Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of President Brian O. Hemphill, the Division of Research and Economic Development (DivRED), through the Office of Strategic Research Initiatives (OSRI), is pleased to announce the Forward-Focused Centennial Research Initiative, an internal seed funding opportunity designed to support the development of high-impact, transdisciplinary research teams positioned for competitive, large-scale external funding.

This initiative, sponsored by President Hemphill, supports applied, use-inspired research aligned with ODU’s strategic research thrust areas, core and cross-cutting areas, with the goal of strengthening proposals targeting substantial external awards (≥ $1M) and building a pipeline for future team-based efforts exceeding $5M.

Faculty interested in applying are invited to submit a one-page Letter of Intent (LOI) briefly describing the proposed work, its alignment with ODU’s research priorities, and its relevance to regional, state, and/or national priorities. A separate second page (not counted toward the one-page limit) should include a non-binding list of anticipated project Co-Investigators and their institutional affiliation.

Letters of Intent must be submitted through InfoReady at the following link:  Letter of Intent Application: https://odu.infoready4.com/

The review team will provide feedback on Letters of Intent by January 23, 2026. The full proposal application will be made available at the time feedback is released and no later than that date. Full proposals will be due February 16, 2026.

We encourage faculty across all disciplines to consider this opportunity and to use the LOI stage as a way to explore, refine, and strengthen ideas for future external funding success.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions at seedfunding@odu.edu.

Sincerely,

The Office of Strategic Research Initiatives (OSRI)
Division of Research and Economic Development (DivRED)