Funding Opportunities from the Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund
The Board of Regents Web site contains all Board applications along with the Enhancement Programs Budget Form (Excel). If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, click here to install it.
The RFPs and deadline dates for the Board of Regents Grant Program are available on the Board of Regents website. See BoR Disciplines Eligible for 2023-2024
Questions?
Nicholls State University faculty members should direct questions about these programs to Debi Benoit. The Board of Regents has a very small staff and cannot handle individual questions from all higher education institutions statewide. If it is necessary to pose official questions to the Board, those should be directed through the Office of Research first. We have until October 16 of this year to pose official questions.
Traditional Enhancement
The Enhancement Program enhances the infrastructure of academic, research, or agricultural departments/units and to promote economic development. Projects should thus be designed to propel departments forward to enhance existing offerings and foci in accordance with the role, scope, mission, and strategic priorities of the institution and current and prospective direction(s) of the affected department(s)/unit(s). Proposals should clearly indicate how project objectives are linked to the highest academic, research or training priorities of the affected department(s) and institution(s) as well as how BoRSF investments, necessarily limited in scope and duration, will increase the capacity and quality of research, education, and/or training available to faculty and students.
- Comprehensive Enhancement – These projects provide significant enhancement to address multiple departmental priorities or holistic departmental approaches and support the institutional role, scope and mission through a variety of means. The maximum request is $1,000,000, not to exceed $300,000 in year one and $200,000 in subsequent years, for project lasting up to five years. Each eligible department/academic unit is limited to one submission, though it may also participate with other units in up to one campus-wide proposal submitted under the Multidisciplinary category.
- Targeted Enhancement – These projects provide focused enhancement that addresses a critical departmental priority and reflects the institutional role, scope and mission through a concentrated but tangible effective effort (e.g., purchase of major equipment), with a maximum request of $200,000 for projects lasting one year. An academic unit is not limited in number of proposals it may submit, but must provide a rank-order list of all proposals submitted on its behalf.
Research Competitiveness Subprogram (RCS)
The specific objective of the RCS is to solicit research proposals designed to build and strengthen the fundamental research base and competitiveness of Louisiana’s universities. The proposed research must include fundamental (basic) research contributions rather than simply the application of existing knowledge. No applicant may seek more than a total of $200,000 over a three-year period.
The RCS is a stimulus program directed only toward those researchers who are at the threshold of becoming competitive on a consistent basis in the Federal R & D marketplace and who–with some assistance from the Support Fund to implement their plans to overcome whatever barriers they have identified which have stood in their way–clearly have a strong potential for enhancing their competitive status within a limited time span. Junior researchers at the threshold of becoming competitive will be given priority over senior researchers who are changing research fields.
The objective of the RCS one-year research component is to stimulate and support faculty on a limited basis in their exploration of novel science and engineering research leading to near-term federal support. The RCS One-year research component provides short-term pilot awards for both tenured and tenure-track faculty.
Industrial Ties Research Subprogram
The Industrial Ties Research program (ITRS) is to fund research proposals with significant near-term potential for development and diversification of Louisiana’s economic base. All proposals submitted in this program must show evidence of involvement of the private sector. No applicant may seek more than $350,000 over a three-year period.
Awards to Louisiana Artists and Scholars Program (ATLAS)
The Awards to Louisiana Artists and Scholars (ATLAS) program provides support for major scholarly and artistic productions with potential to have a broad impact on a regional and/or national level. These activities will contribute to the Support Fund’s comprehensive objective of strengthening the educational, artistic, and research bases of Louisiana institutions. The proposed activities should enable the applicant to seek publication and/or presentation of the supported work within a limited period of time. The primary focus of this program is on the scholarly and/or artistic merit of the proposed work. Applicants should describe their projects in terms of their necessity, importance, originality, and likelihood to have an impact on a broad academic and/or artistic community.