R-Initiatives

R-Initiatives nurture scholarship and discovery at Clemson University by providing funding opportunities and professional development support, while recognizing excellence through awards programs.

Since launching R-Initiatives in 2017, Clemson University has invested more than  $6 million in research projects involving 418 faculty members. These funds have helped faculty secure $14 million in additional external funding, acquire 20 new pieces of instrumentation, publish 10 books and 66 journal articles, and conduct 10 art exhibitions. Additionally, funds have helped 97 students earn PhDs and have assisted in the hiring of 23 postdocs and research faculty.

• Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)

  The MRI initiative provides $50,000 or more to fund the purchase or upgrade of equipment. The deadline to apply is March 16, 2022. MORE INFORMATION

• Clemson Research Fellows

  Fellows provides funding to support the hiring and training of research faculty and postdoctoral researchers. The deadline to apply is Feb. 16, 2022. MORE INFORMATION

• Clemson Core Incentivized Access (CU-CIA)

  CU-CIA provides access to core research facilities for electron microscopy, light imaging, micro fabrication, high performance computing and animal research services. The first deadline to apply is Nov. 22, 2021 and the second is April 13, 2022. MORE INFORMATION

• External Review Initiative

  This provides principal investigators with external reviews to strengthen proposals before submission to funding agencies. Applications are accepted any time but must be submitted 12 weeks before the sponsor deadline. MORE INFORMATION

• Sponsor Travel Grants

  This provides investigators with up to $1,000 to visit agency or foundation program officers to establish relationships and discuss new funding opportunities. Applications are accepted any time. MORE INFORMATION

• Doctoral Dissertation Completion Grant

  A collaborative effort between the Offices of the Vice President for Research and the Dean of the Graduate School, this initiative supports students working to complete their doctoral degree. The Doctoral Dissertation Completion Award is not currently accepting applications. MORE INFORMATION

• Clemson Faculty SUCCEEDS

  CU SUCCEEDS now has 4 funding programs:

  1. Program 1: Project Initiation/SEED Funding – Program 1 awards provide up to $10,000 for the initiation of research activities. This was formerly part of the CU SEED initiative. The deadline to apply is Dec. 1, 2021 and the expectation is that recipients will use the investment to support submission of a proposal to an external agency.
  2. Program 2: Collaborate – Program 2 provides up to $35,000 to help multi-disciplinary teams craft competitive proposals for high-value external funding. The deadline to apply is May 18, 2022 and proposals with participation from across Clemson University, including Innovation Campuses, Research and Education Centers, and Clemson Centers and Institutes, are highly encouraged.
  3. Program 3: Project Completion – Also formerly part of the CU SEED initiative, this program provides up to $5,000 to support completion of a project, such as a manuscript, book, piece of art, or other product that is appropriate to the faculty member’s field of scholarship. The deadline to apply is Dec. 1, 2021.
  4. Program 4: Fast Track – New in 2021, Program 4 provides up to $5,000 to support activities that will help faculty respond to short-notice external funding opportunities. Applications are accepted any time. To be eligible for Program 4 funding, the RFP/solicitation must be published with a due date within two months of the publication date of the RFP/solicitation. Awardees will be notified of funding within five business days of Program 4 proposal submission.

  MORE INFORMATION

• Clemson SEED

  Funding opportunities previously offered through the CU SEED program are now part of Clemson SUCCEEDS. To view recipients of CU SEED funding in past years, click here.

• Research Symposium

  The annual Research Symposium is a gathering of faculty from every discipline to share ideas and form research collaborations, as well as to celebrate our successes in scholarship and discovery. The event features numerous interdisciplinary workshops, panel discussions, networking opportunities and awards ceremonies. MORE INFORMATION

• CAREER Academy

  The Office of Research Development’s annual CAREER Academy provides a dedicated support structure for untenured junior faculty who are planning to submit National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) proposals. MORE INFORMATION

• Faculty Insight

  The online Faculty Insight database tool provides a platform for faculty to search for potential collaborators and funding opportunities by expertise. MORE INFORMATION

• Limited Submissions

  Some funding opportunities limit the number of applications that an institution can submit per cycle. The Office of Research Development works to establish and implement a fair, effective, and timely process for internal competitions for limited-submission funding opportunities. MORE INFORMATION

• Researcher of the Year

  The Researcher of the Year awards recognize the efforts of high-achieving faculty whose work is improving society through the generation and dissemination of new knowledge. Each college nominates one senior faculty member and one junior faculty member who received their terminal degree within the past 10 years. MORE INFORMATION

• University Research, Scholarship and Artistic Achievement Award (URSAAA)

  URSAAA was created in 2018 to recognize Clemson University faculty who have achieved rare career milestones, such as: receiving the highest level of national or international recognition in their field; authoring a paper that has received more than 1,000 citations; or expending more than $1 million on research in a fiscal year. MORE INFORMATION

• Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research

  The Alumni Award is presented annually at the May Faculty/Staff meeting to a faculty member engaged in research. The Award is administered by the Division of Research. MORE INFORMATION