Research Funding FAQ

To help facilitate the RFP process, we have compiled the following FAQ to help address the most commonly asked questions asked by researchers across the five campuses. 

Answers will be revealed once you click the appropriate question.

  • Who is eligible to apply?
  • Investigators with PI status at UC Noyce Initiative campuses are eligible to apply. You'll need to check with your grants administration team as this can vary. If your campus allows you to operate as a PI for grant purposes, e.g., through an institutional PI waiver, you can apply but will need to include a letter in your application documenting that a PI waiver was granted from an appropriate campus leader (department chair, Dean, VCR, etc.).Both Senate and Federation members are eligible
  • Is there a limit on the number of applications by the same PI?
  • UC Noyce Initiative will fund only one application per PI per competition. There is no limit on the number of applications per Co-PI. Each RFP will state any limits explicitly.
  • Do I need collaborators from other campuses?
  • Yes, there must be one PI from each UC Noyce Initiative campus (Berkeley, Irvine, Davis, San Francisco, Santa Barbara) participating on a proposal. Currently, inclusion of a minimum of 3 Initiative campuses is required on each proposal
  • Can I partner with individuals outside of the 5 Initiative campuses (Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, San Francisco, Santa Barbara)?
  • For multi-campus partnership awards, applications must include at least 3 Initiative campuses. Should additional expertise outside of that partnership be required, applicants may include co-investigators at other institutions, but they would not be eligible to receive funds from the award. Should applicants want to include co-investigators at outside entities, like for-profit companies, they too would not be able to receive funds from the award, and may require additional appropriate contracting, as defined through UC policies.
  • What counts as “human subjects” or a “clinical trial”?
  • If you obtain data through interaction/intervention with living individuals or use identifiable private information, you may be doing human-subjects research; a clinical trial involves prospectively assigning human subjects to interventions to evaluate effects on health-related outcomes. When in doubt, consult your IRB/HSPP office and the RFP provisions.
  • Do I need IRB or IACUC approval at submission?
  • Most programs allow “approval pending” at submission and may require approvals before award setup or human/animal work begins. Follow the RFP and institutional policy.
  • What about data management and sharing?
  • If required, UCNI expects a concise Data Management/Sharing Plan describing what data/software you’ll generate, standards, access, preservation, and privacy/security safeguards. Confirm any repository or timeline requirements in the RFP and your campus policies.
  • Are there page limits and formatting rules?
  • Yes, strictly follow the RFP (margins, fonts, format, page limits, references, appendices). Non-compliant proposals may be returned without review.Do I have to use particular templates when completing my application? Yes, please use the templates provided within the InfoReady application portal.
  • What should the budget include?
  • Awards may be used to cover relevant research expenses, including salary support, graduate student/postdoctoral research support, supplies & materials, computing expenses, equipment, publication expenses, and travel costs. Indirect costs should not be included.
  • How are proposals reviewed?
  • Applications will undergo peer review by faculty in relevant fields from Initiative campuses. The peer reviewers will assess applications on the review criteria outlined in the RFP, which applicants are encouraged to consider when developing their proposals. The outcome from the review committee will be provided to the UC Noyce Initiative leadership who will finalize the award decisions.
  • Can I submit the same idea to multiple programs?
  • Sometimes, provided overlaps are disclosed. You can accept only one award for the same work, and you must follow each of the specific UCNI RFP rules on “overlap” and “duplicate submissions.”
  • What is Current & Pending (Other Support)?
  • A disclosure of active and pending projects and in-kind resources so reviewers can assess commitment, overlap, and effort (content, format, signatures); follow the RFP and policy references.
  • What’s a compliant biosketch/CV?
  • Please provide a CV (five page maximum) for each PI and co-investigators participating on the project. We also welcome NIH or NSF biosketch formats. Be sure to call out any special qualifications that uniquely qualify you for this project.
  • Do I need institutional letters or commitment statements?
  • If the project needs protected time, cost-sharing, specialized facilities, cores, or matching funds, include signed institutional letters as specified. Obtain them early.
  • How are sub-awards and multi-institution proposals handled?
  • Each proposal, as specified by the RFP, requires a detailed budget. The lead PI submits the full package and subaward agreements.
  • What are typical timelines?
  • Expect two months from submission deadline to review of proposals, plus additional time to finalize compliance and award setup.
  • If declined, can I resubmit?
  • Thematic areas and grand challenge topics may change with each annual RFP. Should your proposal still fit within the parameters of the next RFP, your team can submit the proposal again. The proposal will simply be reviewed as a new submission.
  • What are the Annual Reporting requirements?
  • A brief annual and end-of-project progress report aimed at progress, key outputs (publications, datasets, tools), PI, staff and student participation and outcomes, follow-on funding and updated plans are requested.
  • Are there any requirements for publications & public access?
  • UCNI commonly requires public access to peer-reviewed publications and sometimes to underlying data/software after an embargo or upon publication. Publications resulting from the research should acknowledge support from the UC Noyce Initiative.
  • Can I re-budget or request a no-cost extension (NCE)?
  • Typically, yes, if within scope and within the award period’s policies. UCNI will allow a one-time NCE (e.g., up to 12 months) with brief justification before the end date; changes in project scope or budget allocations may need prior approval.
  • Do UCNI proposals need to go through the campus Sponsored Projects Office (SPO)?
  • No. UCNI proposals do not need to go through SPO. Proposals are submitted directly through the designated UCNI submission platform (InfoReady, hosted by UC Davis).

If you have additional questions, please contact the UCNI liaison within your campus' Office of Research: