Apply for Academy 2025-26

The Office for Research Advancement is pleased to announce the continuation of the Research Advancement Academy (RAA) for Academic Year 2025-26!

Research Advancement Academy is a professional development program for faculty from across OSU to develop research leaderships skills. Focused on early and mid-career faculty, RAA seeks fellows who are successful researchers and ready to start developing their big ideas into a large and solutions-oriented research enterprise. The goal of RAA is to support a cohort of fellows to successfully lead large transdisciplinary proposals & funded research programs in alignment with Prosperity Widely Shared(PWS). 

RAA curriculum centers on developing transdisciplinary research practices. It defines transdisciplinary research as a complex form of use-inspired research. This research aims to generate integrated interdisciplinary knowledge and discovery through participatory and engaged practices spanning across sectors and disciplines in a way that transcends traditional boundaries and directly contributes to resolving critical societal challenges. 

Research Advancement Academy Fellowships last two-three years.

• Year one includes a series of nine in-person workshops to help fellows hone their big ideas and develop the skills, relationships, and mindsets of a research leader. The workshops are followed by an opportunity for fellows to apply for Research Advancement Academy Seed Fund (up to $50K) to advance and develop their solutions, research partnerships and funding.
• Fellows who receive seed funds in Year one will be provided with ongoing coaching and support from ORA during Year two as they pursue their research advancement plans.
• Fellows may be invited to compete for additional seed funds in Year three (up to $100K) to maintain momentum or scale-up their research advancement plans.

Research Advancement Academy Seed Fund is supported through a partnership between the OSU's Colleges, Office of the Provost and Division of Research and Innovation.   

Priorities for Investment

Because the RAA program supports OSU faculty to advance PWS goals, competitive proposals should demonstrate alignment with the priorities below:

A. Transdisciplinary Research. Transdisciplinary Research is a complex form of use-inspired research that seeks to generate integrated interdisciplinary knowledge and discovery through participatory and engaged practices that span sectors and disciplines in a way that transcends traditional boundaries and directly contributes to resolving critical societal challenges.

B. Research focus in one of the PWS research focus areas of investment and growth (review PWS goals and actions for more information).

• Climate Science and related solutions
• Clean Energy and related solutions
• Robotics
• Integrated Health and Biotechnology
• Including a significant intersection with and/or building foundational research strength in artificial intelligence, data science, research computing, and/or the social sciences, arts and humanities.

C. Projects that bring together or strengthens a diverse team of scientists, artists, engineers, humanists and/or social scientists representing multiple colleges, campuses, centers and institutes at OSU, along with external partners from industry, community organizations, government, other research institutions, etc. Faculty who identify as belonging to social identity groups minoritized in academia are encouraged to apply (review OSU’s foundational values for more information).

D. Projects that invest in developing thoughtful, positive, equitable and enduring partnerships with community groups or organizations that represent, directly serve or engage, minoritized and/or underserved populations, minority serving institutions of higher education, or tribal governments (as OSU is a Carnegie Engaged University, you can review information about engagement purpose and practice).

Eligibility

• Tenure-tracked Faculty, Practitioner-tracked Faculty (e.g. Professor of Practice), and Professional Research Faculty who have a successful record of extramural grants and/or contracts and experience with collaborative and interdisciplinary research are eligible.

• Tenure-track faculty should be within 4 years of their anticipated tenure achievement. Although the program is designed for early to mid career faculty, it may be a good fit for more experienced faculty as well.

• Faculty from all OSU campuses, all Colleges, Experiment Stations, Centers, and Institutes are eligible.

Feel free to reach out with any questions about eligibility.

Application Process

• Applications for the cohort of 2025-26 are open and will be due on June 6th, 2025 11:59 pm PDT. Click here to apply!

• Application submission should be made through OSU's internal submission platform, InfoReady. Applicants who do not already have an account on InfoReady will need to create one using their ONID details.

• Applicants are strongly encouraged to share their intent to apply with their direct supervisor, home college/campus Associate Dean for Research (ADR) and to discuss readiness for the program and/or alignment between your goals for the academy and college/school/departmental priorities.

• Application process requires applicants to complete an online application form on InfoReady that includes the following: 
  • Name, title, unit, affiliated college of applicant
  • Application title - The application title should be 3-6 words describing your research area (e.g, Intersection of Forest Fires and Human Health OR "Coastal Community Resilience")
  • Demographic and social identity information
  • Information on the ongoing research activity
  • Identification of the PWS area the application is most aligned with (see Priority B above)
  • Updated Curriculum Vitae
  • Applicant Statement - Please prepare an applicant statement (.pdf) to upload (maximum 1,500 words) that includes brief descriptions of the 4 items below:
    1. Your current/recent (last five years) research portfolio

       • What problems is your research trying to solve?

       • Provide examples of how you approach collaboration (across institutions, across disciplines, and if relevant with external partners)

       • How has your research portfolio grown in the last 5 years?

    2. Your aspirations for the coming 5 years

       • Are you looking to broaden/strengthen collaborations? If so why and with whom?

       • Are you looking to broaden impact or expand translational activities? If so, how do you hope to accomplish this and what impact do you hope to create?
       • How do you anticipate increasing your extramural funding? Are you aware of or planning to pursue any large-scale funding opportunities in your research area?
    3.  What specific challenges are you facing in growing your research that you hope to overcome through participation in the Research Advancement Academy?
    4. What professional development objectives do you intend to address through participation in the Research Advancement Academy?
• The answers to these questions will not be directly assessed by the selection committee. Your answers will provide background information to inform the academy curriculum and assist the ORA team to construct targeted peer- and collaborative-learning activities.

Review and Selection Process

• Applications will be reviewed by ORA staff and the RAA Advisory Committee.

• Reviewers will complete a rubric providing both quantitative scores and qualitative feedback including but not limited to the following areas:

  • Research productivity and visibility

  • Evidence of strong funding portfolio

  • Alignment with the stated priorities for investment (see priorities A-D above)

• The strongest applications from each college will be reviewed by the Associate Dean for Research (ADR) who will provide input on selection.

• Finalists will be subject to approval by College/Unit Leadership, the Vice President for the Division of Research and Innovation, and the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.

• Up to 20 Fellows will be selected for the 2025-26 cohort.

• The selected fellows will be required to attend the in-person series of nine workshops in Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 as per the schedule below:

Important Dates

Contacts

If you have questions about eligibility and fit with the program, fee free to contact [email protected]