The 1U4U Collaborative Seed Grant Program is now accepting proposals for 2027, with a new theme designed to bring University of Utah researchers together around some of the most consequential challenges facing people, communities, technologies and systems: Disasters & Extreme Environments.

The 2027 competition invites faculty to interpret two broad themes creatively and develop new collaborations that bridge Main Campus and Health Sciences. Projects may address either theme—or both—and may be basic, applied, translational, exploratory or use-inspired.

The program will provide up to $50,000 per project, with applications due Feb. 25, 2027.

“Disasters and extreme environments are intentionally expansive themes because we want faculty to see possibilities for collaboration that may not be immediately obvious,” said Jake Jensen, senior associate vice president for research. “A wildfire, an earthquake, extreme heat, a remote environment or even space can raise scientific, technological, health, behavioral, social and cultural questions at the same time. 1U4U gives researchers an opportunity to bring those perspectives together, start something new and generate the preliminary work needed to pursue something much larger.”

Two themes, many possibilities

The Disasters theme encompasses research focused on predicting, preventing, preparing for, responding to, mitigating and recovering from natural and human-caused hazards. Examples include wildfires, floods, earthquakes, explosions, severe weather and infrastructure failures, but applicants are encouraged to think beyond those examples.

The Extreme Environments theme focuses on conditions that push people, organisms, technologies, infrastructure and other systems beyond ordinary operating limits. These might include extreme heat or cold, altitude or depth, radiation or contamination, isolation and confinement, severe weather, limited infrastructure and remote, rural, polar, oceanic, underground, industrial or extraterrestrial environments.

“Extreme environments and disasters create complex challenges that rarely fit neatly within a single discipline,” said Rachel Hess, system chief research officer and associate vice president for research for University of Utah Health Sciences. “They affect human health and performance, as well as the technologies, infrastructure, communities and systems that people depend upon. The opportunity here is for colleagues from across the university to intersect with each other and ask questions that no one discipline could address as effectively on our own.”

Utah itself provides a compelling setting for such work. Researchers at the U are already studying challenges associated with wildfire, heat, water, air, rural and remote environments, aerospace and space, infrastructure, robotics, artificial intelligence and other areas that intersect with the new themes. The 2027 call is designed to encourage new combinations of those capabilities rather than prescribe particular disciplines or approaches. The competition materials emphasize that applicants should interpret the themes creatively.

“Some of the most important research opportunities emerge when we connect capabilities that have traditionally developed separately,” said Anshuman Razdan, vice provost for planning and partnerships and chief research officer for academic affairs. “This call creates room for unexpected combinations—researchers studying people and health working with researchers developing new technologies, examining environments, designing infrastructure or understanding communities and behavior. Those intersections are where genuinely new ideas can emerge.”

Building new collaborations across the U

1U4U was created to catalyze research across traditional organizational and disciplinary boundaries. For the 2027 competition, each team must include meaningful participation from both Main Campus and Health Sciences, with at least one co-PI from each.

Competitive projects should launch a new collaboration or research direction, bring together complementary expertise and capabilities, and produce something that moves the team toward a larger next step—such as preliminary findings, proof-of-concept results, a new tool or approach, or a foundation for subsequent extramural funding.

“The goal isn’t simply to fund a collection of interesting projects for one year,” Jensen said. “We want to invest in teams and ideas that can grow. A successful 1U4U project should leave the investigators in a fundamentally different position a year later—with a new collaboration, new evidence or capability, and a credible pathway to compete for larger external opportunities.”

Faculty from across the university are encouraged to consider how their research could contribute to the call and to seek collaborators outside their usual networks.

Applications are due Feb. 25, 2027, and awards may request up to $50,000 in direct project support.

Review the 2027 1U4U RFP and application requirements and submit your proposal through InfoReady

Learn more at the 1U4U informational town hall

Faculty interested in applying—and staff who support applicants—are encouraged to attend a virtual informational town hall on Friday, Oct. 16, from 10–11 a.m. Jake Jensen, senior associate vice president for research, will provide an overview of the 2027 program and themes and answer questions.

RSVP for the 1U4U informational town hall. Registration is required to receive Zoom access information.