Find Funding

Whether you’re working on the next great medical breakthrough, developing a thought-provoking work of art or wanting to do something good for the community, the Office of Research and Innovation can help you find and secure funding.

The first step in this process is, of course, finding the best funding mechanism for the work you’re trying to do. Once you do, our staff can help you navigate the development submission process, setting your proposal up for success. For help identifying and securing funding, please contact .

There are several types of funding, but broadly, they can be broken into these categories: 

downarrowStandard Grants: non-limited solicitations from agencies, foundations and other sources

Standard grant opportunities include all grants that do not require nomination by the institution or selection through an internal competition. Standard grants may come from a variety of sources, including federal agencies (i.e. the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, etc.), stage agencies, non-profits or foundations.

Researchers do not need to consult with the Office of Research and Innovation before developing their application for a standard grant, but must still submit through the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration.

UofL keeps a searchable database of currently open standard grant opportunities via Pivot. Sign up on Pivot for customized notifications of new opportunities delivered to your inbox. You can login and create an account using Single Sign On (SSO) with your UofL ID and password. UofL keeps a Pivot Fund Finder searchable database of currently open standard grant opportunities. Additional information regarding Pivot Fund Finder may be found here.

downarrowInternal Competitions: limited submissions, internal and translational grants

Unlike standard grants, other grants require participation in an internal competition through the Office of Research and Innovation. Our office administers three key kinds of funding competitions:

  • Limited submissions preproposals. These competitions determine which proposals will move forward when an external funder limits the number of applications it will accept. To decide which ones move forward, UofL holds an internal competition through the Office of Research Development and Strategic Initiatives.  
  • Internal grants. UofL offers several internal grant options to fund research and scholarship, both for faculty and staff.
  • Translational grants. UofL is the only U.S. school to provide all four of the prestigious grant-backed translational programs we’ve dubbed the “superfecta,” which help researchers build entrepreneurial skills and develop technologies for market launch. 

UofL keeps a searchable database of currently open limited submissions, internal grant and translational grant opportunities here.

Infoready, which is expected to launch in winter 2021, will replace this page. You'll be able to login and create an account using Single Sign On (SSO) with your UofL ID and password.

downarrowIndustry-Sponsorships: sponsored research agreements, licensing, clinical trials, etc.

Industry will often sponsor research with a university to innovate and solve problems. This industry sponsored researchcan take several forms, including:

  • Sponsored research agreements;
  • Service contracts;
  • Material transfer agreements (MTAs);
  • Clinical trials; or
  • Licensing or optioning IP.

If you are interested in working with an industry partner, we can work with you to to establish the desired relationship with the desired partner. Industry partnerships may be appropriate for solving industry problems through research, licensing and developing university research-born technology and more.

Most funding opportunities will require developing and submitting a proposal. The Office of Research Development and Strategic Initiatives may be able to provide development support, such as writing, editing and graphic design, if requested and available.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND INFORMATION

downarrowSign up for funding notification services

There are a number of notification services available to deliver funding opportunities directly to your inbox. The UofL Research and Innovation Funding Newsletter goes out weekly with a listing of new limited submission competitions.

We also encourage researchers to sign up for a UofL-sponsored account on Pivot, which regularly emails new opportunities tailored to your specific research interests and goals. More information on Pivot and how to sign up is available here. You can login and create an account using Single Sign On (SSO) with your UofL ID and password. UofL keeps a Pivot Fund Finder searchable database of currently open standard grant opportunities. Additional information regarding Pivot Fund Finder may be found here.

downarrowReview currently available opportunities

UofL keeps two databases of available opportunities: Pivot's Fund Finder and InfoReady. Most non-limited funding opportunities will be listed via UofL's instance of Pivot, which is available here. Funding opportunities that require an internal competition, including limited submissions, internal grants and translational grants, will be listed via UofL's instance of InfoReady, which is available here. With both, you can login and create an account using Single Sign On (SSO) with your UofL ID and password. More information on grant types and how to find opportunities is available on our Find Funding page .

In addition, you may want to explore available funding opportunity databases, including:

  • Grants.gov: one of the main sources to find and apply for federal government grants. This is a federal portal for grants and cooperative agreements. The Search Grants link allows you to search their site for funding opportunities.
  • Candid.org: search for Private and Corporate Foundations.
  • Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: lists all Federal grant programs with contacts, information sources and application forms. Provides a section on writing grant applications.
  • Federal Business Opportunities: source of active federal opportunities, including funding announcements and amendments to existing RFA's.
  • proposalCENTRAL: e-grantmaking website shared by many government, non-profit, and private grant-making organizations. It lists hundreds of funding opportunities from many non-federal sponsors.
  • JHU, a Postdoctoral Funding Opportunities list created and permission provided by Denis Wirtz, Johns Hopkins University.
downarrowExplore the proposal timeline

With proposal development, it's important to begin with the end in mind and familiarize yourself with the steps of the process and know the proposal timeline. This includes knowing when to get in touch with the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration (OSPA), which will handle submission and help you with on-going compliance and management after the award is granted. To ensure your proposal is submitted on-time, please notify OSPA of your intent two weeks before you intend to submit; the final version of the proposal must be submitted to OSPA five full business days prior to sponsoring agency deadline.