The RDO provides diverse avenues for researchers to access internal and external funding. This encompasses internal seed grants fueling novel research, streamlined management of limited submissions to funding agencies, and tools such as Pivot to pinpoint potential funding sources.
Internal Funding Opportunities
Research Administrators can add their unit's Internal Funding Opportunities into Pivot, allowing users to find both internal funding along with other external funding opportunities, all in the same tool. View the open internal opportunities below. Please email vpr-rdo@uiowa.edu to inquire about posting internal funding.
Upcoming Limited Submission Opportunities
Funding Focus is a weekly email alerting faculty and staff researchers and scholars about limited submission funding opportunities available to the University of Iowa. See the most recent issue of this email, view past issues, or access all current limited submissions via InfoReady below.
Note: for past issues of Funding Focus, limited submission opportunities may have reached their internal submission deadline.
Featured Limited Submission Opportunities
Searle Scholars Program 2025-2026
Description: The Searle Scholars Program makes grants to selected universities and research centers to support the independent research of exceptional young faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry. Applicants for the 2026 competition (awards which will be activated on July 1, 2026) are expected to be pursuing independent research careers in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences.
Eligibility: Assistant Professors
Limitation: one application per institution
Internal Submission Deadline: Thursday, July 31, 2025
Sponsor Deadline: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
NIH: Modern Equipment for Shared-use Biomedical Research Facilities: Advancing Research-Related Operations
Description: This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites eligible academic or research institutions to apply for funding support to purchase latest scientific equipment that will enhance and modernize research-supporting operations of existing shared biomedical research facilities. Targeted are laboratory research core facilities, animal research facilities, and other similar shared-use research spaces. The goal of this NOFO is to strengthen research-auxiliary activities of biomedical research facilities and to enhance the efficiency of their operations.
Limitation: one application per institution
Internal Submission Deadline: Thursday, July 31, 2025
Sponsor Deadline: Thursday, September 25, 2025
NSF: EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement-Focused EPSCoR Collaborations Program (RII-FEC)
Description: The RII-FEC program (formerly known as "EPSCoR Track-2 program") builds inter-jurisdictional collaborative teams of EPSCoR investigators in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) focus areas consistent with the current National Science Foundation Strategic Plan. Projects are investigator-driven and must include researchers from at least two EPSCoR eligible jurisdictions with complementary expertise and resources necessary to address challenges, which neither party could address as well or as rapidly independently.
Limitation: one application per institution
Internal Submission Deadline: Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Sponsor LOI Deadline: Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Sponsor Deadline: Tuesday, January 27, 2026