September 26, 2023

Dear Colleagues,

Last year, 海角社区 launched the Provost鈥檚 Fund for Innovation in Research, a record-breaking $1.8 million dollar investment in seed funding for interdisciplinary research. The funded research projects included 77 faculty across 海角社区, with a focus on the Scholarship First priority research areas. The Provost鈥檚 Fund for Innovation in Research is one part in a series of changes in recent years, including better data reporting and an increased focus on research, that together resulted in the $428 million dollars in total research activity across the 海角社区 system, an impressive milestone representing a 16 percent increase in only one year.

I am pleased to announce another $1.8 million dollars in available funds for the Provost鈥檚 Fund for Innovation in Research. The funds are available through five mechanisms:

  1. Applications for Big Idea Grants are due by November 15. By focusing on major, innovative research ideas and fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations, the Big Idea Research Grants program aims to position the university as a leader in key research domains and secure substantial external funding. Phase 1 funding up to $25,000, phase 2 funding up to $75,000 and phase 3 funding up to $250,000.
  2. Applications for Scholarly & Creative Activity for the Arts, Humanities, Social & Behavioral Sciences (formerly known as the Arts/Humanities and Summer Stipend Awards) are due by October 15 for and December 15 for . The maximum award has been increased to $7,500 and the funds are exclusively available to faculty in the arts, humanities, social & behavioral sciences.
  3. Applications for Seminar Collaborator Support (formerly known as the Conference Support Fund) are due October 15 for and December 15 for . Faculty may use these funds to host academic scholar seminars, collaborative research events or workshops, with an aim to foster knowledge sharing with researchers, scholars, and artists outside of 海角社区. The maximum award is $7,500.
  4. The Equipment Repair program aims to supplement department or college funds to repair equipment deemed critical to research productivity with an original acquisition cost of over $5,000. The available balance has been increased to $200,000 and applications will remain open until all dedicated funds are depleted. .
  5. Applications for Faculty Travel Grants are due September 29 for , December 8 for and April 1 for . The program aims to enable faculty to present original research, scholarship, or creative activity at national and international conferences and to support faculty visits to program directors of federal funding agencies or attendance at proposal planning workshops with federal funding agencies. The maximum award is $1,000.

As was the case last year, the Provost鈥檚 Fund for Innovation in Research will be administered through the Office of Research & Economic Development. All applications are hosted on and will continue to be advertised through GeauxGrants. The Office of Research & Economic Development is happy to answer any questions you may have about these funds via research@lsu.edu. 

Let鈥檚 make this another record-breaking research year for 海角社区.

Geaux Tigers,

Roy Haggerty
Executive Vice President & Provost