The Office of the President, in partnership with the Office of the Provost and the Office of Research and Innovation, invites proposals for Graduate Student and Faculty Research Continuity Support, to help offset specific funding disruptions due to executive orders, grant cancellations, and stop-work orders. This initiative is designed to provide strategic, targeted, time-limited assistance to graduate students nearing degree completion and to faculty experiencing disruptions in research funding. A total of up to $5 million annually will be allocated for this purpose over each of the next three years. There are three categories of funding that can be requested. A single proposal could request from more than one category. If faculty have access to discretionary funds (e.g. startup accounts), they must provide a strong justification for why they are seeking support from the Jenison funds.

I. Graduate Student Completion Support

Support (in the form of a Jenison Fund Fellowship) may be provided for graduate students who are nearing the completion of their target degree program. This assistance is intended to help students reach completion of their degree or serve as a bridge to new research or funding opportunities for up to one year. Eligible expenses may include fellowship stipends, research-related support, and costs associated with education and professional development.  A faculty mentor must submit the application and will need to have oversight responsibilities to route the support through the financial system. 

Criteria

• Those who have lost funding directly (e.g., termination of fellowships, canceled research grants/programs), or indirectly (e.g., mentor's loss of funding).
• Those whose degree progress is at risk without interim support.
• Those with viable plans to complete or transition within the funding period.
• Priority may be given to students:
  • Whose research is expected to result in scholarly contributions (e.g., publications, presentations).
  • Who are near (or within one year of) degree completion.
  • Whose advisor does not have access to discretionary funds that could be used to fund the student.

II. Pre-Tenure Faculty Funding Recovery and Retooling Support

Support may also be made available for pre-tenure faculty who have lost key research funding or who need to retool their research due to loss of funding opportunities.  Funding cycle is a maximum of one year and can include: 1.) Course buyouts for study leaves (approx. $15,000 per faculty member) to provide time for research reorientation; 2.) Small grants (up to $50,000) to sustain research partnerships and facilitate new funding opportunities, especially for international collaborations, or to provide short-term funding for a post-doctoral research associate. 

Criteria

• Pre-tenure faculty
• Impacted by change in federal funding with a clear connection to tenure progress
• Clear evidence that the project has potential for new funding or to advance the career goals of the applicant.
• Feasibility within the proposed timeline and budget to be realistically completed.
• Faculty who do not have access to sufficient discretionary funds that could be used to fund the project.
   

III. Support to complete partially complete, or paused research

Proposals may also be considered to support projects that are deemed of high importance with respect to the university mission and are nearing completion, or can be brought to a stage where they can be meaningfully paused in order to secure additional funding at a later date (e.g., completing surveys), or where a partial completion will allow for preliminary or partial findings to be disseminated to the scientific community.

Criteria

• Any faculty or academic staff impacted by a change in federal funding.
• Initiatives that can reach a natural pause point—either by generating preliminary results that are valuable to the scientific or scholarly community, or by positioning the project for future funding.
• Should provide meaningful momentum and sustainability, even if external funding is temporarily unavailable.
• A plan for meaningful scholarly output or future external funding.
• Faculty who do not have access to sufficient discretionary funds that could be used to fund the project.
   

IV. Funding Parameters & Application Guidelines

• Deadline: initial deadline is August 29, 2025 with a second deadline of November 17, 2025.
• Subject to the number of applications, additional information may be requested from colleges and/or departments.
• Review Rounds: Initial review after August 29; second review after November 17, 2025.
• First Year Budget: up to $5 million total

Funding will be provided at the minimal level necessary to support the proposed objective. Full backfilling of lost funding should not be expected. No faculty salaries (though course buy-out is an option) or sub-contracts will be funded.  Priority may be given to proposals with unit matches.

Reporting by those receiving awards on the use of funds and results or progress made is expected at end of the period.

V. Proposal Review Committee

Proposals will be reviewed by a committee co-chaired by representatives from the Provost’s Office and the Office of Research and Innovation.  The committee will be comprised of representative from:

• Office of Research and Innovation
• Provost’s Office
• Graduate School
• Council of Research Deans (CORD) – 3 representatives (will rotate annually)

Funding recommendations will be made to the President for consideration and decision.

VI. Program Evaluation

The initiative will be evaluated after the Year 1, second allocation to inform planning for years 2 and 3.  Additional insights from Year 1 final reports may also influence future allocations.

For questions or to submit proposals, please contact the Office of Research and Innovation at proposal@msu.edu.