Research Development

Office of Research Development

The Office of Research Development (ORD) at Rowan University is dedicated to empowering faculty, staff, and administrators in securing competitive external funding to advance innovative research. Our expert team collaborates closely with researchers to elevate the quality and impact of grant proposals, ensuring alignment with sponsor guidelines, fostering clear and compelling communication, and assembling dynamic, interdisciplinary teams. With a commitment to academic excellence and research advancement, ORD provides comprehensive services designed to maximize funding opportunities and drive scholarly success. Explore our resources and discover how we can support your research journey. For more information, contact us at ord@rowan.edu.

Federal Funding Updates 2025

The Division of University Research is actively monitoring updates from federal agencies. Please visit the Federal Reseach Funding Updates 2025 webpage for more information.

Highlighted Funding Opportunities

Limited Submission: Mathers Foundation Grant Program

Limited Submission

Grantor: The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation

Background: The Office of Research Development and the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations invite faculty to submit internal applications to the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation grant program. This prestigious program is awarded to faculty conducting basic research with translational potential that leads to major advances in scientific understanding and human health.

Funding Amount: The Mathers Foundation supports grants of up to $700,000 (inclusive of 10% maximum IDC) over three years to support awarded investigators.

Mathers Foundation Program Details:

The Mathers Foundation research grant program is open to independent investigators at all levels of professorship who are conducting basic scientific research with translational potential in any of the following categories: immunology, microbiome, structural biology, cellular physiology, genetics, genomics, microbiology, stem cell biology, neuroscience, infectious diseases, and cancer biology.

The Foundation conducts a three-step application process:

Institutional Nomination: Project title must be finalized
Letter of Intent: Through a character-limited portal, PI must include a lay summary, preliminary budget, project aims, proof of concept, and description of the investigator’s most impactful discoveries/publications

The LOI must include C.V.s or biosketches for PI, collaborators, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.

Rowan University’s Internal Competition Details:

Internal Application Requirements:

A 1 and ½ page research statement that includes the project title, category of research (see above), research summary and briefly describes project aims and related work
A CV or biosketch, no more than five single-spaced pages

Submit applications via email to ORD@rowan.edu with the subject line “Mathers Foundation’s Internal Submission.”

Important Dates:

Internal Rowan University Foundation Deadline: September 1, 2025
Letter of Intent: October 3, 2025

Contact Information:

Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations

Email: CFR@rowan.edu

NASA's Science Mission Directorate 2025 Research Opportunities

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate has released the 2025 Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES-2025; NNH25ZDA001N) solicitation as of July 10, 2025. ROSES-2025 is an omnibus funding opportunity spanning basic and applied research across all SMD divisions, with awards ranging from <$100K to >$1M per year and performance periods up to five years.

What you need to know:

Open Now: Full Step-2 proposals due beginning September 8, 2025 (and into 2026) – see Table 2 & Table 3 for element-specific deadlines and details:
https://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2025table2
https://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2025table3
Who’s eligible: Domestic and foreign institutions (except China), all organization types; note specific restrictions in certain elements (e.g., non-NASA federal agency exclusions in Appendix A).
How to apply: Register in NSPIRES (and Grants.gov if needed), ensure authorized official submits, and gather your team in NSPIRES for conflict-of-interest checks.

For additional assistance, contact the Office of Research Development at ORD@rowan.edu.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship

The Office of Research Development and the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations invite internal applications for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship program, which awards $75,000 over two years to outstanding early‑career investigators whose independent, creative research promises to advance their fields.

Eligibility & Requirements

Tenure‑track, untenured faculty as of September 15, 2025, with a regular teaching obligation
Research focus in one of Sloan’s seven disciplines: chemistry, computer science, earth system science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, physics
Submission materials:
- One‑page research statement (creativity, impact, future plans)
- CV (≤ 5 pages)
- List of proposed letter writers (one departmental nomination letter + three external support letters)
- Two representative publications

Internal Competition Details

Internal Deadline: August 8, 2025
Notification of Selection: August 15, 2025
External Sloan Deadline: September 15, 2025

Please submit complete applications to ORD@rowan.edu with the subject line “Sloan Foundation Internal Submission.”  For questions, contact ORD@rowan.edu.

