The Ignite Transdisciplinary Research Fund has been established by the College of Arts & Sciences to foster research collaborations between CAS and other colleges and schools at UNCG. On Tuesday, Nov. 11, CAS will host a 5-Minute Pitch Meet & Greet event from 3-5 PM in the Alumni House.
Please RSVP by Nov. 10 at go.uncg.edu/fiveminpitch
- FORMAT: Pitch your research idea in a 5-minute, 2-slide pitch, then connect with faculty from across campus during the meet & greet. If you will pitch, email your PowerPoint slides (4:3 ratio) to Anna Marie Rogers (amrogers3@uncg.edu) by Monday, Nov. 10.
- Who should attend? Faculty from all UNCG colleges and schools are invited, whether you are pitching or not!
- On the menu: food for thought — and also real food! Plus a chance to build a new research connection and apply for up to $25,000 in internal funds for your collaborative project.
More about the Ignite Transdisciplinary Research Fund:
The Ignite Transdisciplinary Research Fund (IRTF) has been established by the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) Dean’s office to build research networks between CAS and other colleges and schools at UNCG. The Fund is supported at a level of $150,000 in AY 2026-2027, from which grants that range in size from $10,000 to $25,000 will be made. ITRF places a high priority on supporting the research aspirations of UNCG’s tenured and tenure-track faculty cohort. Priority will be given to projects that will contribute to the likelihood of external funding and/or recognition for their work. . Applications will be reviewed by a panel of experts drawn from the UNCG community and the panel will communicate their recommendations to the Dean of CAS for concurrence and award.
Proposals from UNCG faculty members are solicited. In order to build transdisciplinary research capacity across our schools and colleges, proposals must include at least two researchers representing different schools or colleges, at least one of whom must be a CAS faculty. Research teams should reflect new partnerships—they should not be already established research teams. The budget can include funding for student research assistants (undergraduate or graduate), material related to the proposed work, travel and other project related expenses. This fund cannot be used to fund faculty salary or to buyout courses. The maximum project duration is 18 months.
Required Proposal Elements (revised Dec 2025):
- Cover Sheet to include: Project Title, List of PI and Co-PIs, including Name, Department/Program, College/School (1 page)
- Project Narrative to include: project description, primary activities and outcomes, and identification of external funding opportunities to be pursued after project completion (2 pages).
- Budget and Budget Justification, with breakdown of expenses and total requested amount, including info about past, present, and pending funding from other sources, if applicable (2 pages, total). (Funds may not be used for faculty salary or course buyouts.)
- CV for each PI (2 pages max, per PI).
- Optional: References (2 pages max).
Submission Deadline: March 1, 2026
Submission Instructions: Submit the above elements as a single PDF to the CAS Associate Dean for Research.
Award Notification: by April 15, 2026
Project Start Date: July 1, 2026
Post-Award Requirements:
- Attend and present preliminary findings at a principal investigator workshop organized by the CAS Dean’s Office in 2026-2027.
- Work with an assigned mentor to turn the research or creative work funded by Ignite into an external funding proposal after the award’s completion.
- Spend funds in the period outlined in the proposal budget.
- Inform the CAS Associate Dean of Research about publications, creative works, and grants produced from this award.
