University of Michigan - Flint

Twice each academic year (during the fall and winter semesters), the Office of Research calls for proposals for internal funding to support faculty research and creative activities.  Requests for funding are reviewed by the Research and Creative Activity Committee (RCAC). The Office of Research staff oversees the distribution and management of these awards.  While pedagogical efforts are recognized as an important part of a university’s function, it is not the purpose of the Office of Research to fund this activity.  Other units at the University of Michigan-Flint provide support for pedagogical projects.

The RCAC and the Office of Research have developed the faculty research and creative activities internal funds program so that it is flexible, convenient and conducive to faculty needs. Four Office of Research awards are available to meet the research and creative activities needs of tenured and tenure-track faculty:

1. Research and Creative Activity Awards are offered in the Fall and Winter semesters of each academic year; and
2. International Travel Awards are offered throughout the academic year to support faculty travel to conferences where a paper or project has been accepted for presentation.
3. Research and Creative Activity Awards Phase II Funding Pilot Program provides support to Junior Faculty (tenure track) for travel to present completed project work or other dissemination efforts based on RCAC project activities.
4. University of Michigan Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR): OVPR offers support for research, scholarship, and creative activities in all fields. Instructional Faculty, Research Faculty, Research Scientists, Librarians, Curators, and Archivists are eligible.

The Office of Institutional Advancement and Office of Research also manage the Dr. Ben F. Bryer Foundation Medical Research Fund.  The Fund was established by the family of Ben F. Bryer to encourage and support the medical research endeavors of University of Michigan-Flint faculty.  This research fund honors the accomplishments of Ben Bryer, surgeon, scientist, educator, author, and humanist, in his pursuit of medical knowledge.  Funding is available, on an application basis, to full-time faculty of the University of Michigan-Flint to provide support for medical and biomedical research, with a priority given to research related to cancer.

Start-up funds are allocated to help our new tenure track faculty launch their research activity.  Faculty research interests are as varied as the individuals receiving them.  The guidelines for the use of these funds have purposefully been left general so that each member of our faculty can make use of the funds in a way that best meets their own unique needs.  Over time, general guidelines have been developed and are listed below.  However, please feel free to call the Office of Research to discuss possible additional uses and/or deviations as often these decisions are made on case-by-case basis due to the unique circumstances associated with academic research needs. Start-up funds are made available for two years.

Eligible uses for the funds include:

• On campus or off-campus research
• Pay for research assistant services
• Travel for attendance at academic conferences
• Memberships pertinent to research or scholarly interests
• Book purchases which directly support research projects
• Support of arts/theatre/dance scholarly activities
• Purchase of subject-specific software to assist in research activity
• Research publication costs

*Materials to support pedagogical activities may only be purchased with start-Up funds when the materials also directly support the recipient's research activities.

Start-up funds can not be used for:

• Book purchases for personal libraries
• Subscriptions to learned societies
• Additional pay for fund recipient
• Computer hardware purchases
• Equipment purchases