Greenwall Foundation’s Faculty Scholars in Bioethics Program

The Office of Research Development and the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations are pleased to announce an internal competition for the Greenwall Foundation’s Faculty Scholars in Bioethics program. This award provides early-career scholars with up to 50 percent salary support (plus benefits) for three years, along with annual project and travel funds, to pursue innovative bioethics research that addresses pressing ethical issues in clinical, biomedical, and public health contexts.

Key Eligibility & Requirements

Must be an early‑career faculty member (or equivalent) at a U.S. tax‑exempt nonprofit research institute, with ≥ 50 percent effort devoted to research
Priority to those not yet considered for tenure or equivalent promotion
Applicants must have a first‑ or sole‑authored peer‑reviewed bioethics publication (published or in press)
Internal LOI: three pages single‑spaced (12 pt, 1″ margins) plus a CV (≤ 5 pages), outlining project significance, methodology, impact, and personal goals

Important Dates

Internal LOI Deadline: August 8, 2025
Selected PI Notified: August 15, 2025
External LOI Due to Greenwall: September 15, 2025

Submit your LOI and CV to ORD@rowan.edu with the subject line “Greenwall Foundation Internal Submission.”

For full program guidelines, eligibility, and review criteria, please consult the Greenwall solicitation (https://greenwall.org/faculty-scholars-program/scholars-rfp-2025-2026) or contact ORD@rowan.edu.

Limited Submission: Searle Scholars Program

The Office of Research Development (ORD) invites eligible Rowan University assistant professors to participate in our internal limited‐submission competition for the 2026 Searle Scholars Program, which provides $300,000 over three years ($100,000/year) for independent biomedical research. Only one nominee may be endorsed.

Program & Funding Highlights

Award Amount: $300,000 direct costs (no indirect costs) over three years.
Activation: July 1, 2026.
Scope: High‐risk, high‐reward research in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas. Purely clinical studies are not ordinarily supported; projects combining basic and clinical components may be considered.
Mentorship & Community: Annual workshops, networking with past Scholars, and advisory support.

Eligibility Criteria

Faculty Rank & Appointment: First tenure‐track (or equivalent) assistant professor appointment at Rowan University, begun on or after May 1, 2024.
Research Focus: Developing an independent research program in eligible fields.
Institutional Nomination: Only nominated candidates (one per institution) may apply; prior nominees who meet criteria may be re‐nominated.
Commitment: Must be able to dedicate substantial effort to the funded research over three years.

Important Dates

Internal Nomination Window: Now through Friday, July 25, 2025 (11:59 p.m.).
Internal Selection: ORD committee will announce the chosen nominee by Monday, August 4, 2025.
External Nomination Deadline: Wednesday, September 30, 2025, 5:00 p.m. CT (Searle Scholars online portal).

Internal Nomination Packet (single PDF)

Cover Sheet
CV/Biosketch (5‐page maximum).
Research Statement (2–3 pages, double‐spaced) outlining:
- Proposed project aims, innovation, impact, and three‐year research plan.
Letter of Support (from department chair confirming eligibility and departmental commitment).
Budget Justification (one page) detailing allocation of the $300,000.

Submit the complete packet via the ORD email account ORD@rowan.edu by August 15, 2025. Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.

We encourage all eligible faculty to prepare and submit a strong nomination packet. This prestigious award can catalyze your independent research trajectory and establish Rowan University as a leader in high‐impact biomedical innovation.

For additional assistance, contact the Office of Research Development at ORD@rowan.edu.

Corporate & Foundation Relations Research Grant Opportunities

The Corporate and Foundation Relations Department has prepared a curated list of current grant opportunities for faculty and staff. Please visit https://sites.rowan.edu/advancement/_docs/cfr-funding/cfr-funding-newsletter-october-2025.pdf.

Contact the CFR team at cfr@rowan.edu if you are interested in applying to a listed opportunity.

Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs: Funding Opportunities

Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) offer funding opportunities for novel biomedical research that addresses the specific needs of various stakeholders, including the American public, the military and Congress.

View current CDMRP funding opportunities.

All pre-applications must be submitted electronically to the Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) https://ebrap.org. Full applications must be submitted electronically to the Grants.gov website https://grants.gov.

