Past Competitions

Purpose: U-LINK seeks applications from doctoral students who desire to pursue problem-based interdisciplinary research. The U-LINK Predoctoral Fellowship requires the student to identify at least two UM faculty advisors, representing at least two distinct disciplines, with whom to complete his or her dissertation work. We especially encourage project proposals that tackle problems aligning with UM’s Roadmap To Our New Century initiative (http://roadmap.miami.edu); e.g., addressing environmental challenges, engineering smart/connected cities, promoting health and wellness, cultivating a culture of belonging, and applying the potential of big data to global issues. The U-LINK Predoctoral Fellowship is an excellent opportunity for innovative doctoral students interested in completing their dissertation in a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment. The fellowship is comprised of a stipend of $40,000 each year plus 100% health insurance subsidy while a student is supported by the U-LINK fellowship. The award period for the first year begins August 1, 2023 and ends May 31, 2024.

Eligibility: The U-LINK Predoctoral Fellowship is intended for exceptional graduate students already enrolled in a University of Miami doctoral program and highly committed to engaging in problem-based interdisciplinary research. Applicants should not have completed all their coursework unless they have already taken coursework in a second discipline that is relevant to the proposed project. Applicants must be currently in good standing with their graduate program.  

To learn more, or to submit an application: https://miami.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1876591

IMPORTANT DATES:

• March 31, 2023 - Applications due by 5PM
• August 1, 2023 – Earliest start date

Background: The purpose of this call is to provide a one-time supplemental support to U-LINK Resilience teams for their previously funded projects. This competing renewal funding will be provided to those teams reviewed to have the highest potential for success based on the quality of the scholarship being pursued as well as the emergence of evidence for team success in generating outcomes and activities. Funding must result in the development and submission of a substantial collaborative external grant proposal.

Eligibility and Funding Priorities

• Previously funded U-LINK Resilience teams
• Previously funded U-LINK Resilience projects (new projects are not eligible)
• Teams should consist of faculty representing at least two diverse disciplines
• Scope of project must align with previously funded U-LINK Resilience project

We will fund up to 4 projects covering up to $100K in eligible expenses per project. The end date of the award is May 31, 2024. To maximize the number of projects supported by this initiative, we encourage applicants to request no more than the amount required to complete their proposed work. For specific budget guidelines, please see the Budget Guidelines document.

To learn more, or to submit an application: https://miami.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1893364

IMPORTANT DATES:

• February 28, 2023 – U-LINK Resilience One-Time Competing Renewal applications due

This call seeks to address the unique challenges facing healthcare innovations and innovations. This call for applications will: 1) support building a sustainable and meaningful partnership with an academic or community partner; 2) support projects that will identify, develop, and/or test strategies to enhance the adoption, adaptation, integration, scale-up, sustainment, and commercialization of evidence-based interventions, practices, programs, tools, treatments, guidelines, and policies; 3) promote the submission of grants to the NIH and/or other external funding agencies; 4) build trust and engagement among team members and collaborators to build sustainable partnerships before conceptualizing and submitting a grant for effective implementation research and practice; and 5) promote scholarly publications and scientific presentations derived from these proposals.

Eligibility and Funding Priorities: We plan to fund new teams of faculty representing at least two distinct disciplines. Priority will be given to teams that approach this challenge by establishing creative collaborations drawing from diverse methodologies and/or approaches to scholarship and problem-solving (e.g., a team comprised of individuals from humanities, social science, engineering, design, and basic science). Meaningful engagement of community and/or external partners is required. Strategic partnerships for research start-up and connections with external agencies for commercialization of product and/or intervention tools can be supported.

Award Amount and Funding Duration: We will fund up to 10 projects for at least one year, covering up to $100K in eligible expenses per project. Please note – U-LINK will optimally support longitudinal work, occurring over multiple years, to assess the longer-term impact and diverse outcomes of funded projects. To maximize the number of projects supported by this initiative, we encourage applicants to request no more than the amount required to complete the proposed work. For specific budget guidelines, please see the Budget Guidelines document.

U-LINK D&I AND COMMERCIALIZATION IMPORTANT DATES:

Applications are due by 5pm on December 1, 2022. Proposals will be submitted via the InfoReady System (https://miami.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1886165).

