Research Catalyst Program
Topic Area: Instrumentation
USC’s Office of Research and Innovation (OORI) advances research and scholarship that drives innovation, informs policy, and creates societal impact by providing programs and resources that expand the reach of USC-led initiatives. Central to this mission is the USC Research Catalyst Program, which supports faculty-led projects across disciplines with strong ROI in both research and scholarship. The program also values curiosity-driven research and scholarship, recognizing that such work can spark new directions and lay the foundation for long-term impact. A variety of activities can be supported by this effort, including, but not limited to, data collection, prototype development, interdisciplinary planning, stakeholder engagement, and external partnerships that position projects for future funding.
Topic Area: Instrumentation
·Funds to support the acquisition of advanced shared research instruments that strengthen USC’s institutional research infrastructure, enable the generation of competitive preliminary data, and increase the likelihood of securing future external funding from federal and other sponsors. Funds may not be requested for research activities, lab or core facility renovation or ongoing operating costs, such as maintenance, service agreements and staffing. All instruments must be used on a shared basis by multiple faculty to maximize institutional impact. Instruments must be located in a shared-use facility, such as a Core Facility, and proposals must include a list of users/user base to be competitive.
The Instrumentation initiative provides a 50-50 match for direct acquisition of instrumentation, with OORI funding 50% and the remaining 50% being funded by a USC school or from other secured sources such as federal funding agencies, foundation, or corporate sponsor for which funds are in hand. In cases where external funding has not yet been secured, proposals to external sponsors that include an institutional match are generally more competitive and will be given priority consideration, as institutional cost share demonstrates strong commitment and often strengthens external applications. Applicants may request up to $250,000 from OORI in support of proposals submitted to external sponsors that require institutional matching funds (e.g., NSF-Major Research Instrumentation [MRI] program). OORI will provide a letter of support indicating its financial commitment, contingent upon the availability of funds in future fiscal years.
Each eligible faculty member may submit only one proposal per topic area, per deadline, as PI. However, applicants may participate as co-PIs or collaborators on multiple proposals within the same award cycle.
If you are experiencing technical issues submitting your proposal or have additional questions, please contact the Research Initiatives & Infrastructure team at rii@usc.edu.
This portal requires information about the PIs and Co-PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.
RCP - Instrumentation
Research Catalyst Program
Topic Area: Instrumentation
USC’s Office of Research and Innovation (OORI) advances research and scholarship that drives innovation, informs policy, and creates societal impact by providing programs and resources that expand the reach of USC-led initiatives. Central to this mission is the USC Research Catalyst Program, which supports faculty-led projects across disciplines with strong ROI in both research and scholarship. The program also values curiosity-driven research and scholarship, recognizing that such work can spark new directions and lay the foundation for long-term impact. A variety of activities can be supported by this effort, including, but not limited to, data collection, prototype development, interdisciplinary planning, stakeholder engagement, and external partnerships that position projects for future funding.
Topic Area: Instrumentation
·Funds to support the acquisition of advanced shared research instruments that strengthen USC’s institutional research infrastructure, enable the generation of competitive preliminary data, and increase the likelihood of securing future external funding from federal and other sponsors. Funds may not be requested for research activities, lab or core facility renovation or ongoing operating costs, such as maintenance, service agreements and staffing. All instruments must be used on a shared basis by multiple faculty to maximize institutional impact. Instruments must be located in a shared-use facility, such as a Core Facility, and proposals must include a list of users/user base to be competitive.
The Instrumentation initiative provides a 50-50 match for direct acquisition of instrumentation, with OORI funding 50% and the remaining 50% being funded by a USC school or from other secured sources such as federal funding agencies, foundation, or corporate sponsor for which funds are in hand. In cases where external funding has not yet been secured, proposals to external sponsors that include an institutional match are generally more competitive and will be given priority consideration, as institutional cost share demonstrates strong commitment and often strengthens external applications. Applicants may request up to $250,000 from OORI in support of proposals submitted to external sponsors that require institutional matching funds (e.g., NSF-Major Research Instrumentation [MRI] program). OORI will provide a letter of support indicating its financial commitment, contingent upon the availability of funds in future fiscal years.
Each eligible faculty member may submit only one proposal per topic area, per deadline, as PI. However, applicants may participate as co-PIs or collaborators on multiple proposals within the same award cycle.
If you are experiencing technical issues submitting your proposal or have additional questions, please contact the Research Initiatives & Infrastructure team at rii@usc.edu.
This portal requires information about the PIs and Co-PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.