General Campus Grant Funding

The next deadline for submission of applications is January 9, 2026. Funding for the January deadline will begin March 1, 2026. Late applications will not be considered, no exceptions. If you miss this deadline, the next deadline will be in March 13, 2026 (for funding to start June 1, 2026).

Application Process

Applications are created and submitted electronically through eGrants. Information about eGrants is available at /online-tools/interactive-utilities/egrants. For information on guidelines and formatting, please see the Data Dictionary for Research Grants and Travel Grants.

Eligibility Information

1. Members of the Academic Senate in all fields are eligible to apply for individual grants.
2. In exceptional cases, financial support may be provided for individuals who are not members of the Academic Senate, e.g., faculty in the research scientist or adjunct professor series or acting assistant professors. For non-Senate members, a recommendation letter from the Department Chair is required in support of the applicant's request and advising the Committee of his/her status in the department.  The Committee does not provide support for project scientists, post-doctoral researchers, and non-salaried faculty.

Guidelines

1. General

   Project descriptions should be written in general terms and comprehensible to non-specialists. Priority will be given to original projects, especially by pre-tenure and recently arrived faculty with no extramural or intramural support. Faculty with more than $40K in unencumbered discretionary or start-up funds will receive a lower priority; you must provide a clear and specific explanation why available unencumbered funds cannot be used for the requested expenses to support this research proposal. Individual research grants funded by the Committee will not exceed $15,000. Awards that would result in cumulative support beyond $60,000.00 over a ten-year period are unlikely to be awarded. Since the Committee is particularly interested in promoting new projects that will lead to extramural support, applicants should indicate when such funding is likely.

2. Supplies and Expenses/Salaries/In-Field Travel/Equipment

   Funds may be awarded for supplies, field work, research assistance, general assistance, in-field travel expenses for research purposes (written quotation from agency required), and equipment (vendor price quotation required). Please note that travel requests are limited to 15 days of per diem (which includes lodging and meals) total, no exceptions. Travel to conferences is not allowed on research grant applications. If you are presenting at a conference, please apply for a travel grant. For graduate student support, identification of the graduate student is required. Graduate students may only be supported up to 50% effort. Salary support for postdoctoral fellows, PGRs, or other appointments in academic series is not allowed.

3. Manuscripts

   Limited funds are available to support the final preparation of manuscripts for publication, i.e. indexing. Manuscripts must exceed 200 double-spaced, typewritten pages. Application must include the title, number of pages, and a detailed price quotation. Funds will not be awarded if a publisher's advance has been received. No support will be provided for proofreading or copyediting.

4. Computer Equipment

   Applications for computer equipment/software must be justified on a research basis. (Vendor price quotation required). Applicants must indicate what kind of computer equipment they currently use and how this request will support their research.

5. Audio/Video/Photographic Equipment

   Requests for funding of audio/video/photographic equipment (price quotation required) must be accompanied by a letter from the Department Chair justifying the request in view of already existing equipment in the department. The award will be made to the academic department, not to individual faculty. The department is obligated to make certain that the equipment is accessible to the entire faculty.

6. Unallowable Expenses

   The Committee does not award funds for: curricular, administrative and teaching aid studies; individual subscriptions or periodicals; professional society dues; honorariums; stipends; reprints; publication costs or open access charges; telephone charges; postage; calculators, office furniture; minor office and computer supplies (paper, pens, pencils); maintenance and repair of equipment.

7. Human and Animal Subjects

   1. Research involving the use of human subjects (including the use of questionnaires, body fluids, and tissues) must be approved by the Human Research Protections Program before funds can be allocated. Approval number and date must be provided to the Committee. Application forms are available here: Human Research Protections Program.
   2. Research involving the use of animals must be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). A copy of the approval or protocol number should be appended to the application. Animal Use Protocol forms are available here: Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

Use of Funds

Funds are not discretionary; justification of all items requested is essential.

Requests which would result in cumulative support beyond $60,000 over a ten year period will not be approved. The cumulative total will be taken into consideration in establishing priorities on future applications. Expenditures of research grant funds must conform to the Committee allocations by categories and purpose. Savings in any category cannot be redirected and must be returned for redistribution; grantee's 10-year cumulative total will be credited.

The grantee is responsible for the administration of the grant, including overdrafts, and must review the budget and promptly return any funds that will not be spent before the grant expires. Any unexpended funds remaining on the expiration date will automatically revert to the Committee for redistribution.

Any equipment purchased from an Academic Senate research grant becomes the property of the University upon acquisition and is retained by the University upon completion of the project for which the funds were awarded.

All expenditures are subject to applicable University regulations.

Please acknowledge the UCSD Academic Senate in publications benefiting from these funds.

Any unexpended balances returned prior to the ending date of the grant will be credited towards grantee's ten-year cumulative total.