Research Leadership in Action

The Research Leadership in Action (RLA) program is an internal grant competition sponsored by the Vice Provost for Research for full-time UMass Amherst tenure-track and research faculty. The program supports faculty interested in showcasing leadership in their field of research and scholarly activity. 2005 was the program's inaugural year.

The Research Leadership in Action program gives departments and schools an important element in their strategic plans to identify and foster professional contacts which will ultimately result in increasing sponsored research activity by:

solidifying on-going research program relationships;
identifying, diversifying and securing new and important research based funding;
creating and promoting the UMass Amherst brand by maintaining high visibility for the PIs, departments, schools and the campus as leaders in their fields, not only within the national and international communities but at the regional and legislative as well;
influencing the flow of information and direction of their fields;
providing an enhancement to our students' educational experience, internship potential and employment opportunities;
enhancing faculty recruitment and the ability to retain world-class faculty.

The program will also serve the campus by:

encouraging interdisciplinary collaborations;
having equally accessibility and significance to the north-and south-sides of campus;
serving as leverage to bring additional funds to campus.