ORCA Acceleration Grants

Purpose

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activities (ORCA) offers ORCA Acceleration Grants (OAG), seed funding intended to support research and creative activities that expand our knowledge in meaningful ways and drive positive change in society through clear public impact.

Grants may be used to advance work-in-progress or to begin a new endeavor. In all cases, there should be a clear articulation of the anticipated outcomes and the effects they will have. Recognizing that impact may not look the same across disciplines, the degree of impact should be contextualized within the given field. 

For the purpose of the ORCA Acceleration Grants, the term “impact” is defined broadly to include any research and/or creative activities positioned to have a demonstrable effect and/or influence on the betterment of society. Examples of this include (but are not limited to):

• Deploying knowledge for public benefit (such as policy or behavioral change)
• Expanding or deepening the impact of a field of knowledge 
• Generating/disseminating knowledge in novel ways
• Challenging existing conventions to improve opportunities, access, equity, and/or justice
• Bridging divides between traditional fields of study
• Expanding access to and/or preservation of knowledge
• Creating new audiences for knowledge and/or creative activities 
• Impacting local, national, and/or global communities

The proposal should present a clear case for why the proposed work cannot be funded through another source at its current stage. The OAG program aims to facilitate investigators’ preparedness for attaining extramural funding. Proposals should demonstrate that a project is sufficiently developed to leverage OAG funding and increase its competitiveness for future extramural funding (with the recognition that the project development phase may require additional time beyond the OAG grant period).

Background

As a public research university, UCLA’s mission is “the creation, dissemination, preservation and application of knowledge for the betterment of our global society.” These grants build on ORCA’s commitment to this mission and are intended to support research and creative activities that expand our knowledge in meaningful ways and drive positive change in society. The OAG program complements ORCA’s Public Impact Research (PIR) Awards, which recognize faculty or teams who have made a concerted effort to translate their research or creative activities for public benefit. While both programs address the impact of research and creative activities, the OAG funding is positioned at a much earlier stage in realizing that impact, catalyzing activities that could eventually be recognized with a PIR Award.

This is the second cycle of the ORCA Acceleration Grants program.

See Previous Recipients

Award Amount

It is anticipated that about 8-10 projects will be funded, with a maximum award of $30,000 per project.

Reviewers may elect to provide partial funding to a project.

Period of Performance

Awardees should plan for a project period of approximately 18 months (inclusive of the time needed to complete any required IRB/ARC process).

Awardees should plan to use all funds by December 31, 2025. The award period will run through June 30, 2026 to accommodate unexpected delays. Requests for a no-cost extension beyond this date will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

Awardees should plan to complete any required IRB/ARC processes within 4 months of the award notification date. Any need for additional time should be communicated to program staff at orcafunding@conet.ucla.edu. 

Award Disbursement

It is anticipated that applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by July 2024.  

Funds will be distributed in a timely manner upon receipt of a completed award acceptance form and any required IRB/ARC documentation. In exceptional circumstances, a partial transfer of the award funds may be considered to allow the initiation of parts of the project not subject to IRB approval (e.g. hiring, IRB material preparation). 

Award funds will be transferred to a UCLA account for the awardee.

• NOTE: Prior to submitting a proposal, the PI should ensure they have identified the UCLA department that will receive and administer any awarded funds. 

Award funds must be used in accordance with the submitted budget. 

Award funds must be used in compliance with all university policies and procedures.

Awardee Requirements 

Awardees are expected to communicate with the program staff in a timely manner regarding any questions or issues related to their award. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Extension requests
• Substantive changes to the scope of the project
• Proposed changes to the PI or Co-PI
• Budget reallocations to items/categories not included in the application budget

PIs will be responsible for submitting a final report outlining the outcomes of the project. Shortly after the completion of the award period, program staff will contact PIs with additional information regarding the final report requirements.

The UCLA Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities and the ORCA Acceleration Grants program must be credited in any work product resulting from this funding.

PI Eligibility

Each application must have a single Principal Investigator (PI) who personally participates in the project to a significant degree and has primary responsibility for the execution and administration of the project. This person will serve as the primary contact for all communications from the OAG program staff.

The PI must hold a UCLA appointment as of 7/1/2024 that is a member of the Academic Senate (See Academic Senate membership: UC Regents Standing Order 105.1 and UCLA Academic Senate).

Individuals may serve as the PI on only one submission to this program in a single cycle, but may serve as a Co-PI or project team member on other submissions. 