The purpose of this call is to provide a one-time supplemental support to U-LINK Social Equity teams for their previously funded projects. This competing renewal funding will be provided to those teams reviewed to have the highest potential for success based on the quality of the scholarship being pursued as well as the emergence of evidence for team success in generating outcomes and activities. Funding must result in the development and submission of a substantial collaborative external grant proposal.

Eligibility and Funding Priorities

• Previously funded U-LINK Social Equity teams
• Previously funded U-LINK Social Equity projects (new projects are not eligible)
• Teams should consist of faculty representing at least two diverse disciplines
• Scope of project must align with previously funded U-LINK Social Equity project

We will fund up to 5 projects covering up to $50K in eligible expenses per project. The end date of the award is May 31, 2023. To maximize the number of projects supported by this initiative, we encourage applicants to request no more than the amount required to complete their proposed work. For specific budget guidelines, please see the Budget Guidelines document.

To learn more, or to submit an application: https://miami.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1880660

U-LINK SOCIAL EQUITY ONE-TIME COMPETING RENEWAL IMPORTANT DATES:

• September 21, 2022 – U-LINK Social Equity One-Time Competing Renewal applications due

Earliest Start Date: June 1st, 2021

Background and Objectives: The world’s most challenging problems are usually complex. Fully addressing the issues associated with climate change, for example, requires understanding weather patterns, the relationship of health and disease to environment/diet, coastal architecture, energy policy, city planning, human behavior, truth in media, social justice, international relations, big data, and many other fields. A key goal of the University of Miami (UM) is to serve as a center of inquiry in which scholars from multiple disciplines can work together to pursue innovation, in areas where the world needs them most. UM’s diversity, found in our 11 schools and colleges, provides unique advantages for the next generation of scholars to explore and successfully address problems that span multiple disciplines. 

The University of Miami Laboratory for INtegrative Knowledge (U-LINK) seeks applications from doctoral students who desire to work on such problem-based interdisciplinary scholarship with Phase II U-LINK teams. 

This year, three Phase II teams are seeking applications for doctoral students to provide support on their Phase II work (see project descriptions at the bottom of this announcement): 

1. Development of an early warning system for hazardous noise exposure and its health consequences 

2. On the move: Climate migration and retreat in South Florida, the Caribbean, and beyond 

3. AI-driven Virtual and Augmented Reality for Applied Behavior Analysis – Evaluations, Creations, and Applications 

The U-LINK Doctoral Student Program is an excellent opportunity for innovative doctoral students interested in working in a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment. The fellowship is comprised of a stipend (consistent with the student’s corresponding school/college) for a 12-month period (beginning June 1 each year) plus 80% health insurance subsidy while a student is supported on a Phase II team1. The awardee will remain the team’s doctoral fellow for as long as the team is funded (up to two years). That is, if the team is not supported for year two funding, the mentor is responsible for financially supporting the student. Phase II teams are funded for 12 months (starting January 1) and are eligible for a second year of funding after the completion of the first year. Note that to remain a fellow, the student must be enrolled full-time during their period of support through this fellowship, and must remain in good standing with the program.  

Note that the UM student health insurance policy runs from 8/15/20-8/14/21. Awardees who begin this fellowship in June would be covered under the health insurance policy they began on 8/15/20. Awardees can sign up for the 2021-2022 student health insurance plan in August of 2021 and have the 80% subsidy applied for Fall 2021.  

In light of the violence and injustice that have come to the forefront of our national consciousness in recent weeks, we are issuing a special, rapid U-LINK challenge to catalyze interdisciplinary collaboration that can advance understanding of individual, institutional, and/or structural oppression, and its associated impact on multiple outcomes of interest, such as: health, educational achievement, income inequality, reimagined practices in the criminal legal system, and public policy. Our collective expertise and experience, when harnessed for collaborative team scholarship, has the potential to generate new knowledge—and new solutions—for complex and long over-due questions about oppression and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, class, and/ or ability.

This call is intentionally broad. We encourage and look forward to creative applications, giving priority to those related to the experience of Blacks in the US.

We will fund 10 projects for a year covering up to $100,000 in eligible expenses.

For interested faculty, we will be hosting an online “mixer” to facilitate possible connections with potential collaborators.