Announcements and Resources

NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program Changes for FY 2026

The National Science Foundation has announced significant changes to the MRI Program for FY 2026 that may affect your planning and proposal activities:

No New MRI Submissions in FY 2026
NSF will not accept new proposals during the previously scheduled window (October 15–November 14, 2025). Any submissions received will be returned without review.
Additional Funding for FY 2025 Cohort
Subject to available funds, NSF intends to consider funding more meritorious proposals from last year’s cohort (submission window October 15–November 15, 2024).
Next Opportunity in FY 2027
The MRI Program expects to reopen for new proposals October 15–November 16, 2026.

Please remember:

All proposals must fully comply with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) in effect for your chosen due date. Early submission does not waive any requirements.
Awards made October 1, 2024 onward will operate under the revised 2 CFR terms and conditions dated October 1, 2024.
New Research Security requirements—effective July 10, 2025—include mandatory security training, annual certification for the Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program, prohibitions on Confucius Institutes, and updated FFDR reporting timelines.

We encourage you to:

Review the updated MRI guidance and NSF security policies.
Assess whether to adjust current procurement timelines or repackage your equipment requests for the FY 2027 window.
Contact ORD as early as possible for proposal strategy, budget development, and compliance support.

For detailed guidance or to schedule a consultation, please reach out to the Office of Research Development at ORD@rowan.edu.

Library Research Support Services

Rowan University Libraries provides the following services to support researchers:

Support for Research Data Management – consult us about creating a Data Management Plan, identifying an appropriate data repository, and other research data issues.

Journal Selection Reports – get help identifying a journal to submit your manuscript.

Support for Open Access Publishing – learn more about how to publish your work Open Access with the help of various library services

ORCID @ Rowan – set up an ORCID account that is connected to your Rowan affiliation.

Researcher Impact – analyze and show the impact of your work using metrics.

For more information, view the complete list of library research support services. To get assistance, please contact your local campus’s Rowan University Library.

Pivot Funding Database

Pivot is the Office of Research Development's comprehensive database for finding funding opportunities and discovering research collaborators. This platform empowers faculty members to actively showcase and promote their research, scholarly, and creative activity to all corners of the Rowan community and other research institutions within the Pivot network.

To access Pivot, you must be a faculty member, staff member, or student at Rowan University. You may access Pivot by creating an account and claiming your profile. Please access go.rowan.edu/pivot to begin this process. If you have questions, please access our Pivot how-to guide and frequently asked questions.

In addition, please see video tutorials with step-by-step instructions on how to get started using Pivot.

Grant Workshops

Virtual workshops are regularly offered on finding funding, the submission process, managing awards and related topics to support the research community. For more information, please visit the workshop schedule.

Rowan University's Statistical Consulting Group

Get expert, low-cost support from the Rowan Statistical Consulting Group (SCG). The benefits of working with our faculty statisticians include:

Lowering study costs by optimizing statistical methodology aligned with your research needs
Grant and future publication preparation support related to statistical methodology and analyses, including responses to reviewer comments - shown to improve funding outcomes!
Peace of mind knowing that your study used appropriate and effective statistical analyses.
Receiving an additional portion of indirect costs returned when you include a Rowan SCG statistician in your grant.

SCG faculty have expertise in a variety of fields and approaches. Examples include:

Biostatistics: study design, data cleaning, and statistical analyses such as t-test, ANOVA, chi-square, regressions, survival analysis, modeling, multivariate analysis, meta-analysis, propensity-score matching
Data Mining/Deep Learning/Machine Learning: dimensionality reduction, classification, clustering, decision trees, neural networks
Platforms: SAS, R, Python, JMP, SPSS

We have experience working with a variety of clients and projects, including academic institutions, hospitals and health care systems, and non-profit organizations.

Learn more about SCG

USDR Federal Grant Finder Tool

Rowan University faculty now have the opportunity to streamline their grant discovery efforts with access to the U.S. Digital Response (USDR) Federal Grant Finder Tool. In collaboration with the USDR team and the New Jersey Department of the Treasury Grants Management Office, this tool automates the search for federal funding opportunities and helps identify potential partnerships easily.

This resource is available at no cost to Rowan faculty, making it easier than ever to explore funding avenues. To access the tool, you will need login credentials. Simply submit a request, and the team will guide you through the onboarding process. For department-wide access, please reach out, and the team will provide additional details.

For more information and to submit your request, visit www.grants.nj.gov.