Co-PI Eligibility

Projects may have up to four Co-PIs. Individuals listed as Co-PIs should include those who will personally participate in the project to a significant degree. In certain instances, a Co-PI may also have some responsibility for the execution and/or administration of the project.

Co-PIs must hold a UCLA appointment as of 7/1/2024.

Contributors to the project who are not eligible to serve as a Co-PI should be included in the application as part of the project team.

Previous OAG Recipient Eligibility 

Prior recipients of funding through the ORCA Acceleration Grants program may apply for funding for a different project, provided they do not have an active award through the OAG program. An active award is any award for which the project period has not ended (including any time added to the project period due to a no-cost extension).

Previous ORCA Funding Recipient Eligibility

The same project is not eligible to receive funding through multiple ORCA programs. Projects that have already received funding through any of the following programs are not eligible for submission:

• Transdisciplinary Research Acceleration Grants (TRAG)
• Racial and Social Justice Seed Grants (RSJ)
• Latinx Studies Seed Grants (LSS)
• ORCA Acceleration Grants (OAG)

Applicants with current or past funding through other ORCA programs are eligible to apply for funding for a different project. However, reviewers may take into consideration whether an applicant has received funding through an ORCA program in the past.

Applications to Multiple ORCA Funding Programs

The same project may not be submitted to more than one ORCA funding opportunity in the same cycle. 

PIs, Co-PIs, and other project team members may also apply for funding through other ORCA programs in the same cycle, provided that the applications are for distinct projects and comply with any application restrictions of the other programs

If you are unsure which ORCA funding opportunity aligns most clearly with your project, please contact orcafunding@conet.ucla.edu.

Awardees of Other Funding

Projects currently funded by major research awards (over $30,000) are not eligible for consideration. Should any aspect of a proposal receive alternative funding, the PI must notify the program contact (orcafunding@conet.ucla.edu) as soon as possible.

Proposals that build off other funded work are eligible, but the application should describe how the proposal is distinct from existing funded work.

Use of Funds 

Funds must be used for direct research costs such as materials, supplies, personnel, and travel to the extent that such expenses are directly related to the proposed project.

Proposed activities and expenditures must comply with all applicable university policies and procedures. 

Allowable Expenses

The following are allowable expenses:

• Personnel, including staff/student salaries and fee remissions
  • Proposals may include compensating non-UCLA affiliated personnel, especially members of the local community. An explanation of why this person’s expertise or service is critical for the success of the project should be included in the project narrative.
• Travel and accommodations
• Materials and supplies directly related to conducting the proposed research/creative activity
• Open Access publishing fees of up to $7,000

Unallowable Expenses

Funds may not be used for UCLA-based faculty/PI salaries or support including teaching buy-outs or summer ninths, or departmental overhead costs (indirect costs). 

The following activities are not eligible for funding under this mechanism:

• Seminars, courses, or curricular development
• Conferences or conference support, workshops, or training programs 
• Publishing subventions 
  • NOTE: Open Access publishing fees of up to $7,000 may be included

Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at 11:59pm. (Updated)

Submission Portal

All proposals must be submitted through the OAG application portal . Applicants should access the application using the “UCLA Login” option, which will prompt the user to login using their single sign-on credentials.

Access Application Portal

Application Requirements 

The application form is divided into the following sections and will request the information listed below.

Section I: PI Information

• Biographical information (Name, email, school/division, department)
• Eligibility confirmation
• Previous ORCA funding (through TRAG, OAG, RSJ, LSS)
• UCLA department to administer grant funds
  • NOTE: This can be changed if the project is awarded, but the PI should ensure they have identified a UCLA department that can receive and administer any awarded funds. 

Section II: Co-PI Information (Optional)

• Biographical Information (Name, email, school/division, department)
• An application may have up to four Co-PIs. Individuals listed should include those who will personally participate in the project to a significant degree. In certain instances, a Co-PI may also have some responsibility for the execution and/or administration of the project.

Section III: Project Team Information (Optional)

• Contributors to the project who are not eligible to serve as a Co-PI, can be included in the application as part of the project team.
• A list of project team members (Name, title, affiliation) can be uploaded as a pdf

Section IV: Application Information

• Proposal title (Suitable for use in award announcement)
• Project abstract (150 words max / Suitable for use in award announcement)
• Requested funding amount
• Other project funding (if applicable)
  • Proposals that build off other funded work are eligible, but the application should describe how the proposal is distinct from existing funded work.
  • Projects currently funded by major research awards (over $30,000) are not eligible for consideration. 
• NOTE: The information above does not need to be included in the Project Narrative document.

Section V: Uploads

Project Narrative (6-page maximum, double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12 pt. font minimum, excluding references).

In a single pdf document, please include the following information (with section headings):

• Research Questions/Creative Activities: Statement of question/issue to be addressed, current state of knowledge, and general approach to be used
• Impact: Describe the impact of the proposed activities. Contextualize the degree of impact within the affected areas
• Funding Possibilities: Summarize why the project is unlikely to be sufficiently funded from another source. If unsuccessful funding attempts have been made, please include this information and any context for the funder’s rejection. Describe how OAG funding will position the project to be more competitive for extramural funding.
• Timeline and Outcomes: Timeline of activities and anticipated outcomes. Specific dates are not required, but the timeline should align with the funding period for this program (approximately 18 months) 

NOTE: The project narrative should be written so that it is understandable by reviewers from a variety of disciplines.

CVs / Biosketches / Other Equivalents (combined in a single pdf)

Provide a version of this document for the PI and any Co-PIs. 

There are no formatting requirements, as practices may vary across disciplines. However, applicants are asked to keep the document to a reasonable length. In general, this document should make it evident to reviewers that the PI and any Co-PIs possess the qualifications to carry out the proposed project. 

This document is not required for project team members, but may be included if the information would be important for the reviewers to have (e.g. to understand the source of needed expertise, to support the feasibility of completing the proposed project, etc.)

If multiple CVs/Biosketches/Other equivalents are to be included, they should be combined into a single pdf for upload, with the PI’s document first.

Section VI: Budget

Applicants will enter budget information directly into the application form.

For each budget category in which there are costs, applicants should provide the requested amount, a breakdown/description of the costs, and a justification for why the costs are necessary to complete the proposed project. The budget categories available on the application form are:

• Staff/Student Personnel
• Travel
• Research / Creative Activity Expenses
• Other Expenses

When preparing the budget, keep in mind the following:

• Details about allowable expenses are included in these guidelines
• The maximum award amount is $30,000.
• Reviewers may elect to provide partial funding to a project. Clear budget information and justifications can help reviewers to determine possible partial funding amounts.

Animal Activities/Human Subject Review

Projects involving animal or human subjects require appropriate review board(s) approval prior to the release of funds. The approvals or waivers will need to reference the applicable funding mechanism. Program staff must receive a copy of this documentation prior to the disbursement of award funds.

Please do not seek IRB/ARC approval for any work to be funded specifically through this grant program until after award notification.

For more information, please refer to the relevant UCLA office:

• Human Subjects – PIs must determine whether human subjects are involved in their project and if there is the need for Institutional Review Board (IRB) review. For information about submission requirements, available training, and applicable policies and procedures, please refer to the Office of the Human Research Protection Program website. 

Animal Activities – Research activities involving animals must receive approval from the Animal Research Committee (ARC).

Initial Screening

Program staff will conduct an initial screen of applications to confirm eligibility and completeness. Applicants will be contacted if there are any questions.

Review Criteria

Project descriptions should be understandable by reviewers from a variety of disciplines. 

Each proposal will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Impact: The application articulates clearly how the proposed research/creative activities will have a demonstrable effect and/or influence within (and/or beyond) a given area.
• Benefit of Impact: The application has a well-considered justification for why this impact would be of benefit. 
• Extent of Impact: Taking into account the context of the proposed work, the potential extent of the impact is significant.
• Fundability: The proposal makes a compelling case for why this work cannot be funded elsewhere. 
• Qualifications: The PI, any Co-PIs, and the key collaborators possess the necessary expertise to carry out the proposed work.
• Feasibility: The proposed project is feasible given the amount of funding and time available.
• Use of Funds: The proposed use of funds aligns with the aims of the project.
  • NOTE: The review panel may elect to disallow certain proposed expenditures.

Program Preferences

Preference will be given to projects led by a PI with a primary appointment in a department or unit affiliated with one of the following Divisions or Schools:

• Anderson School of Management
• School of Education & Information Studies
• Herb Alpert School of Music
• Humanities Division
• Luskin School of Public Affairs  
• School of the Arts & Architecture  
• School of Law
• School of Theater, Film & Television
• Social Sciences Division

Preference will be given to PIs/projects that have not received funding previous funding through this or other ORCA programs.