A group of students are inventing a "jalapeno popper" which is a cross between a bell pepper and a jalapeno pepper. The group has been cross breeding the plants for five seasons and are a few seasons away from a final product. The group was photographed at the student farm where they meet every Tuesday to tend to the plants and discuss their progress. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)

How to Apply

How to Apply for a PIRI Grant

Submission Requirements

  1. Proposal application form including a project summary, name and contact information for the UC Davis principal investigator. Co-investigators, other team members (from any institution) and non-university partners involved in the research should also be listed.

  2. A project description (three pages maximum, single-spaced) addressing:

    1. Specific aims for the project that address program priorities summarized in the PIRI description;
    2. Approaches and methods that will address these aims;
    3. Description and role(s) non-university group(s)/partner(s) play(s) in the research, and the process/approach for building these relationships;
    4. Public impact of the project, and how this will be improved through this funding;
    5. Description and rationale for the configuration of the research team;
    6. Brief project timeline and milestones;
    7. Statement of IRB review: Please indicate whether the research project involves human subjects, and if so if IRB has already been approved or would be submitted upon receiving support from PIRI;
    8. References cited.
       

  3. A statement of collaboration (letter of support) from the non-university partner(s) describing the role of the partner in the collaboration and expected benefits. If more than one non-university partner is mentioned in the project description, please submit a letter from each of the partners or organizations. 

  4. Budget and budget narrative (1-2 paragraphs). Please use the budget worksheet (download and save as your own file). In the budget worksheet and description, please itemize proposed expenses. Provide a one to two paragraph description justifying proposed expenditures. Budgets should request between $5,000 to $10,000 in total. Matching funds are not required for the projects; however if proposed research has significant resources from other sources, please indicate those as matching funds, and describe how the PIRI grant support is critical for the project. 

  5. Please do not upload additional documents.

USE OF FUNDS

Funds will be distributed via a university account to the principal investigator. Funds can be used for research activities that include, but are not limited to, summer salary, GSR support, undergraduate students, honoraria for non-university partners, travel, supplies, meals and event-related expenses. We encourage equitable distribution of resources to external partners where possible. Funds will be available starting June 2025 and would need to be spent by June 2026.

EXPECTATIONS AND DELIVERABLES

  1. Attendance at a one-hour kickoff meeting (via zoom) that will take place in Spring 2025, prior to funds transfer.
  2. A final report (via a webform) due one year after receipt of the research grant that summarizes accomplishments, development/continuation of partnership, public impact of project, any needed changes in project design and scholarly outcomes of the work. 
  3. Contribution of a written blog or reflection for consideration for the Public Scholarship and Engagement website within one year of the grant. 
  4. Agreement to participate in a survey about community engagement experiences at UC Davis, and to contribute information about the funded work in a university-wide data dashboard. 
     

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