This month, the Office of Vice President for Research (OVPR) is highlighting important post-winter break deadlines.
Apply for large grant development funds by Jan. 31
The OVPR invites proposals from all disciplines for funding to build a platform to secure large grants. Priority will go to applications that:
Are interdisciplinary, involving researchers in multiple colleges, departments, and units.
Propose fresh, innovative ideas.
Focus on the university’s Distinctive Collaborative Opportunities: brain sciences and mental health; cancer research and patient care; and writing and communication.
Focus on topics of priority to our state and/or country, such as rural health.
Will lead to a large grant award for the discipline, for example, $7 million or greater over several years in the sciences.
Grants will be awarded in three phases. Teams can secure up to $320,000 across all phases.
Nominate a fellow Hawkeye for a Discovery and Innovation Award by Jan. 12
The Discovery and Innovation Awards honor University of Iowa faculty, staff, postdocs, and students from a wide range of disciplines who conduct high-impact research and scholarship.
Nominate a scholar for the Obermann Interdisciplinary Achievement Award by Feb. 2
The Obermann Interdisciplinary Achievement Award recognizes individuals or teams whose scholarly work engages diverse disciplines to produce insights that would be unattainable within a single academic silo.Recipients will receive a $2,000 award and be featured in the annual Obermann Counterpoint event.
Nominations will be accepted from deans, associate deans, DEOs, and institute/center directors.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) rule requiring state and local governments, including universities, to make web content and mobile applications accessible by April 2026. This includes PDFs, a document format used frequently for sharing important information.
Adobe Acrobat includes a multitude of tools to make PDFs accessible.One very useful tool is the Accessibility Checker, which you can use to identify—and fix—any accessibility concerns.
UI undergrad is a finalist in research video competition
As part of the annual Alyse Gray Parker Student Video Challenge from the Science Coalition, the public is invited to vote for their favorite video submission from the list of finalists. The winner will receive a $500 prize. The deadline for voting is is Dec. 17.
Hiruni Sumanasiri, a senior in microbiology here at the University of Iowa, is one of three finalists for the undergraduate category. She is a researcher in the Kristina Thiel Laboratory Group and is studying ovarian and endometrial cancer.
The Conversation is an independent news organization dedicated to unlocking the knowledge of academic experts. Check out a recent article from a UI author:
Daniel V. McGehee, Director and Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering
