UToledo Launches Rocket Research Acceleration Program to Fuel Growth

UToledo Launches Rocket Research Acceleration Program to Fuel Growth

Faculty ideas at The University of Toledo are cleared for liftoff.

The University's Office of Research and Innovation has launched the Rocket Research Acceleration Program (RRAP) to give faculty investigators more ways to grow bold ideas into research programs with national support, reach and impact.

The program is built around three complementary investment pillars that reflect the advancement of research ideas from initial discovery to a sustained research program.

"As Northwest Ohio's only R1 university, UToledo is building a research enterprise defined by ambition, collaboration and impact," said Dr. Grace Bochenek, vice president for research and innovation. "The Rocket Research Acceleration Program is how we invest in that ambition and remove the boundaries that prevent great research ideas from moving forward."

Tailored, Cohort-Based Program
RRAP goes far beyond a traditional seed grant program. Each stage pairs funding with research development support and each carries a clear expectation of advancement:

• Ignition helps investigators prove the idea. Awards support feasibility work and the preliminary evidence needed to define a path to external funding. Ignition is open to emerging opportunities across the research, scholarly and creative enterprise.
• Trajectory helps teams build the competitive proposal. It supports integrated, interdisciplinary teams in closing the gaps that limit their competitiveness, with the goal of submitting a significant external proposal.
• Orbit builds institutional distinction. It supports large-scale collaborative initiatives that develop the leadership, partnerships and capabilities needed to pursue major funding and to establish or expand areas of national research leadership.

Awardees will join a cohort-based accelerator program tailored to each level. Activities will include research strategy, sponsor and funding identification, interdisciplinary collaboration, proposal development, project and milestone planning, partnership building, and research translation and the use of institutional research capabilities.

Three Pathways, One Portfolio
The three pathways form a coordinated portfolio rather than a single ladder. Faculty can enter where their work stands today, and Trajectory and Orbit place emphasis on alignment with the University's six areas of strategic research focus:

• Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation
• Health, Clinical and Biomedical Innovation
• Defense, National Security and Autonomous Systems
• Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Advanced Computing
• Water, Environment and Great Lakes Sustainability
• Energy, Advanced Materials and Glass Innovation

"We are backing our faculty and student research teams with an intentional investment of funding, structured research development and a community of peers, so that promising ideas can grow into programs that serve our region and the world," Bochenek said.

Research Without Boundaries
RRAP helps to build the foundation for a key pillar in UToledo's new strategic plan, "Growing for Toledo," which aims to achieve $100 million research expenditures over the next five years.

"We are building the research engine of Northwest Ohio, and an engine is judged by what it delivers to the people it serves," said UToledo President James Holloway. "Every dollar of external support our research faculty win strengthens our economy, our workforce and our region's future."

The program also aligns with a "Research Without Boundaries" philosophy, which holds that the greatest research opportunities often emerge where disciplines, colleges, centers, institutes, campuses and external partners meet.

"Distinction is built over time," Bochenek added. "Investigators develop research agendas, teams come together, partnerships mature and strengths become externally supported programs with measurable impact. The Rocket Research Acceleration Program will be measured by that advancement, not by the number of awards we make."

How Faculty Can Apply
Tenured and tenure-track faculty, as well as faculty with research professor titles, are eligible to apply as principal investigators, and PIs may request funding for student involvement.

Faculty letters of intent to apply are due Nov. 6 and are available at the infoready website.