Impact Institutes Frequently Asked Questions 

Applications can be led by any U-M faculty member who is eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator.

Yes, existing centers/institutes may apply; however, proposals must go beyond a “business as usual” approach. Applications should clearly demonstrate a novel, interdisciplinary, or transformative direction.

For the purposes of this application, each school and college on the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses is considered a separate unit, as are the Institute for Social Research, the Life Sciences Institute and the Library System.

For the venture stage matching funds of $500K, these funds can come from any combination of the following: industry, non-profit, philanthropy, foundation, federal or state funding agencies, internal funds. These must represent new investment in the proposed activities. For example, an existing R01 would not qualify as part of the matching funds.

Yes, existing centers and institutes can apply directly for the Venture stage when it opens in Year 3 of the initiative.

ISR and LSI represent the potential long-term outcomes of investments from the Impact Institutes initiative. Seed stage institutes are intentionally designed to be small entrepreneurial start-up institutes to establish proof-of-concept for long-term growth and impact.

The leadership program under development is focused on institute directors within Impact Institutes, but there is recognition that broader access could be beneficial in the future.

No, there is no limit in this first round.

The Medical School counts as a single unit. Collaboration across departments within the Medical School does not meet the criterion of cross-unit collaboration.

Yes.

Although these new institutes are primarily research-focused, educational components are encouraged as a core part of our university mission. These activities can be an essential part of the institute, but they should not be the only focus.

Yes, faculty effort can be included as part of the institute’s activities.

Please reach out to the OVPR team at [email protected].

University-wide goals for Research and Creative Practice can be found here https://research.umich.edu/research-and-creative-practice-goals/ on the OVPR website.

Reviewers and advisory board members will be intentionally selected to represent all parts of campus and the broad range of research and creative practice happening across the university.

No, but must require cross-unit collaboration (e.g. schools and colleges) within the campus.

Yes. Centrally-funded centers and institutes (Provost’s office and OVPR) are eligible.

Additional guidance will be provided in the full proposal stage; applicants are encouraged to think creatively about how impact would be effectively measured for their specific institute.

Yes, but substantive cross-unit involvement within the university is also required. For example, a proposed institute cannot include one U-M unit and one external partner, there must be a minimum of two U-M units and can also include an external collaborator. Consideration of external partners is encouraged. 

Bold Challenges (which consists of two tracks – Boost and Accelerate) focuses on building capacity for pursuing large-scale funding through skill-building programs, internal funding, and research development staff support, while Impact Institutes provides seed funding to launch high-risk, high-reward interdisciplinary institutes, with ongoing support and leadership development. 

Meeting faculty needs at different levels of readiness (from early-stage collaborations to well-established teams), Bold Challenges works to increase U-M’s pipeline of interdisciplinary teams, nurturing them toward large-scale efforts, specifically those that address complex societal challenges. The goal is to develop competitive, interdisciplinary teams that are well-positioned to pursue large-scale, external funding. Teams in all Bold Challenges programs are assigned a dedicated Research Development staff person to help them achieve their goals. Funding can be used in a variety of ways, including for preliminary data collection, salary support, workshops, and other needs. To inquire about Bold Challenges funding, please contact [email protected].

No specific metrics are mandated; applicants should define impact creatively. Feedback will be provided in response to annual reports. 

No, it can be methods-focused if it supports transformative impact broadly.

This funding mechanism uses the institute designation (recognizing that these terms are used variable across campus).

The LOI should list participating units and collaborators, emphasizing cross-unit collaboration.

Applicants should interpret this descriptor in the context of the area of focus for the proposed institute. E.g., what is the social/public impact anticipated?

Standard university guidance for allowable budget items will be applied. More specific information will be provided at the full application stage to invited applicants.

To allow the review committee to evaluate a broad range of ideas efficiently before moving to the detailed proposal stage. 

No limit.

Two cycles are planned at this time: Fall 2025 and Fall 2026.

A separate application process will be offered at that time.

Yes, if their initiative aligns with the goals of the Impact Institutes initiative.

In FY27, after two years of seed stage funding.

No.

Proposed institutes should demonstrate their alignment with university-wide research and unit-level research and creative practice goals. There should also be consideration of sources of funding for the venture stage – are there external (or internal) stakeholders who would be potential investors for the venture stage required match.

LOIs will be reviewed for eligibility for additional opportunities, including the Bold Challenges program, Innovation Partnerships, and other OVPR initiatives. Applicants will have the option to opt out from this additional review during the submission process.