Funding Opportunities

Research Computing offers funding opportunities through the University of Minnesota Informatics Institute. UMII funding enables UMN faculty and graduate students across all disciplines to advance their informatics research by supporting research proposals that are innovative, align with new or existing initiatives, seek to develop new multidisciplinary collaborations, and identify means to sustain UMN-based research. More information on funding opportunities and instructions on how you can apply is provided below.

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MnDRIVE Informatics PhD Graduate Assistantship Program

Eligibility: Applicant must be a current PhD student at the University of Minnesota. Applicants must have completed their preliminary oral exam by the start of the assistantship. Post-docs are not eligible for these awards.

The MnDRIVE research assistantship program provides funding for PhD graduate students currently pursuing research at the University of Minnesota at the intersection of informatics and any of the five MnDRIVE areas: Robotics, sensors and advanced manufacturing; global food ventures; advancing industry, conserving our environment; discoveries and treatments for brain conditions; and cancer clinical trials. 

UMII Seed Grants

Eligibility: The primary applicant must be faculty or research staff (P&A) at the University of Minnesota. Adjunct faculty are not eligible for funding under this program.
Funding Limit: Up to $120,000

In 2020, UMII's Updraft and On the Horizons programs were merged to form the UMII Seed Grant program. UMII Seed Grant funds are intended to promote, catalyze, accelerate and advance UMN-based informatics research so that UMN faculty and staff are well prepared to compete for longer term external funding opportunities. Proposals from all disciplines are encouraged to apply, with special consideration given to proposals that align with one or more of the five areas of the MnDRIVE initiative. Seed grants are divided into three funding levels; Small, Medium, and Large. Small seed grants can be used to cover immediate, short-term needs, whereas medium and large seed grants may be used to cover mid-term needs over multiple years.

Apply for Funding

To submit a proposal or to view more information on funding opportunities, please follow these instructions:

  1. Visit the UMII grants application portal. If you are already logged in, you may click the "Apply" button under any program to be taken to the program page to complete your application. If you are not yet logged in, please proceed to step 2 and 3.
  2. Log in with your UMN credentials by selecting UMN Login from the dropdown in the top right corner of this page. If you do not have a UMN login, you will need to create and log in with a SurveyMonkey account by clicking "SurveyMonkey Apply" in the login dropdown.
  3. Once you are logged in, click Programs to view all programs. Select one of the available programs to submit a proposal.

See past programs and funding recipients on our Past Awards page. 

Other Funding Opportunities

Research Computing provides funding in support of other programs administered by our partners. Please see the links below to learn more about these opportunities.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Human in the Data Fellowships (IAS)