Internal Funding
- Home
- Ignition
- Trajectory
- Orbit
- deArce-Koch Memorial Endowment Fund
- Research Awards and Fellowships
- Research Innovation Program
Contact Us
Internal Funding Opportunities
Rocket Research Acceleration Program
The Rocket Research Acceleration Program (RRAP) is an internal seed grant investment designed to accelerate bold, interdisciplinary research and postion UToledo researchers and research teams to compete successfully for major external funding.
The program provides a structured pathway for research growth, supporting promising ideas from early discovery and team formation through proposal development and large-scale strategic research intiatives.
RRAP includes three complementary grant opportunities that support research at different stages of development:
Ignition
Early Discovery
Ignition Grants support researchers at the earliest stages of developing promising research ideas and interdisciplinary collaborations.
Ignition Grants are designed to help researchers:
- Explore new research ideas
- Generate preliminary data
- Launch new interdisciplinary collaborations
These awards provide an entry point for promising concepts with the potential to develop into larger collaborative research efforts and externally funded projects.
Trajectory
Proposal Development
Trajectory Grants support interdisciplinary research teams that are ready to move promising work toward competitive external funding opportunities.
Trajectory Grants are designed to help researchers:
- Advance interdisciplinary research teams
- Develop competitive external proposals
This funding helps established or emerging research teams strengthen collaborations and position their projects for external sponsorship.
Orbit
Strategic Research Initiatives
Orbit Grants support ambitious, strategic research initiatives with the potential to attract significant external investment and strengthen UToledo's research portfolio.
Orbit Grants are designed to help research teams:
- Enable major research initiatives
- Pursue large, collaborative funding opportunities
These grants represent the most advanced stage of the Rocket Research Acceleration Program and focus on developing research initiatives capable of competing for major collaborative awards.
deArce-Koch Memorial Endowment Fund
Supports medically related research and development projects. A bequest from Helen C. Ponton deArce as a memorial to the memory of her husband, Alfred Koch, Sr., and her son, Alfred Koch, Jr., established the endowment. This fund supports research and scholarly activity that will advance a faculty member’s professional career, position the faculty member for additional external support, or provide assistance in developing a promising research program.
Research Awards and Fellowships
Supports research, scholarly activities, and creative artistic projects that advance a faculty member's professional career, position the investigator for additional external support, or assist in developing a promising research program.
Research Innovation Program
Supports high impact and innovation in any area of STEM or biomedical science that has the potential to change the direction of a particular area of study.
Program Vision
The Rocket Research Acceleration Program is designed to catalyze bold, interdisciplinary research initiatives that position the University of Toledo for national leadership in areas of strategic importance. The program provides targeted investments in emerging ideas, new collaborations, and innovative research directions that have the potential to generate significant external funding, transformative discoveries, and meaningful societal impact.
Together, these funding opportunties will create a continuum of support that moves promising research toward greater collaboration, external funding and impact:
Investment → Collaboration → Funding → Impact
By supporting research at multiple stages of development, the Rocket Research Acceleration Program seeks to produce long-term institutional outcomes, including:
- Growth in major research awards and external funding
- Expanded industry and federal partnerships
- A stronger national research distinction
- Supporting faculty and student success
Other Funding
College Programs
Not administered by the Office of Research and Innovation.
Faculty Professional Development Fund
This program provides financial support for conference travel and professional engagement when departmental resources are limited—helping faculty grow, connect, and lead in their fields.
Open Access Agreements & APC Waivers
OhioLINK has open-access (OA) publishing agreements with a number of publishers. This allows UToledo-affiliated authors to publish open access articles without paying Article Processing Charges (APCs).
