Research Leadership Academy

The RLA (pre-application process and/or post-application support) will provide:

• Seed funding of up to $100,000/year for a maximum of three years, depending on productivity, to cover costs such as, but not limited to:

  • Use of research cores and centers, institutional resources, and infrastructure

  • Conferences, workshops, and seminars

  • Pilot projects

• Opportunities for engagement with UK senior administration, relevant deans, and RLA leadership

  • Engagement and mentorship by leaders of centers, institutes, Research Priority Areas and UK Innovate

  • Centralized financial and other administrative staff support

  • If needed, assistance in developing mechanisms of sustained growth, including partnerships with industry, capacity to attract extramural grant funding and/or philanthropy.

Teams of faculty and/or staff with relevant expertise and evidence of success in the field of study who are involved in STEM+H research and who have the support of their college deans are eligible to apply. The Program Leader should devote at least 10% effort to the emerging theme.

• Eligibility is limited to full-time faculty (regular, research, clinical, and special) and/or staff. At least one Program Leader should be senior-level faculty and/or staff.

• Investigators in training, including residents, post-doctoral fellows, and clinical fellows, are NOT eligible to serve as Program Leaders but may be co-leads.

• Volunteer faculty and adjunct faculty are NOT eligible to serve as Program Leaders but may be co-leaders.

1. Call for Emerging Themes pre-applications

2. Pre-application submission

3. Pre-application review and invitation for full application submission

4. Preparatory invited full application process

5. Full application submission

6. Full application review and notification

The pre-application process will include a planning meeting with RLA leadership to assist the Program Leader in further development of the emerging research theme, align with the program Goals and Objectives, and obtain additional information that can be incorporated into a full application.

Submission - a single PDF document, 11-point type, single space, electronically via the online funding portal (choose VPR Support Grants). Include the following information:

A two-page pre-application that includes:

• Brief description of Program Leader and relationship to the theme

• Program overview and justification

• Describe how the Program addresses the objectives of the Emerging Research Themes Program

In addition, provide the following supportive information:

• Biosketches or other forms of abbreviated curriculum vitae (CV) for Leadership Positions

• Other potential participating units and identified faculty (spreadsheet format is appropriate)

Once selected and invited to submit a full application, applicants are required to participate in a process, in collaboration with the RLA and other parts of the UK’s research infrastructure, that is intended to facilitate the development of their emerging area of research. This might include the following activities:

• Networking researchers towards research themes of interest (e.g., Scholars @ UK to identify relevant participants)

• Aligning applications with program and unit goals, national priorities and/or funding opportunities (e.g., ADRs, department chairs, center and institute directors, Proposal Development Office,)
• Facilitating interactions with campus leaders for development of research themes (i.e., cluster hiring involving department chairs)
• Assuring leveraging of resources, infrastructure support and talent (e.g., ADRs, center and institute directors)
• Providing access to institutional data in support of a program initiative (e.g., OVPR Research Data Analytics)
• Assisting in the development of milestones and metrics for success (e.g., theme leaders, ADRs, OVPR Research Data Analytics)
• Linking to other potential sources of sustained support (e.g., Philanthropy, Proposal Development Office)

These activities will occur prior to submission of the full application and information that is obtained could be used to develop a full application, if solicited. Please contact Sarah Buzo at RLA@uky.edu for assistance in scheduling meetings.

• Deans and/or ADRs will recommend internal reviewers for each pre- and full application.

• An internal review of pre-applications will be conducted. Based on this analysis, representatives from the Provost and OVPR (RLA leaders) will make determinations for invited full applications.

• For Full Applications, Project Leaders will be allowed to recommend three external reviewers from other institutions that have similar entities.

• Reviewers from units involved in the theme are in conflict.

• Study section style reviews with written critiques will assess the following:

  • Alignment with program goals and objectives

  • Ability to augment participating unit research mission

  • Relationship to UK’s institutional goals for a healthier, wealthier, wiser Kentucky

  • Team leadership and transdisciplinary representation

  • Potential for sustainability (extramural funding, philanthropy, etc.)

• Representatives from the Provost and OVPR (RLA leaders) will analyze the recommendations from the internal and external reviews of the full applications and make final determinations.

Notifications by: December 1, 2023

Following the pre-application process, emerging themes that address the program’s goals and objectives will be invited to submit a full application for review. Assemble the full application into a single PDF document, 11-point type, single space, and submit electronically via the online funding portal (link to be provided).

Full Application due September 30, 2023

Application requires:

• Proposal Narrative and Justification (5 pages):

  • Describe the emerging theme and participating entities:

    • Include relevant data from SciVal or other sources obtained through the pre-application process towards participating entities and available evidence of prior or collaborative research activity and/or scholarship.

  • Describe how the emerging research theme aligns with the stated program’s goals and objectives.

