Faculty Research Advancement

During the New Faculty Research Orientation, you’ll learn about the various services available to help you secure extramural grants and manage your scholarly activities.  

Orientation is held at the start of each fall semester during the first Research Coffee Hour of the year. The date, time and location are announced via campus-wide email. 

The Research Coffee Hour is an informal gathering of UAlbany faculty, staff, researchers and students.

Large and small group discuss research, funding, collaborations, weather, sports or any topic of their choice. Coffee, cold beverages and snacks are served. 

Research Coffee Hours are currently held virtually from 3 to 5 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month during the fall and spring semesters. Please attend as your schedule allows — whether for the entire event or just a portion. 

Monthly conversation topics and webinar login information are announced via campus-wide email. 

Lightning Talks bring together colleagues from various fields who are working on a specific research topic.

During the event, selected researchers each give a brief, high-level presentation on their project and then participate in extended Q&A sessions.

Lighting Talks can help you connect with potential collaborators, with whom you can develop extramural grant applications.

Details for each event, including requests for presenters, are announced via campus-wide email. 

Research Advancement staff are available to provide informal consultation and advice on available funding sources, as well as best practices for applying for, securing and managing grants. 

Staff are knowledgeable of funding agencies' priorities and review processes and are skilled in helping researchers write compelling grant applications.

To request mentoring support, email [email protected]. Please use the subject line “Faculty Mentoring Request" and include a short description of the help you need.

The Division can pay external subject matter experts an honorarium to complete a pre-submission review of your nearly final proposal. Pre-submission reviews have historically increased proposals' success.

Your proposal must be ready at least six weeks before the submission deadline to secure a pre-submission review. You’ll be asked to suggest about five subject matter experts who are not affiliated with UAlbany to act as potential reviewers.

To request mentoring support, email [email protected]. Please use the subject line “Pre-submission Review Request" and include your project abstract or summary.

The Division periodically hosts workshops and webinars to share and discuss grant opportunities with faculty members and researchers.  

Previous workshops have focused on the mission, priorities, application processes and funding mechanisms for agencies such as NSF, NIH, CDMRP and the National Endowment for Humanities. 

Additionally, workshops, webinars and individual consulting are available for junior faculty members who plan to apply for the NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER). 

Workshops, webinars, and other training events are announced via campus-wide email and coordinated through the Associate Deans for Research of UAlbany’s schools and colleges.

The Proposal Writing Course starts at the beginning of the academic year and lasts for two semesters.  

Participants learn about federal funding programs, proposal writing strategies and on-campus resources, while networking with colleagues and Division staff. Participants commit to:

• Preparing a competitive proposal for review during the course

• Submitting at least one proposal within six months of the course ending

• Helping colleagues in their department, school and/or college who are preparing extramural funding proposals

Registration instructions are shared via campus-wide email at the beginning of each fall semester.

The Division can help faculty researchers interested in large-scale research and instrumentation projects to form research coalitions and develop strong proposals. 

To request help creating or maintaining a research coalition, please email [email protected]. and use the subject line “Research Coalition Request.”