REDE COVID-19 Announcements

The Division of Research, Economic Development and Engagement has provided a Research and Sponsored Programs Continuity Guidance plan for East Carolina University faculty, staff and student researchers. The guidance provides a continuity plan that operationalizes guidance posted by UNC and ECU on slowing transmission of COVID-19, while minimizing impacts on normal operations. The measures provided in the guidance should protect faculty, staff and students, study subjects, and the integrity of ongoing studies, training programs and other sponsored activities. Visit REDE.ECU.EDU for more information on the provided guidance plan.

Additionally, the division reminds researchers that federal funding offices, including the NIH and NSF, are NOT currently closed due to COVID-19. Frequently asked question documents related to proposal submission and award management have been provided by each agency.

• NIH General Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Proposal Submission and Award Management Related to COVID-19
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for National Science Foundation (NSF) Proposers and Awardees
• Guidance for managing major facilities under cooperative agreements or contracts issued by the Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support (DACS)

COVID-19 Research Funding Opportunities

• North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Flash Grants, April 22: The NCBC’s Flash Grant program aims to identify and energize the most creative ideas that exhibit early indications of commercial potential. Flash Grants infuse funding at a critical early point when a small, targeted influx of funds can be crucial to shaping innovative research ideas into high potential life science technologies, particularly in emerging and converging life science sectors. Cycle 3 is open to the following topics: Global Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, including vaccine development, diagnosis and COVID-19 specific therapies; precision health; and digital and data-driven life science technologies.
• National Science Foundation, RAPID Grants, Rolling Deadline: In light of the emergence and spread of COVID-19, the NSF is accepting proposals to conduct non-medical, non-clinical-care research that can be used immediately to explore how to model and understand the spread of COVID-19, to inform and educate about the science of virus transmission and prevention, and to encourage the development of processes and actions to address this global challenge. The NSF invites researchers to use the RAPID funding mechanism, which allows the NSF to receive and review proposals having a severe urgency with regard to availability of or access to data, facilities or specialized equipment as well as quick-response research on natural or anthropogenic disasters and similar unanticipated events. Requests for RAPID proposals may be for up to $200K and up to one year in duration.

Additional Research Funding Opportunities

• U.S. Department of Defense, 2020 Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, Multiple Deadlines: The Fiscal Year 2020 Department of Defense Appropriations Act provides research funding for multiple peer reviewed programs, including autism, breast cancer, combat readiness medical, lung cancer, rare cancers, spinal cord injuries, and tick-borne disease, among others.
• National Institutes of Health, S10 Notices Biomedical Research Support Shared Instrumentation Grants, May 1: To make available to institutions with a high concentration of NIH extramural research awards, research instruments which will be used on a shared basis. Investigators may apply for the following shared instrumentation grants: Shared Instrumentation for Animal Research (SIFAR) Grant Program; Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) Program; and High-End Instrumentation (HEI) Grant Program.
• National Science Foundation, Geography and Spatial Sciences Program, Sept. 3: The NSF’s Geography and Spatial Sciences Program supports basic research about the geographic distributions and interactions of human, physical, and biotic systems on Earth. Investigators are encouraged to propose plans for research about the nature, causes and consequences of human activity and natural environmental processes across a range of scales. Projects about a broad range of topics may be appropriate for support if they offer promise of enhancing fundamental geographical knowledge, concepts, theories, methods and their application to societal problems and concerns.

Looking for more? Check out our funding opportunities page! In partnership with Joyner Library, we have developed search results curated by research interest – now with up-to-the-minute results updated every time you run the search. It’s the next best thing to having a SPIN account yourself (if you want one of those, contact ORA directly).

For more information, visit ORA online or send us an email. Find the latest REDE on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.