Strategic Partnerships to Advance Research and Creative activity (SPARC)
SPARC is a major campus investment aimed at supporting both disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and creative activities at UMass Amherst. SPARC grants will build upon and strengthen our existing campus strengths such as data science, health and wellbeing, social justice and equity, sustainability and the environment, and technology, arts, and society, as well as other emerging areas at the leading edge of research and innovation.
SPARC grants are designed to empower creativity, support collaborations, strengthen the campus’ areas of excellence, attract external funding, and bring other forms of recognition to our faculty. This funding opportunity is designed to enable scholarly teams to launch or advance research and creative activities to address prevailing challenges or explore new areas of inquiry.
SPARC grants are offered to teams of faculty members and librarians, with preference given to teams that include members from at least two different departments within the University. The projects proposed by each team are expected to represent a new direction or collaboration, align with one of the existing campus strengths identified above, and generate significant and tangible outcomes that “spark” continued momentum in research and creative activity.
Four tiers of funding are available:
- SPARC 1: To support conceptualization projects that bring together new teams to pursue research and creative projects and develop new working themes. Teams should be comprised of faculty members or librarians with no prior collaborations. Up to $10,000.
- SPARC 2: To support advanced collaborative projects that lead to one or more high-impact publications, a ground-breaking and impactful exhibition, or the development of a proposal to pursue smaller external funding opportunities (including state, corporate, foundation or federal funding). Up to $20,000.
- SPARC 3: To support grant development projects from foundations or federal agencies (average of $1M+ total costs per year for at least three years). Teams in this tier will work throughout the 2024-25 academic year with staff from the Office for Research Development on their proposal for external funding. A feasible target funding opportunity must be identified prior to applying for SPARC 3 funds. Up to $50,000.
- SPARC 4: To support proposals for center-level funding or other large-scale grants from federal agencies (average of $3M+ total costs per year for at least 5 years). Teams in this tier will also work throughout the 2024-25 academic year with staff from the Office for Research Development on their proposal. A target funding opportunity must be identified prior to applying for SPARC 4 funds. Up to $75,000.
Information Session:
A virtual information session hosted by the Office for Research Development and the Office of the Provost will be held on October 3rd, 2025, at 12:30pm. Attending this information session can help potential teams determine their level of readiness and provide guidance on writing a successful application to the SPARC program. The workshop will be recorded. Register to attend the workshop using this link.
All applications need to be submitted using the UMass InfoReady site: https://umass.infoready4.com/
A full “request for proposals” document will be available on InfoReady starting October 1, 2025. That document should be consulted because it will include all requirements and required documents for each of the four tiers of funding.
For general questions about this program, contact Associate Vice Chancellor and Vice Provost for Research and Engagement, Laura Vandenberg: @email.
For more information or questions about the application, the information provided in the forthcoming RFP, or using InfoReady to submit your proposal, please contact the Office of Research Development at @email.