Innovation and Collaboration Fund Proposals to Open Feb. 6

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Innovation and Collaboration Fund will accept proposals from faculty between Feb. 6 and March 12 for its third year of funding. The Innovation and Collaboration Fund is one of three subsets of the Chancellor’s Fund and will award $1 million in seed money for bold interdisciplinary projects that have not received prior funding.

The Innovation and Collaboration Fund is administered by the University of Arkansas Office of Research and Innovation. Awards will support projects that lead to discovery and launch creative initiatives that advance the university’s signature research areas and strategic priorities.

The Innovation and Collaboration Fund prioritizes research that strives to advance the data revolution, improve human health and community vibrancy, and innovate for a resilient and sustainable future. It also focuses on work that enhances the university’s research and discovery mission, builds a collaborative and innovative campus, strengthens campus graduate programs and promotes innovation in teaching and learning.

“This fund demonstrates the university’s commitment to the research enterprise,” said Dan Sui, vice chancellor of research and innovation. “Across our campus, faculty and students are reaching across disciplines to improve lives and build a better world, and we hope these seed funds can give them the foundation they need to take these projects to the next level.”

The Chancellor’s Fund now has three subsets:

• The Innovation and Collaboration Fund
• The Commercialization Fund
• The Gap Fund

The Innovation and Collaboration Fund is substantially supported by an annual transfer of funds from the Athletics Department. The Commercialization and Gap Funds are funded by the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.

The Commercialization Fund launched on Feb. 1. A newly created Gap Fund will be announced on Feb. 8.

“The proposals we have received during the past two years for the Innovation and Collaboration Fund have been truly inspiring, and we expect this year to be no different,” said Jim Coleman, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Our innovative faculty and the success of the past two years set the stage for new investments to build more capacity around the university’s research enterprise. We look forward to the results that will flow from the work of our creative researchers supported by this fund.”

The deadline for this year’s Innovation and Collaboration Fund is March 12.

Get more detailed information about the Chancellor’s Fund and the application process.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.