Inspired by the creativity and diversity of the submitted proposals and funded projects in previous years, we are excited to announce this FY 2025 call for Investment for Growth (IFG) proposals. The IFG program is intended to incentivize opportunities that explore and develop new and transformative opportunities for our university. Funds for the program will come from the reallocation investment pool to make non-recurring campus investments. Awards can be used to seed net revenue generating activities and provide bridge funds for the expansion of existing revenue generating activities. Once funding is awarded, all proposals for new programs at the undergraduate, graduate, or professional levels are expected to go through the necessary approval processes.
Proposal Requirements
Proposed initiatives should clearly address your unit’s strategic plan and be core to its scholarly mission.
Proposals should include:
- Program Description and Objectives
- Need and Impact
- Sustainability
- Budget (required budget template can be found here)
- Expected Return on Investment
If your proposal involves a new or revised academic program, please describe plans for program initiation, implementation, and maintenance, including:
- The planned timeline for submission of the program proposal into the Course and Curriculum Information Management (CIM) system;
- A discussion of staffing to manage course scheduling, Academic Catalog maintenance, and student admissions, advising, and other support activities: Who is/are the designated contact(s) responsible for ensuring appropriate course and program proposals are submitted and maintained in CIM?;
- If the proposal is for courses that are part of programs, articulate plans for and timing of when they will be offered for enrollment.
- Please reference the Provost Office guidelines for new or revised programs and include relevant information which may be helpful in evaluation of the proposal. Brooke Newell, Director for Educational Programs, bsnewell@illinois.edu, can provide assistance. If your proposal is awarded IFG funding, please contact to Brooke to discuss plans for the CIM program proposal.
Proposal Prioritization
Units are limited to five proposal submissions, including collaborative proposals. The Deans/Vice Chancellor should rank their submissions when multiple proposals are submitted. The ranking should account for multi-unit proposals when the proposal is submitted by another unit.
Proposal Evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Centrality to the scholarly mission (teaching, research, and engagement) of the unit and the campus as a whole,
- Likelihood of financial sustainability at the end of investment funding,
- Alignment with high and/or emerging demand,
- Potential to minimize redundancy and competition across campus units,
- Potential to aid collaboration and build synergies within the unit or across campus units, and
- Contribution toward the university goal of growing available resources.
Proposal Submission Deadline
Proposals should be submitted via this proposal management system by August 12, 2024
Eligibility
Leaders of all college-level activity-based units are eligible to submit investment proposals. Activity-based units are defined as colleges, college-level schools, and research institutes – units that generate a significant share of their revenues through their direct activities.
All proposals must be reviewed and approved by the Dean or, as appropriate, the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation prior to submission. Units are advised to inform faculty members of this requirement when they share the call for proposals. This is especially important in proposals which include multiple units and require coordination to ensure that all participating Executive Officers are aware of and support the submission.
Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation