President’s Award for Research, Innovation and Scholarly Impact

April 10, 2026

Dear Wolf Pack Faculty and Staff,

I hope you are all having a wonderful week. 

In an effort to recognize and catalyze the record-breaking momentum in high-impact research, scholarly activity and professional performance our institution has accomplished, I am pleased to announce the President’s Award for Research, Innovation and Scholarly Impact. This new award is part of a University-wide effort to support our campus community as it launches new or significantly enhanced initiatives that advance our mission in research, innovation, scholarship, teaching and community engagement.

The program is intended to encourage bold ideas with the potential for sustained impact, future extramural support, or broader institutional adoption as our nationally recognized University continues to make a transformational impact on the world around us.

Eligibility is open to University of Nevada, Reno academic and administrative faculty and professional staff. It is important to note that the intention of these awards is to support these faculty and staff members in ways that significantly enhance their activities during the one-year award period. Faculty collaborative proposals are encouraged, particularly those that involve multiple departments or units or include substantive partnerships with community organizations or external stakeholders.

The program provides one-year funding through two complementary mechanisms. First, up to 10 Catalyst Awards of up to $50,000 each will support projects that require targeted investments to move promising ideas from concept to implementation. Funded projects should demonstrate how a time-limited, presidential investment will enable meaningful advancement in instructional practice, scholarly or creative activity, or community-engaged work. These awards are intended to generate preliminary results, establish new collaborations, or position projects for competitive external funding.

Second, up to two Convergence Awards of up to $100,000 each will support multidisciplinary teams of two to three investigators from distinct disciplinary areas pursuing high-impact research or creative activity addressing nationally significant challenges or strategically important opportunities for Nevada. Convergence projects should be positioned to compete for major federal, foundation, or multi-institutional funding and to establish the University of Nevada, Reno as a recognized leader in emerging areas of research and innovation of national importance.

All proposals should be submitted through InfoReady Review by Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 5 p.m. Eligibility is open to University academic faculty, research faculty, administrative faculty and classified staff, including those at the Lake Tahoe campus. 

Questions regarding eligibility, proposal development, or submission requirements should be directed to Carrie Bushá, Director of Research Development in Research & Innovation, at researchdevelopment@unr.edu. Find out more about the President’s Award for Research, Innovation and Scholarly Impact, including criteria and application requirements on the Research and Innovation webpage. 

As I mentioned this program during my “State of the University” address last fall, this new award is reflective of the tremendous excellence that is the work of the people of our University. The statewide, national and worldwide competitiveness that is demonstrated on our campus by our faculty and staff has made this an era of incredible societal impact and well-deserved recognition. 

Let’s keep the momentum going!

Go Pack!

Sincere regards,

Brian Sandoval
President