To learn more about funding opportunities, or to apply, click here.

Important Dates:

• August 1, 2020 – Social Equity Challenge applications due

U-LINK seeks applications from interdisciplinary teams that may combine researchers from across UM’s three campuses. We encourage proposals that tackle problems aligning with the university’s Roadmap to Our New Century, such as addressing environmental challenges, engineering smart/connected cities, promoting health and wellness, cultivating a culture of belonging, and applying the potential of big data to global issues.

Teams consisting of individuals from a minimum of two disciplines are eligible to compete for funding, which will be awarded in two phases. Phase I (Developmental) funding is designed to help teams further develop and refine ideas and to become established as a coherent team.

To learn more about funding opportunities, or to apply, click here.

Phase I Important Dates:

• September 3, 2019 – Letter of Intent (LOI) due
• October 2, 2019 – LOI notification/feedback provided
• October 21, 2019 – Phase I full application due
• December 2, 2019 – Decisions made
• January 1, 2020 – Start date

U-LINK seeks applications from doctoral students who desire to pursue problem-based interdisciplinary research. The U-LINK Predoctoral Fellowship requires the student to identify at least two UM faculty advisors, representing at least two distinct disciplines, with whom to complete his or her dissertation work. We especially encourage project proposals that tackle problems aligning with UM’s Roadmap To Our New Century initiative; e.g., addressing environmental challenges, engineering smart/connected cities, promoting health and wellness, cultivating a culture of belonging, and applying the potential of big data to global issues.

The U-LINK Predoctoral Fellowship is an excellent opportunity for innovative doctoral students, who have not yet completed all of their coursework (unless they have already taken coursework in a second discipline that is relevant to the proposed project), interested in completing their dissertation in a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment. The fellowship is comprised of a stipend of $40,000 for a 12-month period (beginning August 1 each year) plus 100% health insurance subsidy while a student is supported by the U-LINK fellowship.

Please click here to apply for the U-LINK Predoctoral Fellowship.

Predoctoral Fellowship Important Dates:

• February 14, 2020 – Applications due by 5:00 pm
• August 1, 2020 – Earliest start date

Background and Objectives: Climate change and other stressors produce a continuous threat to the built and natural environment, human and societal health, and economic development. South Florida faces unique and acute threats including, but not limited to, rising sea levels, extreme heat, overpopulation, and over-exploitation of natural resources. While we unwittingly serve as a “living lab”, our University community can use this to leverage our diverse disciplinary perspectives to (a) deliver timely solutions in partnership with stakeholders including governments, businesses, universities, and the community, and (b) provide training for the next generation of researchers and South Florida residents. These aspirations form the mission of a new “Resilience Academy” at the University of Miami, in which fundamental and applied interdisciplinary research and education will be developed to build a more resilient society. This U-LINK challenge, following the spirit of last year’s challenge on Social Justice, is being issued to catalyze interdisciplinary collaboration to advance knowledge on the impacts of climate change and other stressors, and the development of practical solutions to meet society’s changing needs.

This call is intentionally broad and can appeal to all Schools and Colleges. We encourage and look forward to creative applications that demonstrate interdisciplinarity across multiple Schools and Colleges. Some examples include, but are not limited to:

• Adaptation to sea-level rise, including saltwater infiltration
• Protection against extreme heat, extreme winds, and storm surges
• Smart city services and infrastructure
• Building designs and codification; urban designs and codification
• Solutions to the blue economy using coastal ocean predictions and assessments
• Protection and restoration of natural resources and habitats
• Public health impacts of pollution and climate change
• Individual and societal well-being
• Gentrification and access to affordable housing
• Climate migration and refugees
• Infectious disease
• Social and racial equity
• Healthcare access and quality
• Pandemics
• Vulnerability and risk assessments
• Property Law
• Insurance and mortgages
• Real estate development
• Economic impacts of climate
• Infrastructure adaptation
• Relocation planning and managed retreat

We will fund up to 10 projects for a year covering up to $100,000 in eligible expenses per project. U-LINK teams who have the highest potential for success in generating preliminary outcomes and activities will have the possibility to apply for funding renewal.

U-LINK Resilience Challenge Important Dates:

• October 22, 2021 – Resilience Challenge applications due