The pandemic's impact is far-reaching. Among the many significant and ongoing impacts of COVID-19 are the challenges to the achievement of the university’s research and creative mission. Recognizing the immediacy and the consequence of these burdens on faculty research, particularly for early career faculty, the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and the Office of Research and Economic Development are jointly establishing a $300,000 Emergency Research Gap Funding Program.

The program will provide immediate, flexible stop-gap awards of up to $2,000 to individual faculty members to help address critical needs not already met by existing funding sources to advance research productivity. Categories of support may include:

• funding to establish external mentorship opportunities for pre-tenure and early career faculty.
• tools for advancing remote research needs such as software to conduct research, remote access to archives, or recording devices and computing technologies.
• stop-gap services including caregiving, one-time work-from-home needs, and other activities to help free up limited time for research.

Eligibility is open to tenure-stream, research-active faculty at the rank of assistant or associate professor. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, until funds are disbursed, with priority consideration given to early career faculty. Completed applications can be submitted to executivevcoffice@unl.edu.