University Research Committee (URC) Standard Awards
The Office of Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) provides internal funding through the University Research Committee (URC) mechanism that will accept a diverse range of grant proposals once per academic year to distribute funds for the next fiscal year, which runs from June 1 to May 31. The URC purpose is to fund meritorious faculty research in alignment of our commitment to research excellence at Baylor University.
For Fiscal Year 2028, the URC will award multiple $5,000 standard awards to individual faculty. In the past, larger awards (up to $50k) were also granted through the URC mechanism; these $50k awards are no longer granted through the URC. Instead, larger awards are only available through the Baylor In Deeds Research Incubator Awards.
Each applicant will clearly articulate their request in a standard proposal focused on pertinent supportive data along with accompanying details, budget, and timeline. Although some maximum limit on URC funds to individual faculty members over an established period of time will be implemented, URC envisions that the primary driver of future successful URC proposals will be the successful translation of previous URC funding to proposed outputs, which should include awarded external grants for STEM fields.
Eligibility
Full-time Baylor faculty, regardless of academic rank, are eligible to serve as principal investigators for URC standard internal awards. Visiting faculty, adjunct faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and research associates are not eligible to serve as principal investigators.
Deadlines and Notification
- Spring 2027 Application Deadline – March 19, 2027 at 11:59 p.m.
- Award Period: 12 months, from June 1st to May 31st
Forms and Guidelines
- Internal awards are not routed through Pre-Award and University Research Administrators. For questions about program guidelines, please contact Dr. Stacey L. Smith , Assistant Vice Provost, Research Development, or you may contact the URC Chair, Dr. Kevin G. Pinney. For budget questions about awarded URC grants, you may contact Amanda Hollas. If you have questions when building your proposal budget, please refer to your business officer and/or Human Resource Consultant (HRC).
- Proposals are peer-reviewed by the University Research Committee. All applicants will be notified of the decisions made by the Committee.
Application
- To submit an application to the URC, please email the completed application and appendices (if applicable) to URC@baylor.edu by 11:59 p.m. of the posted deadline.
