Faculty Funding Sources

College Faculty Research and Teaching Awards

College Mentoring Supplement Awards (CEMENTs)

Offers up to $5,000 annual grants awarded to successful external grant recipients in order to facilitate undergraduate student mentoring, based on the idea that while competitive granting agencies do not always encourage undergraduate student-involvement in research, these students nonetheless may benefit by being able to work with successful researchers. Grants are awarded based on a 10% of funding line formula, up to $5,000 maximum so that every successful external grant recipient in the College can benefit from these funds. Proposals are granted pending verification of current funding by the College Controller. A courtesy call for proposals will be announced a few weeks prior to the deadline, typically October 31.

Download the CEMENT: key assumption criteria application form

Grants on the Edge (GOEs)

Offers between $5,000-15,000 annual grants awarded to conduct research recommended by review panels for competitive external grants that were highly ranked but fell below the funding cutoff line. The intent is to help put the grant “over the edge” and into the funding pool upon resubmission. Applicants should submit the summary sheet from the grant application review for which they did not receive funding. Also include an individual summary of what you believe needs to improve and your assessment of the reviewers’ summary, a plan for changes you will make, and a budget detailing how you will use the funds should also be submitted. Results will be announced 3 weeks following the submission deadline, which will occur on the last day of the month. Send all proposals via email to Associate Dean Mike Stark.

James Bobbitt Alzheimer's Research

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Offers up to $20,000 award for a faculty member conducting research in the area of Alzheimer’s disease. A courtesy call for proposals will be announced a few weeks prior to the deadline, typically due the 30th of the month. Email final applications to Associate Dean Mike Stark.

James Bobbitt Heart Disease Research

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Offers up to $20,000 award for a faculty member conducting research in the area of heart disease. A courtesy call for proposals will be announced a few weeks prior to the deadline, typically due the 30th of the month. Email final applications to Associate Dean Mike Stark.

James Bobbitt Kidney Disease Research

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Offers up to $20,000 award for a faculty member conducting research in the area of kidney disease or diabetes. A courtesy call for proposals will be announced a few weeks prior to the deadline, typically due the 30th of the month. Email final applications to Associate Dean Mike Stark.

New Faculty Start-up Funds

A $20,000 annual grant is available to new faculty members in the College of Life Sciences at BYU. New faculty can apply for this grant up to three times (three different years). We expect faculty to apply for these funds in each of the first three years of employment at BYU. The goal of this funding is to help new faculty in the Life Sciences establish research programs and assist in the development of preliminary data for external research grant proposal submission. We hope to encourage new faculty to regularly seek external funding that will grow and strengthen their research programs. We anticipate that increased funding for scholarly research will provide greater mentored research opportunities for our students.

Proposals for new start-up funding should be submitted shortly after the start of employment at BYU. We ask for short proposals (2-3 pages in length) outlining the proposed research and how funds will be used to aid in professional research development (i.e., how it will aid with external grant proposal preparation). Proposals should include both a project description and budget justification. An annual report is expected one year from the time of funding. Annual reports should outline how funds were used for research development and the products produced from the research (i.e., data generated, grant proposals submitted, papers submitted, etc.) Year 2 or 3 proposals should be submitted at the same time as the annual report. Year 2 & 3 proposals should follow similar guidelines as the original proposal. However, year 3 funding will only be granted after evidence of a submitted external research proposal. Email final applications to Associate Dean Loreen Allphin.

Roger and Victoria Sant Sustainability Research Award

Offers up to five $14,000 awards for faculty mentoring of students in research related to sustainable use of the world’s resources. Special consideration is given to proposals that involve marine research. The Sant Committee, chaired by Sam St Clair, oversees the awarding of these funds.

Teaching Development Grants (formerly TEGs)

The College of Life Sciences is offering grants up to $10,000 for individual faculty members or faculty teams to foster excellence in undergraduate teaching. These awards are for any activities and/or resources used to improve the quality of teaching. Types of funded projects might include pursuit of pedagogy development opportunities, implementation of pedagogy innovations, and/or development or purchase of teaching resources (i.e., software, visual aids, media, etc.). The annual deadline for proposal submissions is April 30, and projects must be completed with outcomes reported by August 31 of the following year. A courtesy call for proposals will be announced a few weeks prior to the deadline. Proposals should be no more than 3-4 pages in length and should include 1) a description of the project, 2) a detailed budget, and 3) the metrics or outcomes that will be used to measure the project’s success. Send all proposals to Associate Dean Loreen Allphin.

