As any researcher knows, it’s impossible to pursue quality research in a vacuum. That’s why units across Emory are offering a variety of ways to stay connected and find support for research proposals, grant seeking and more.
But because the resources are so vast, it can be difficult to know where to look.
“At Emory, there are 40 different seed funding mechanisms supporting research internally,” says Kimberly Eck, senior associate vice president for research, explaining that the high volume reflects the strength and breadth of the university’s research community.
Strength — and community — make it easier to think about new projects. Eck leads the Office of Research Development, the Training Grant Support Office and the research impact initiative. Across each role, she’s working to help Emory faculty navigate available resources as well as ongoing changes.
“Although there is change and uncertainty in the federal funding landscape, Emory remains committed to conducting groundbreaking research that impacts lives around the globe,” says Deb Bruner, senior vice president for research. “In collaboration with the schools, which are providing significant investments in assisting researchers, the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research is providing additional resources to help investigators pursue new ideas and new sources of funding.
“As with any personal investment portfolio, it is important to diversify. In research, that means seeking opportunities both across the federal government (such as the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more) and outside of the federal government (including foundations and organizations),” Bruner adds. “These new initiatives can assist faculty in finding and applying to sources of funding that are new to them.”
Novel resources around Emory
Eck and Erica Pitre, director of research development, are currently overseeing the Proposals for Unique Research Supports for Scholarly and University Endeavors (PURSUE) Program. The pilot program includes one-to-one support for assistant and associate professors submitting grant proposals for new funding opportunities.
In addition to office hours, program-specific proposal development toolkits and strategic proposal review, the program also serves as a conduit to connect faculty members with the right resources.
“Overwhelmingly, our faculty are saying they had no idea that all these things were here and happening,” says Pitre. “When we throw all of this at them, they’re stunned by the volume of support.”
Just like research itself, the resources available at Emory are ever-evolving. Eck is quick to point out a handful of other programs that have recently launched across several schools.
“These different resources are a reflection of the strengthening research development supports across campus,” Eck says.
Here’s how it’s working at four of Emory’s schools and colleges.
Emory College of Arts and Sciences: ReSubmit
Launched in November 2024, the ReSubmit program at Emory College incentivizes faculty to revise and resubmit proposals that were declined on a previous submission. A pilot program between Emory College and the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research, it’s coordinated by Anita Corbett, senior associate dean for research in Emory College and Samuel C. Dobbs Professor of Biology.
“ReSubmit is important because rejection is hard and faculty sometimes do not take time to consider feedback that may be offered and try again with proposals that they have developed,” Corbett says.
Faculty who resubmit a declined proposal have $2,000 provided to their discretionary account, courtesy of ReSubmit. But the real incentive is working closely with up to three Emory subject matter experts to consider feedback on the original proposal and gather constructive feedback on the revised proposal. This process is coordinated by Shanoa Young, associate program director of the Office of Research Funding Support.
“This program is not inherently interdisciplinary, but an increasing number of our faculty work across disciplines to maximize the impact of their work,” says Corbett, explaining that many project reviewers work in other units across campus.
In some cases, faculty bring proposals that are stronger than their confidence — and Corbett gets to encourage them to aim higher by applying for larger awards or opportunities.
“Our office is here to support faculty in being creative and bold in their research undertakings,” says Corbett.
Find out more about the program at Emory College’s Research Funding Support site or email Anita Corbett.
Oxford College: Grantseeker Cohort Program
Faculty at Oxford College have historically worked with Emory College resources when interested in pursuing grants, partly due Oxford’s small awards portfolio.
Still, external funding helps move research forward, which has been a focus of grants manager Teresa Hollingsworth over the past year. It’s also why Molly McGehee and Hollingsworth worked to create this Oxford-specific program that walks participants through the entire life cycle of a grant, from ideation to implementation.
“Participants will identify an opportunity to apply for, develop the application in conversation with us, and then we’ll walk through the process of proposal development and submission, and award management. To receive the stipend from our program, participants will be expected to submit the application they’ve proposed,” explains McGehee, senior associate dean for academic affairs and professor of English and American studies.
The inaugural cohort kicked off this fall with four projects that represent the breadth of liberal arts: writing studies, computer science, political science and studio art. A wide range of faculty levels are also represented.
McGehee highlights the amount of labor that goes into grant proposals, saying, “It’s similar to working on a piece of peer-reviewed scholarship; it’s that kind of hours and research. If we’re going to encourage folks to pursue grants and put that time in, we want them to be successful.
“When people have positive experiences, it’s a bit contagious,” she adds. “I hope that enthusiasm from our first cohort encourages others to want to participate and that it engenders desire to be part of the progress.”
To learn more about the program, visit the Oxford College RAS site or email Molly McGehee or Teresa Hollingsworth.
Rollins School of Public Health: Pivot to Adapt and Innovate Research (PAIR) Program
This spring, the School of Public Health launched two programs to give faculty the opportunity to support new lines and new directions of research.
“The PAIR program supports faculty in the research programs and in their careers, responding to big changes that are happening in a way that allows them to continue to be successful,” says Carmen Marsit, Rollins Distinguished Professor of Research and executive associate dean for faculty affairs and research strategy.
In addition to PAIR, faculty began looking for, and requesting, ways to pursue new directions of research and support — the interdisciplinary practice that makes research so valuable. To meet that need, Marsit helped coordinate research working groups, which bring together faculty around specific topic areas that may be of interest moving forward.
“We have faculty who have experience in these areas and others who bring different skills, so these groups create an opportunity to meet together and give support,” he explains.
The groups also aim to identify novel avenues for funding and support. “Our whole goal is to address the most important public health questions,” says Marsit.
Rollins is already looking to expand the practice of research working groups across the university.
“I’m hoping we identify different types of funding streams that work and that we’re able to rethink the work we do — and how we communicate it,” says Marsit. “We need to help people understand how important public health is. If we do this pivot well, there’s a real opportunity for Emory to work across disciplines and stand out.”
More information about this program can be found on the Rollins’ SharePoint site and the Dean’s Office Intranet.
School of Medicine: Pivot, Proposal and Planning Program (P4)
Officially launched earlier this year, the P4 program at the School of Medicine is designed to provide seed funding to principal investigators who are reshaping their research to better align with current and emerging funding priorities.
The program also has both short- and long-term goals, explains Jeremy Boss, associate dean for basic research at the School of Medicine.
In the short term, the program helped provide funding to investigators who were working to revitalize the focus of their research projects.
Moving forward, P4 will work as a catalyst program, where researchers will “be looking in a new direction that would be impactful and productive,” Boss says.
“It’s a hard thing to pivot a program that you’ve been working on for a long time and move in a new direction with your skillset, resources and team members,” he says, “so that’s what we’re working to support.”
The program is in partnership with the Winship Cancer Institute, Emory Department of Pediatrics and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory at Grady, and the Center for AIDS Research.
While these units are no strangers to collaborating, Boss says this is the first time he’s seen all the entities step up, together, for a similar program — and the synergy is notable.
“We’re all eager to make sure that research in these areas remains viable,” says Boss, who points to the ongoing value of existing skillsets and resources in investigating new research pathways.
“I’m looking forward to the long-term goals of the project, so we can use resources and help our faculty diversify and expand their current research programs to be successful.”