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WesternU / Research and Biotechnology / Research Opportunities

Research Opportunities

Research Opportunities

Entrepreneurship and innovation are part of our WesternU DNA, and we encourage lifelong learning and discovery for both faculty and students. The Office of Research & Biotechnology offers faculty the opportunity to apply for funding in the form of seed grants and intramural/internal grants. We also offer students the opportunity to apply for Summer Research grants and to participate in valuable summer research opportunities. See the information for faculty below and see the information for students under Summer Research.

College of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Simon Bulley, PhD, was awarded a four-year grant from the American Heart Association to study Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease. Bulley, right, in the lab with second-year MSPS student Angela Reinert, left and Hailey Daker, MSPS ’19.

Obtain Funding External Sources

Learn how to obtain external grants and funding for potential research projects.
Office of Sponsored Programs
Writing and Preparing Research Grant Applications
Second-year COMP student Fady Guirguis was selected as a fellow for the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP). He is the first WesternU student (and the second DO student in the country) to be selected for this program. COMP Assistant Professor Sebastian Fuchs, MD, PhD, left, and COMP Associate Professor Hendrik Szurmant, PhD, helped Fady prepare for the MRSP interview. Szurmant runs the Biomedical and Clinical Research Track (one of the Longitudinal Tracks) in COMP. (Jeff Malet, WesternU)

National Funding Sources

American Dental Association
American Heart Association
American Lung Association
American Nurses Association
American Academy of Optometry
American Podiatric Medical Students’ Association
American Veterinary Medical Foundation
Department of Defense (DOD)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
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Seed Grants For Faculty

Every year, the Office of Research & Biotechnology offers eligible faculty members the ability to apply for seed grants up to $5,000. Grants are awarded based on the merit of the application.
Seed Grant Research Application (Internal Link)
Research Grants Opportunity (Internal Link)

Applicant Eligibility
1. Full-time tenured or non-tenured faculty at WesternU
2. Faculty must not have received an intramural grant in the last 2 years
3. Faculty who have received intramural grants >2 years ago must have submitted the progress report with resultant publications, submission/award of extramural grant, presentation at a conference

Project Eligibility
1. To develop pilot data for a new project rather than sustain current ones
2. Project should be applicant-conceived new idea rather than part of ongoing research
3. Design of the project should be clearly stated and supported by scientifically-sound methodology

Applications are due by the end of June every year.

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Intramural/Internal Grants For Faculty

The intramural/internal grant program is designed to help researchers generate preliminary data leading to publications and help in securing external funding. The Office of Research & Biotechnology awards grants through an annual competitive process. Applications are peer reviewed by the Research Committee and scored based on their scientific merit and the productivity of the Principal Investigator (PIs). PIs who receive intramural funds in a particular fiscal year are generally not eligible for awards during the subsequent year.

For more information, please contact Susan Dominguez, Executive Assistant/Fiscal & Operations Manager, at the email link below.
sdominguez@westernu.edu