This program is made possible through a strong investment by the State of Connecticut into UConn’s research enterprise, Project Regenerate is a call for new internal funding program ideas in areas of urgent need and emerging opportunities.

The last 18 months has brought unprecedented challenges and uncertainty for UConn’s research community. Rapidly changing policies and funding priorities have led to funding cuts and/or delays for various research areas. Those same shifts have opened growth opportunities in other research areas.

In response to this tumultuous landscape, the State of Connecticut is providing funds to support UConn researchers and has directed that they be used to support four key investment areas:

• Support for threatened research areas
• Seed funding in support of future federal/private funding opportunities
• Research aligned with CT State priorities
• Support for Graduate Students.

Recognizing that leaders among our faculty are the best positioned to pinpoint areas of acute need and ripe opportunity, the OVPR is establishing Project Regenerate as a platform for faculty to propose targeted, quick-turnaround internal funding programs that would engage with one or more of these areas.

Call to action from Interim VPRIE Lindsay DiStefano

I would like to encourage faculty to THINK BIG and develop programs that build upon existing UConn and UConn Health strengths to address emerging opportunities, critical challenges, or strategic needs. Proposed programs should aim to create meaningful and sustainable impact while positioning UConn for future growth, competitiveness, and leadership. Proposers should be prepared in their application to make an evidence-based case that their proposed program either aligns with state/federal priorities or addresses unmet societal or UConn research needs.

The examples below are intended to illustrate the breadth of possible program concepts and are not intended to be exhaustive:

• A thematic or population-focused seed funding program (e.g., women's health, climate resilience, early-career investigators, school-based programs)
• Development of a new institutional research core, shared resource, or data infrastructure
• Programs that strengthen industry engagement through workshops, networking opportunities, industry consortia, or partnership development
• Graduate student or postdoctoral initiatives that establish strategic collaborations with national laboratories, federal agencies, or industry partners
• Rapid-response or fast-track funding mechanisms that enable researchers to capitalize on emerging opportunities
• Bridge funding programs that mitigate disruptions to federal research support
• Programs that generate preliminary data and strengthen competitiveness for future federal, foundation, or industry funding
• Graduate student research and training programs that build talent pipelines in priority areas
• Cross-disciplinary research initiatives that leverage existing institutional capacity to meet emerging needs.

Timeline 

There will be two cycles for this Request for Funding Programs (RFP): The application form must be submitted electronically through the QUEST Portal 

• Cycle 1: Opens on 8/24/26, closes on 9/14/26, notification: October, 2026 
• Cycle 2: Opens on 12/1/26, closes on 1/7/27, notification: February, 2027 

Note: Submissions to this program are made via a third-party software application, SurveyMonkey Apply.  The terms of use and privacy statements for this software apply to your use of it and to the information you provide in your application.  Before proceeding with your submission, please review their terms and privacy statements linked below.