Planning: designing a grants development office at the university of evansville to strengthen institutional and regional research capacity

The University of Evansville received a $195,681 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Integrative Activities under the Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083), awarded October 1, 2025, with a completion date of September 30, 2027. This planning grant supports the design and strategic development of an innovative Grants Development Office (GDO) intended to strengthen institutional research capacity and foster regional economic development partnerships in southwestern Indiana. The GDO will serve as a faculty support resource hub while catalyzing cross-sector collaboration between the university and community stakeholders, with the ultimate goal of aligning university research initiatives with workforce development and economic innovation objectives.

The planning project delivers three core products: (1) establishment of a two-tiered advisory structure comprising an internal advisory board with faculty representatives from all three university colleges and a community advisory council with regional economic development leaders; (2) a systematic needs assessment utilizing surveys and focus groups to identify faculty research support requirements, community priorities, and best practices in grants development; and (3) a comprehensive, actionable strategic framework for implementing the GDO that incorporates findings and incorporates national best practices. The project is designed to generate a replicable model for emerging research institutions and primarily undergraduate institutions to strengthen both institutional and regional research capacity, with transferable strategies applicable across similar institution types nationally.

Abstract

Emerging research institutions (ERIS) and primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIS) play a vital role in the national research ecosystem, yet many lack the infrastructure to maximize faculty research potential and community partnerships. This planning project at the university of evansville (UE) will design an innovative grants development office (GDO) that integrates university research capacity with regional economic development through new public-private partnerships. The planned GDO will serve as both a faculty support hub and a catalyst for cross-sector collaboration, aligning university research with workforce development and economic innovation goals in southwestern indiana. This approach advances the national interest by promoting scientific progress, supporting economic prosperity, and creating a replicable model for increasing access to the research enterprise. The collaborative planning process will engage faculty, community stakeholders, and economic development leaders to ensure the GDO is scalable and grounded in national best practices, generating transferable strategies for how ERIS can strengthen both institutional and regional research capacity. This granted planning project will develop a comprehensive strategic framework for establishing a GDO at the UE through three integrated objectives: (1) forming a two-tiered advisory structure?an internal advisory board with faculty representatives from all three colleges and a community advisory council with regional economic development leaders?and convene both groups to guide the planning process; (2) conducting a systematic needs assessment utilizing surveys and focus groups to identify faculty research support needs, community priorities, and best practices in grant development; and (3) synthesizing findings into an actionable plan for the GDO, including the evaluation of scalable digital tools and electronic research administration systems to support collaborative operations. External partners include the evansville regional economic partnership, the city of evansville, and the applied research institute's opportunity indiana initiative, providing expertise in regional development and public-private collaboration. Expected outcomes include a data-informed implementation blueprint with an accompanying logic model and strengthened cross-sector partnerships with documented partnership functioning metrics that will provide a basis for the subsequent development of a competitive full granted proposal focused on testing implementation of innovative university?industry grant collaboration. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.