  • Describe how seed funding will augment the emerging theme and create competitive advantage for participants.

  • Describe the emerging theme’s growth potential and impact at UK, locally, nationally and/or globally with respect to community and/or the economy.

• Aims and Mission (1 page) indicating the specific goals and objectives of the proposed emerging theme.

• Governance (2 pages):

  • Proposed faculty leadership

  • Proposed faculty membership

  • Faculty roles and responsibilities

  • Organization chart

  • Reporting structure

• Facility Needs (1 page):

  • Equipment

  • Support

  • Staff

  • Space

• Budget (2 pages):

  • A detailed budget and budget justification including salary support, startup support (if applicable), supplies, etc.

    • Sufficient justification and detail should be provided to validate the need and cost of each item

  • Priority will be given to applications that incorporate the following:

    • Matching or leveraged support provided by the relevant college, or other unit (chair, center director, and/or deans)

    • For applications including matching support, include a letter that details leveraged effort of participating leaders, other forms of matching support

  • Plans for sustainability at the end of the award period, including ongoing sources of funding and fundraising.

  • Funding distributions will be formulaic, bi-annual, and contingent on meeting metric goals related to the success of the Program.

• Letters of Support

  • Participating deans’ letters (Applications that include financial support and/or cost share as articulated in the letters from participating college deans will be given higher priority.)

  • Other letters (Support from department chairs or relevant center directors for faculty and staff participation in the emerging theme is required.)

• Biographical Sketches (limit of 6, up to 5 pages) – acceptable formats include NIH, NSF, or the attached template:

  • Education and training

  • Personal statement including contributions to the field

  • Positions and appointments

  • Honors and awards

  • Publications and or research/scholarly products

  • Active and recent (past 5 years) funding

Program Period: January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024

For Emerging Research Themes that receive an initial year of support, continued funding will be contingent on adherence to the following expectations and indicators of progress:

• Schedule of program meetings with agenda, time and location posted on the OVPR’s and Provost’s websites.

• Required monthly leadership meetings organized by the OVPR.

• Surveys, business and/or meetings, seminar series, newsletters, or other forms of engaging members.

• Required Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Training and other training in responsible conduct of research.

• Use of LabArchives electronic research notebook, when applicable.

• Acknowledgement of program support on all resultant publications, presentations, or other forms of research output.

• A semi-annual progress report, to include progress towards milestones, along with expenditures or other stated research outputs.

This information will be reviewed by OVPR, the Office of the Provost, and RLA leaders.

Research at UK includes highly diverse innovative discovery and creative work, and spans disciplines from:

• Basic science research on the laboratory bench
• Research with human subjects and clinical trials
• Community research
• Research in the humanities and fine arts, such as performances, concerts, and books of poetry

All faculty and senior staff are eligible to apply. Please see the specific eligibility requirements  for each program.

Typically, complex programmatic grants have large dollar budgets; however, to be eligible for this program these projects need to address strategic priorities but may not have large budgets. In all cases they meet the scope and requirements in the Complex Programmatic Grant Development Program (see above).

Below are the review criteria for RLA proposal submissions:

RLA Review Criteria: Research Leadership Development Program
RLA Review Criteria: Complex Programmatic Grant Development Program
RLA Review Criteria: Emerging Themes for Research Program

The RLA Research Leadership Development model provides opportunities to connect, interact, and gain insights from successful leaders on campus who have made the transition to leadership. These interactions are enriched by asynchronous training modules offered through Academic Impressions, an organization providing online professional and leadership development for higher education professionals. Modules are supplemented with faculty-led facilitated discussions.  Other opportunities for professional development cover professional growth, problem-solving, and more with faculty leaders.

At a minimum, we suggest committing 10% effort, which translates to about 4 hours each week of the year-long program. Participants are encouraged to be involved beyond this minimum expectation as time allows.

RLA members should design a long-term (5 year) vision for their project, with at least two realistic  milestones that can be accomplished within the first 6 months and 1 year, respectively, from program beginning.  

Attendance is expected at RLA Professional Development Workshops and Project Progress Meetings scheduled for Thursdays from 2-3 pm and at facilitated discussions of Academic Impressions modules, which occur monthly on Wednesdays from 12-1pm.

Engagement in other high-level leadership opportunities is a component of the program, e.g., OVPR Lunch & Learn sessions (Wednesdays, 12-1pm), University Research Professors Lecture Series (Tuesdays, 12-1pm) and at OVPR Research Advisory Group meetings (third Monday of the month, 9-10:30am).

By invitation and at least once during the program, participants are invited to attend each of the following meetings: OVPR Unit Directors Meetings, Associate Vice President for Research meetings, Associate Deans for Research meetings, Research Priority Area leadership meetings, and Centers & Institutes meetings.