital Investment Awards (MuRCIA) are intended to enhance research activities and increase competitiveness for external grants. Enhancement can be in the form of small equipment or purchase of software or other items that can be utilized to enhance research productivity. Applicants should demonstrate that there will be multiple users from different colleges and/or regional campuses. The intent of this opportunity is to support equipment purchases that enable collaborative groups of faculty, rather than to provide general core facilities support, for which other funding opportunities are available. These awards are designed to help faculty obtain new external funding. Consequently, RCIAs should have quantifiable returns on investment in new grant dollars, increase research productivity, enhance degree programs, and promote attainment of other AAU/state metrics.

  • Proposal Enhancement Grant (PEG) (Fall 2026 Guidelines to be announced)
    Open Date: September 1, 2026 – Deadline December 17, 2026

    The Proposal Enhancement Grant (PEG) program is designed to help faculty develop competitive proposals for resubmission and increase the probability of securing external funding; to strengthen the resubmission proposal to aid an applicant who has received a positive review of their grant application but is not in a fundable range. Applicants are encouraged to show how the funds will enable or address reviewer's concerns. Applicants are also encouraged to describe how the new data or activities are linked to reviewer comments.

  • Publications Subventions Grant (PSG) (Fall 2026 Guidelines to be announced)
    Fall Open Date: September 1, 2026 – Deadline November 12, 2026
    Spring 2027 Open Date: December 18, 2026 – Deadline April 1, 2027
     
    Subvention can take many forms, depending on the author's or creator's discipline. What publication costs does the Council consider?  Subvention may be applied to production costs such as indexing, proofreading, copyright permissions, artwork or map creation fees, open access fees, fees for the mounting of creative works, etc. The council will consider both funding future costs and costs already incurred.  Please forward any questions to the Council Chair, Erin Mauldin, emauldin@usf.edu.
     
    A faculty member must be an author of the work being applied for subvention; the department or college or school ofthe applicant must subvent 50% of the total costs requested and a chartfield number for the account out of which the department / school / college funds will be paid must be supplied along with the department / school / college Chair,Director, or Dean's signature.

  • Submissions for the Interdisciplinary Center Preparation Grant (ICPG) (Fall 2026 Guidelines to be announced)
    Open Date: September 1, 2026
    Pre-Proposal Deadline September 24, 2026 – Full Proposal Deadline March 11, 2027

    The Interdisciplinary Center Preparation Grants (ICPGs) are designed to incentivize and accelerate nucleation and success of large-scale program-project or center types of grants, as defined in the stated disciplinary area (typically corresponding to grants involving multiple PIs and involving funding amounts that considerably exceed that of a typical single-investigator grant). These grants are designed to incentivize faculty to lead large-scale innovative interdisciplinary efforts that help enhance the excellence of USF research and include faculty from distinct programs/departments. Consequently, ICPGs must target a specific program project or center type funding type opportunity (as defined in relevant research field) and should have quantifiable returns on investment in new grant dollars, increase research productivity, enhance degree programs, and promote attainment of other AAU/state metrics.
     
    No-Cost Extension (NCE) Requirements – Guidelines for Request, Review, and Approval
    A No-Cost Extension (NCE) allows a project team additional time to complete the approved scope of work without additional funding. NCE’s are intended for circumstances where progress has been made, funds remain, and additional time is required to complete the originally proposed activities.  Requests must be made 30 days prior to the award end date.  All (NCE) requests be submitted with the . 

    Submit (NCE) Request Form to, Internal Awards Program Office designated council administrator, rsch-internal-awards-program@usf.edu.

See for more details.

Proposal Writing Resources


Contacts

Prior Internal Award Recipients

Related USF Policies & Procedures

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Internal Award Forms

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  • FITG Final Report Form (PDF)