Michigan Research Launchpad
Connecting researchers to programs and support systems that can help them find the many OVPR units dedicated to furthering the impact of U-M’s research efforts and supporting more competitive proposals for external funding.
How the Michigan Research Launchpad helps faculty
Translating ideas into major funding
Connecting faculty across disciplines
Unlocking the power of strategic analytics
Expanding pathways and partnerships
Increasing visibility and recognition
Launchpad Units
OVPR hosts a wide range of units and programs committed to helping U-M researchers pursue innovative and impactful projects. These resources are designed to increase interdisciplinary work, prepare for competitive grant opportunities and increase the reach of their groundbreaking findings.
AIIM: The AI Institutes at Michigan
AIIM’s strategy revolves around integrating and coordinating the strengths of various AI-focused centers and institutes, and fostering a collaborative environment that amplifies the impact of each participating member.
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The new strategic collaboration will support researchers by creating opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, students and industry partners, fostering an environment where innovative ideas can thrive and be translated into real-world applications.
Innovation Partnerships
Innovation Partnerships is the university’s nexus for research commercialization that provides translational research funding and business mentorship to drive startup formation, industry partnerships and other forms of research translation.
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Innovation Partnerships is a partner for U-M faculty and researchers wanting to see their discoveries enter the world.
The Corporate Research Alliances team provides faculty-facing support to convert industry relationships into successful sponsored research collaborations.
The Licensing team brings business, scientific and legal expertise to amplify the impact of U-M research.
The Ventures team supports the launch of startups based on U-M technologies and research discoveries by providing a full suite of resources, including business mentorship, translational research funding and venture capital connections.
Bold Challenges
The Bold Challenges Initiative supports transformative collaborations that bring together researcher talents across disciplines to pursue large-scale opportunities.
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Bold Challenges offers empowering workshops, seminars and networking opportunities. These events include team building activities, opportunities to interact directly with funders and develop networks to increase cross-school collaborations.
The Bold Challenges programs build faculty skills, knowledge and capacity so that U-M researchers are ready to pounce when big opportunities arise. Its two programs are called Boost and Accelerate:
- Boost is an annual program to support early-stage multi-school teams working on significant transdisciplinary projects with substantial potential for large-scale funding. Boost provides research development support and up to $75K to increase team capacity and competitiveness.
- Accelerate offers “precision service” to support and guide teams that are seeking transformational grants through an identified funding source, including:
- Personalized access to research development support. Up to $125K in incentive-based support to increase the probability of a successful proposal.
Impact Institutes
The Impact Institutes are designed to propel the creation and growth of interdisciplinary research centers that serve as catalysts for public impact and research excellence in areas that are of increasing importance to the state and nation.
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The program offers a structured framework for initiating and scaling these centers.
Program Structure
- Seed Stage:
- Target: New centers with growth potential.
- Eligibility: U-M faculty eligible as PI on federal awards.
- Support: Up to $200,000 for two years.
- Venture Stage:
- Target: Successful centers ready for larger external funding.
- Eligibility: Graduated Seed Stage centers or existing institutes.
- Support: $500,000 per year for three years, with matching investments required.
Building Better Futures
The Building Better Futures grant program builds upon OVPR’s Research Catalyst and Innovation Program – created to catalyze innovative research and scholarly inquiry to advance knowledge around complex societal matters.
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The key goal of the program is to support rigorous, innovative and technically sound research that advances relevant inquiry into topics that empower people to improve their quality of life, strengthen their communities and create opportunities for those who have been excluded in the past.
Grants between $25,000-$100,000 are available for projects that aim to grow the current scope of research on vital topics, develop new knowledge through interdisciplinary scholarly engagement in the service of increasing positive societal impacts of the research.
Office of Research Development
The Office of Research Development team strives to connect researchers to resources and increase its investigators’ competitiveness in obtaining extramural research funding.
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With a focus on supporting researchers to increase competitiveness and leverage resources and best practices to build research capacity, the Office of Research Development:
- Coordinates internal funding programs and institutionally limited submissions;
- Provides effective, efficient proposal management, including graphics and editing, for external grant proposals;
- Facilitates meetings and workshops for brainstorming, skill-building or strategic planning, and
- Develops online resources and tools to guide research efforts.
Michigan Analytics Group – RADIO
RADIO analyzes and integrates data, including the university’s research portfolio, to better prepare the university and its faculty to remain competitive in advancing human knowledge.
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Harnessing the power of data to inform and elevate research and creative practice pursuits across campus, RADIO is U-M’s central hub supporting data-driven decision-making about the research enterprise.
The team works with research leaders at U-M to contribute expertise to and support decision-making for both strategic purposes and specific projects or initiatives.
Faculty Honorifics Office
The Faculty Honorifics Office is the university’s resource for increasing national recognition of faculty research accomplishments.
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The Faculty Honorifics Office seeks to bolster recognition for U-M researchers by increasing the number, diversity and quality of nominations through better coordination, sharing best practices across the institution, and ensuring equitable nomination processes.
The office works to promote recognition of U-M faculty who are leaders in their fields and celebrate the value and impact of Michigan research. The team also offers departmental consultations and accepts individual candidate suggestions.
Michigan Analytics Group – Strategic Intelligence
The Strategic Intelligence team supports long-term and advance planning to increase competitiveness for extramural research funding.
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The team focuses on forecasting, analysis and early engagement to position U-M research teams to successfully pursue large-scale funding. Areas of focus include:
- Emerging national and global funding directions
- Early-planning opportunities
- Award history, portfolio, and program priorities
- Landscape scans
- Opportunity previews
“The Michigan Research Launchpad is a valuable asset to the university’s future competitiveness. Our researchers are capable and committed to tackling society’s greatest challenges. The Launchpad is the place for the U-M community to not only learn about new and coming research opportunities but to improve their capacity for national and global leadership in these vital areas.”
Additional Centers and Institutes
The Office of the Vice President for Research supports bold ideas and innovation across disciplines, all with the goal of improving lives and strengthening our world. Discover the centers and institutes that bring this vision to life.
Research Commons
All internal funding and limited submission opportunities in one place.