Project Pitch Sprint
Federal agencies continue to have funding available for research, but the way that funding is being awarded is changing. Staffing reductions across agencies have led to fewer formal solicitations, while recent changes in agency review policies have given program officers greater flexibility to support research ideas outside of traditional proposal mechanisms. As a result, directly pitching project ideas to program officers is becoming increasingly critical for securing federal research funding.
RIO's research development team is pleased to offer the Project Pitch Sprint to help jump-start the pitch process. Researchers who attend the Unlock Funding Beyond Traditional Opportunities webinar, work with a RIO proposal editor to develop a one‑page project pitch, and submit it to a federal program officer by June 30th will receive a $500 incentive.
Who is eligible for the Project Pitch Sprint?
All members of the CU Boulder research, scholarly, and creative community are invited to attend the workshop and engage with RIO in developing their projects. The $500 incentive for participation is available to CU Boulder Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty, Instructors and Senior Instructors (including Teaching Assistant Professors, Teaching Associate Professors, and Teaching Professors), and Career Track Research Faculty (i.e., Research Professors Series, Senior Research Associates* (SRA), and Research Associates* (RA)) who hold an appointment of half-time or greater.
*Postdoctoral Associates, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Research Associates/Senior Research Associates in short-term, transitional postdoctoral training positions are not eligible to receive the $500 incentive as the intent of this award is to foster new and innovative programs of research and scholarly activity that will be of long-term benefit to CU Boulder. Professional Research Assistant (PRA) or Senior Professional Research Assistants are also ineligible.
- What do I need to do to receive the incentive?
- Attend Unlock Funding Beyond Traditional Opportunities on April 16th (if you are unable to make it live, contact mike.mitchell@colorado.edu for alternative options).
- Meet with a member of the RD team to discuss your idea and strategize about potential sponsors.
- Draft a 1-page project pitch and work with the RD team to polish and revise your pitch and identify potential funders to send it to.
- Send your pitch to a program officer at a relevant Federal agency.
- Debrief with the RD team and strategize next steps.
Is the Project Pitch Sprint only for Federal agencies? What about foundations or industry sponsors?
RIO is pleased to support individuals pursuing funding from private foundations and/or industry sponsors, however the project pitch sprint incentive is currently only available to those pitching to Federal agencies.
Does watching the recording count, or do I need to attend live?
If you are unable to attend the webinar live on April 16th, contact mike.mitchell@colorado.edu for alternative options.
How long do I have to develop my pitch, and who do I send it to —RIO or the agency?
Faculty will work with RIO to develop their one‑page project pitch following the webinar. The pitch is then submitted directly to a relevant federal program officer (not to RIO). To be eligible for the incentive, the pitch must be developed in consultation with RIO, submitted to the agency, and documented with RIO by June 30. RIO will support faculty throughout this process and help plan next steps after submission.
Is the incentive tied to receiving funding?
No, the incentive is tied only to completing the steps described in Question #2 (above).
Will RIO help identify and contact appropriate program officers?
RIO will work with our partners at Lewis-Burke Associates to identify potential program officers and other relevant contacts at Federal agencies, however the PI is expected to make contact and submit their pitch.
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