Catalyst for Research Infrastructure Enhancement Grant

Award Cycle: Annual
Limit on Proposals per PI: An individual may participate as PI on one Research Infrastructure Enhancement grant per cycle.
Next Due Date: May 8, 2026, September 16, 2026, and March 17, 2027
Award Period: Invoices must be paid no later than June 30, 2027.
Applications: Accepted through Arizona Cultivate.

Description: The Catalyst for Research Infrastructure Enhancement grants are designed to add new, or augment existing, research infrastructure in strategically important areas through the acquisition of equipment (or other resources) for use by multiple investigators in shared facilities or approved university core facilities. For the purposes of this program, the strategic areas include:

• Space Science, Technology, and National Security
• Promise of Fusion Energy
• AI-driven Health Innovation
• Future of Sustainable Mining and Critical Minerals
• Arid Lands Agriculture and Water

Funding is supported by the TRIF Initiatives, including Water, Energy and Environmental Solutions; Space, Engineering, and Optical Sciences; National Security Systems; and Improving Health. 

Proposals with concepts aligned to the research priorities and TRIF Initiatives will be prioritized. Please note that these categories are intentionally broad and thus, can be representative of multiple disciplines, including STEMM and non-STEMM. If you have a proposed concept that does not align with the research priorities or TRIF initiatives, you may still submit your concept. ORP will only fund applications in support of cross-cutting research. 

It is highly recommended that interested applicants discuss their concepts with strategic initiative leads, TRIF leads, and Core Facility Manager prior to submission. ORP will host multiple campus-wide webinars on this opportunity. 

Proposed equipment must be located in an approved U of A Core Facility or in a shared, accessible space and must have multiple committed users from at least two departments and, preferably, from at least two different colleges. In extremely well-justified cases, a single department request may be considered.  Additionally, well-justified infrastructure refreshes, e.g., replacement of critical components, to avoid loss of current capability will also be accepted.  Preference will be given to multi-department/multi-college equipment (or resource) with a priority for those that will be located in the ORP Core Facilities.

For requests that will be in an ORP Core Facility, the proposed core must be clearly identified, and the ORP Core Facility Manager must be listed as a Co-PI or PI on the proposal.  Core Facilities are also eligible to submit proposals under this program, with the approval of the Director or Associate Director of Core Facilities.

Requests must clearly describe how the purchase will add new capacity or refresh existing capacity to enable competitiveness for new, clearly identified extramural funding opportunities. ORP expects to make awards depending upon competitiveness of the proposals and availability of funds.

Investigators may request $75,000 to $200,000. Requests below $75,000 may be considered but will not be prioritized for funding.

For all resources proposed for placement within a ORP Core Facility, an additional $30,000 in U of A Core Facility use credits may be requested to stimulate use; core facility use credits may only be used to cover approved user fees in the ORP core facility.

Investigators must make a compelling case for how the acquisition of this equipment will enhance the capabilities of the core or shared use facility, how this acquisition enhances research capacity across departmental and college boundaries, and how this acquisition increases competitiveness for new extramural funding.

Proposal preparation, submission, and processing information is available in the ORP Proposal Preparation Guide (PPG) v10, which is downloadable in Arizona Cultivate. The PPG includes requirements for the project narrative and supplemental documents; it is strongly encouraged that interested applicants read the PPG in full as proposals that do not match the PPG will be returned without review.

Please note the budget approval process which utilizes an applicant driven routing step after submission. Applicants will input the email address of their business officer or award/research administrator when prompted at the end of the application prior to submission. The email address should be for the person who has authority to create, review, and approve the budget. The system will send a link for approval via the email listed to the business officer or award/research administrator where they may confirm they reviewed and approved the submitted budget. This approval step is required before an application is accepted for compliance checks and formal review. The deadline for business officer or award/research administrator is May 11, 2026, September 18, 2026, and March 19, 2027, respectively, at 5:00 pm MST.  ORP recommends the investigator alert their budget officer/research administrator of this process in advance of their submission. 

Solicitation-specific information below supersedes information presented in the PPG.

Solicitation Specific Requirements:

Proposal Narrative: The proposal narrative is limited to two-pages. The narrative should include the following sections (this differs from the PPG):

1. Brief description of the need and research capabilities of the requested resource or instrument
2. Intended location
3. Research activities to be enhanced
4. Management plan: for ORP cores, this may include a statement on integration with the existing core management and administrative framework. For shared facilities include how and by whom the requested equipment will be operated and maintained, and how users will have access to the equipment (e.g., time allocation)
5. Brief description as to why the PI and/or team is uniquely positioned to be competitive and how the ORP grant will increase competitiveness
6. Brief statement connecting the proposed equipment purchase and related research to TRIF funding priorities and/or institutional strategic research priorities    

Required Supplemental Documents

1. Table of confirmed collaborators, including their title, department, and college; a minimum of three users is required
2. Vendor quote (preferably in USD) to include all applicable shipping and tariffs, preference for quote valid through June 30, 2026 for the May 8, 2026 deadline; December 30, 2026 for the Fall 2026; deadline and June 30, 2027 for the Spring 2027 deadline.
3. Within the budget, please include the estimate of installation costs including plumbing, electrical, and other facilities management-related charges. This must be either within the total funding request or provided by committed cost share from the facility.