Request for Proposals - 2025-2026

4-VA is a partnership between nine Virginia institutions (UVA, VT, JMU, GMU, ODU, VMI, CNU, WM, and Radford) in order to accomplish much more than any individual institution could achieve alone. Collaborative Research is intended to improve research competitiveness within the Commonwealth by providing funding for faculty teams to engage in pilot research that could be used as a springboard for subsequent external funding.

With access to funding via a Collaborative Research Grant, teams can build evidence to show that their projects will make valuable, impactful contributions to their fields, thereby increasing their chances of winning larger external grants. The collaborative nature of these grants maximizes university resources at the 4-VA institutions and leverages faculty expertise, all while increasing competitiveness and capacity.

Projects that would not be feasible without collaborative partnerships and leveraged resources are highly valued. Active dissemination of findings, especially to 4-VA partners and other universities within the Commonwealth, is expected. Because 4-VA collaborative research grants are intended to serve as a springboard for subsequent external funding, projects are not eligible for repeat awards over multiple award cycles.

1. Eligibility to serve as a PI on a 4-VA at UVA Collaborative Research Grant is restricted to full-time faculty at UVA.
2. Collaboration with faculty from at least one other 4-VA partner institution is required; proposals involving only faculty members at UVA will not be considered.
3. Faculty members are required to include one or more undergraduate students on their research teams.
4. While faculty may submit multiple applications, they can receive only one Collaborative Research Grant in a given award cycle. Moreover, faculty who previously received a 4-VA award are eligible to apply for a new project not related to their original funding; priority will be given to new applicants and those who have not received funding in recent award cycles.

There are two funding streams available in the 4-VA at UVA Collaborative Research Grant program: primary funding and complementary funding.

1. Primary Funding: Each UVA Collaborative Research Grant proposal may request up to $30,000 in primary funding. Primary funding is awarded directly from the 4-VA at UVA program and will be transferred to the PI’s home department at UVA. Primary funding may not be transferred to other institutions. It is expected that any unspent primary funding as of July 1, 2027, will be returned to 4-VA at UVA.
2. Complementary Funding: PI's may request complementary funding for their Co-PI'(s) at select 4-VA partner institutions. Complementary funding awards are capped at $5000 and are in addition to the primary funding award (that is, complementary funding awards do not count against the $30,000 primary funding maximum).
   1. If a proposal has more than one Co-PI, only one request for complementary funding will be considered per proposal per institution. For instance, if a proposal names a Co-PI at both VT and JMU, each Co-PI would be eligible for up to $5,000 in complementary funding from their institution; however, if a proposal names two Co-PI's at VT, together they would be eligible for a total of $5,000 in complementary funding.
   2. Complementary funding is awarded by the Co-PI's institution - not UVA - and is therefore not guaranteed. Faculty should refer to the 4-VA Complementary Funding page to determine whether institutions offer complementary funding and whether an additional application is needed at Co-PI's home institution. Complementary funding is not guaranteed. Project work proposed through UVA should be able to be completed regardless of whether complementary funding is awarded.
   3. If the collaborator’s institution is not one of the 4-VA funded institutions (GMU, JMU, or VT) and declines to provide complementary funding, the UVA PI can contact 4-VA Deputy Campus Coordinator, Bryana Amador, to be considered for UVA-supported complementary funding. 
   4. Faculty from UVA Wise are eligible to receive complementary funding from 4-VA at UVA if listed as a Co-PI either on a proposal funded by 4-VA at UVA or another participating 4-VA institution.

There are two stages to the Collaborative Research Grant submission process:

1. Letter of intent (LOI) and
2. Full proposal

Letter of Intent– Due Monday, December 8, 2025

All interested applicants must submit a letter of intent via the InfoReady link below. LOI's will not require any materials to be uploaded and will ask only a few background questions of each applicant. All applicants who submit an LOI will be invited to proceed to the full proposal stage.

SUBMIT LOI: 2025-2026 Collaborative Research Grant Letter of Intent

Full Proposal – Due Monday, February 2^nd, 2026

The full proposal must contain the following:

1. A proposal summary that includes the project title, a list of project team members (e.g., PI, Co-PI's, and other team members), overview of the project and how the work ties into the mission of 4-VA, a justification for the research, what research questions will be pursued, which approaches/methods will be used, anticipated project outcomes, and how 4-VA funding would position your team to apply for greater external funding in future years. (2-page max)
2. A process summary that includes your project management plan and timeline, a discussion of how the research team assembled will work together to meet the project goals, including a description of roles/contributions of each team member as well as undergraduate student involvement, and a plan to disseminate the findings of the work. (1 page max)
3. A completed budget worksheet (template available for download on the InfoReady application site). Budget should clearly show the distinct uses for primary (UVA) award funds, complementary (non-UVA) funds, and collaborator funds (UVA) and provide narrative justification for primary award spending in each category. Indirect costs are not allowed.
4. Abbreviated CV or Biosketch for the UVA PI.
5. Letter of support from department chair or equivalent, to be solicited through the application system.

If you have questions about 4-VA funding or application submission, please contact:

All proposals will be scored based upon the rubric provided at the end of this RFP. Proposals that do not include all requirements will be disqualified. It is expected that all funding decisions will be made by the end of April 2026.

Continued funding of the 4-VA program requires the member institutions to demonstrate how the funding provided allows the collective to accomplish much more than any individual university could achieve alone. As a result, all grantees who are awarded funding are required to comply with 4-VA assessment, reporting, and accountability requests. These may include, but are not limited to:

• A final report completed by grant recipients at the conclusion of the project (via Qualtrics)
• An interview with 4-VA to include project details in the yearly 4-VA report
• Continued requests for data for up to five (5) years after funding to see if the award has resulted in other research products (e.g., publications, conference presentations, or external funding awards)
• Other requests for project information and pictures for use in 4-VA annual reports and marketing
• Faculty are expected to acknowledge 4-VA support on presentations, publications and other related materials.

All Collaborative Research Grants will be evaluated on three broad criteria: Impact, Organization of the Proposed Activity, and Alignment with the 4-VA Mission.

Impact: What is the potential impact of the proposed activity?

When evaluating for potential impact, the following will be considered:

1. What is the potential of the proposed activity to:
   1. advance knowledge and/or understanding within its own field or across different fields; or
   2. address an important societal or technical challenge?
2. Is there a compelling plan in place to pursue subsequent funding based on the results of the proposed activity?

Organization: How well-conceived and organized is the proposed activity?

When evaluating how well-conceived and organized the proposed activity is, the following will be considered:

1. Is the proposal grounded in the relevant literature?
2. Does the proposal clearly articulate research questions?
3. Does the research design and timeline seem reasonable for meeting project goals?
4. Is the budget request appropriate for the scale of work required?
5. Is the team qualified to conduct the proposed activity?

Alignment: How does the project align with the 4-VA Mission?

When evaluating alignment with 4-VA mission, the following will be considered:

1. Is there a strong dissemination plan in place for sharing the results of the proposed activity with the scholarly community, including 4-VA partners and other universities within the Commonwealth?
2. How are undergraduate and/or graduate students engaged in the proposed work? (Note: Inclusion of undergraduate students is required)
3. Does the proposal justify the need for collaboration between researchers and institutions?