Technology Transfer Grants

Offers up to $20,000 semi-annual grants awarded to applicants holding at least provisional patent applications, based on the recognition that 1) the commercialization process includes several “gap” periods between discovery and fundraising, often requiring supplemental funds to generate clinical trial-data; and 2) the College stands to benefit financially from successful commercialization of faculty research. Applicants should submit evidence of a provisional patent and a brief description of the technology. Also include your plan to advance the technology towards licensing a full patent issue. Include budget details explaining how you will use the funds. Submissions will be due the last day of the month, and results will be announced 3 weeks following the submission deadline. Send all submissions to Associate Dean Mike Stark.

Interdisciplinary Research Origination Awards

The IDR Origination Awards foster new interdisciplinary research projects at BYU that lead to future external funding. Research proposals should rely on collaborative partnerships across departments and colleges. These partnerships should emerge from shared research interests and be developed in light of external funding opportunities, institutional strengths, and academic priorities. PIs and Co-PIs must be CFS-track faculty. This award is made possible by the Simmons Research Endowment. A comprehensive explanation of the award types, funding amounts, eligibility, proposal components, and submission information can be found on the BYU Research Development page.

Turkey Vaccine Study

Grant to be awarded under the umbrella of Technology Transfer Grants.

University-level Funding available for Faculty Research

Charles Redd Center for Western Studies Grants

Offers $1000-$15,000 funding to faculty and students engaged in research on the American West for a wide variety of disciplines. Search the university site to find the latest expectations including the application deadline.

David O. McKay Grant

Offers up to $25,000 (carries over up to one year) support for improving teaching across all disciplines consistent with the aims of a BYU Education. (See Aims of a BYU Education) Search the university site to find the latest expectations including the application deadline. The application form can be found on the university's grad studies page under "Scholarly & Creative Work Grants".

Eliza R. Snow Grant

Offers up to $25,000 (carries over up to one year) support in bringing LDS perspectives to the academic disciplines, or in expressing LDS perspectives in creative work. Search the university site to find the latest expectations including the application deadline. The application form can be found on the university's grad studies page under "Scholarly & Creative Work Grants".

Emmeline B. Wells Grant

Offers up to $25,000 (carries over up to one year) support for research and creative work with a focus on contexts and issues related to women’s lives. Search the university site to find the latest expectations including the application deadline. The application form can be found on the university's grad studies page under "Scholarly & Creative Work Grants".

BYU Gerontology Research Funding

Offers up to $10,000 for research funding related to the physical, psychological or social aspects of aging in the later years (main focus of research: age 50 or older). Research proposals from all disciplines will be considered. Search the university site to find the latest expectations including the application deadline.

Interdisciplinary Research (IDR) Origination Awards

Offers $60,000 for two years as seed funding to interdisciplinary teams of faculty from at least 3 different departments and 2 or more colleges for external funding. Search the university site to find the latest expectations including the deadlines for letters of intent, and full proposals.

John A. Widtsoe Grant

Offers up to $25,000 (carries over up to one year) support for innovative research or creative work that enhances the quality of life. Search the university site to find the latest expectations including the application deadline. The application form can be found on the university's grad studies page under "Scholarly & Creative Work Grants".

J. Reuben Clark, Jr. Grant

Offers up to $25,000 (carries over up to one year) support for work that increases the influence of the gospel principles in public life. Search the university site to find the latest expectations including the application deadline. The application form can be found on the university's grad studies page under "Scholarly & Creative Work Grants".

Women’s Research Initiative Grant

Offers up to $5,000 support for research and creative work focusing on women. Search the university site to find the latest expectations including the application deadline. The application form can be found on the university's grad studies page under "Women's Research Initiative Grant Application".