Initiatives

These initiatives are managed by the School of Medicine Office of Research. Feel free to contact us at somor@ucdavis.edu.

  • Convergence Research Award

    The School of Medicine Convergence Research Award is intended to incentivize collaborative science by new research teams. Awardees submit bold ideas that will open new areas of investigation between UC Davis schools and colleges and have a multiplicative effect on extramural research funding in the near future. The program will provide one year of support for six multi-school department teams to fund planning, preparation, and submission of team-based applications. The team must include representatives from at least one UC Davis School of Medicine department and at least one department outside of the School of Medicine. The budget should not exceed $50,000 per team. Staff and/or graduate student support is permitted as well as expenses related to eventual extramural submissions.

    These will be made to projects that eventually will be submitted for funding by a School of Medicine contact/lead PI; three awards will be made to projects with a non-School of Medicine contact/lead PI.

    Request for Applications (requires log in)Online Application (requires log in)
  • Cultivating Team Science Award

    The Cultivating Team Science Award aims to incentivize collaborative science by new research teams. Awardees will have bold ideas that will open new areas of investigation between departments/schools and have a multiplicative effect on extramural research funding in the near future. The program provides two years of support for two multi-department teams to fund the planning, preparation, and submission of large team-based applications. At least two UC Davis School of Medicine departments must be represented on the team. The budget should not exceed $100,000 per team per year (total award is $200,000). Staff and/or graduate student support is permitted as well as expenses related to eventual extramural submissions.

    Request for Applications (PDF)Direct link to application
  • Data Science Innovation Pilot Projects

    The UC Davis School of Medicine, in collaboration with the UC Davis Health Data Center of Excellence, requests applications in response to this call for proposals for highly innovative Data Science pilot projects to be conducted during the 2024 funding period. These awards are intended to support promising pilot projects that will provide the necessary preliminary data for new extramural grant applications in data science. Applicants must articulate the scope of the problem to be addressed and how the project has the potential to impact human health. Projects intending to utilize core resources, including the Advanced Computing Environment (ACE), the Data Center of Excellence, or CTSC Informatics resources, will be given high priority. Funding is provided for this program from the School of Medicine under the direction of the Associate Dean of Data Science. The PI must hold a School of Medicine faculty appointment.

    Request for Applications (PDF)
  • Reaching Across the Causeway Award

    Reaching Across the Causeway is an intramural pilot award for the School of Medicine and the School of Veterinary Medicine Faculty and colleagues. These awards are intended to incentivize collaborative science by new research teams. Awardees submit bold ideas that will open new areas of investigation between the schools and have a multiplicative effect on extramural research funding in the near future. The program provides one year of support for multi-school (School of Medicine/School of Veterinary Medicine) department teams to fund the planning, preparation, and submission of team-based applications. At least one UC Davis School of Medicine department and one UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine department must be represented on each proposed team.

    The budget should not exceed $50,000 per team. Staff and/or graduate student support is permitted as well as expenses related to eventual extramural submissions.

    Request for Applications (PDF)
  • School of Medicine Impact Symposia

    UC Davis School of Medicine is well-ranked with respect to objective measures of research success (extramural awards and publications), but our reputational rankings for research accomplishments lag behind (e.g., tied for the rank of #50 with the University of South Florida and UT San Antonio in the U.S. News rankings of the best US medical schools for research). In an effort to narrow this gap and raise awareness of our research excellence, this funding mechanism is intended to incentivize and support departments to showcase our institution. This initiative aims to assist departments within SOM to host high quality symposia that advance our research mission and bring thought leaders to campus for fruitful discussions. Up to three departments will be awarded matching grants in the amount of $15,000 each, based on the scope and significance of the proposed symposium. The award funds are intended to cover various expenses associated with symposium organization, including but not limited to venue rental, speaker travel expenses and/or honoraria, promotional materials, and logistical arrangements.

    Request for Applications (PDF)
  • School of Medicine Research Image Competition

    The School of Medicine, Research Image Celebration celebrates the art of UC Davis lab and field research, whether it is a tapestry of cell division patterns, a cluster of neurons that look like an abstractionist painting, the unique design of a laboratory with its glassware and specialized instruments, or the inquisitive excitement of fellow researchers. We hope to foster a sense of community and shared purpose and further break down the silos in which we have historically worked.

    Call for Submissions (PDF)
  • EXPLORER Pilot Program

    The EXPLORER Pilot Program provides intramural pilot grants for School of Medicine faculty and collaborators to support preliminary studies using the EXPLORER total-body PET/CT scanner.
    The UC Davis School of Medicine, the EXPLORER Molecular Imaging Center (EMIC) and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center are inviting new pilot project applications for projects that will utilize the EXPLORER total-body PET/CT scanner. Collaborative applications between clinical, translational and basic biomedical researchers are highly encouraged. 

    Read the full RFA

    Call for Submissions (Deadline: November 1)