Research Development

Start your research at Ole Miss with access to resources designed to support your success.

Develop concepts, identify funding, find collaborators, & craft winning proposals

Within the Office for Research and Economic Development, the Division of Research Development (ORED RD) can help you develop your concept for a sponsored project; identify potential funding opportunities; position your concept for best fit with sponsor/program goals; develop a compelling proposal narrative: and (for selected units and programs within our portfolio) put together your proposal package. 

We manage several internal funding and support programs to help you develop your research, idea, and fundability; and coordinate selection and development of proposals in response to limited submission funding opportunities. We provide, help develop, or broker opportunities for professional development in grant seeking, grant writing, and proposal development. We help foster the development of interdisciplinary, interdepartmental, and inter-institutional collaborations and proposals. And we can help connect you with shared resources and services to support your research, scholarship, and creative work.

Are you ready?

Researchers in lab

Develop Your Concept for a Sponsored Program or Center

Every project starts with an idea, and we can help you refine yours into a clear, compelling concept paper or pitch sheet for prospective sponsors and stakeholders. By developing and positioning your idea early, we can also facilitate conversations to gather valuable feedback—helping you move forward with greater confidence in your proposal’s success. Start the conversation by sending us an email.

Researcher holding lab equipment

Find the Right Funding Opportunities

Explore a wide range of competitive funding opportunities, from external grants to internal funding programs in ORED and elsewhere at the University of Mississippi.

Two researchers in lab

Develop your Proposal Narrative

Strengthen your proposal narrative with expert guidance from grantsmanship professionals and subject matter experts, and view examples of funded UM proposal narratives. Discover what sets compelling proposals apart and how your idea can benefit from others’ experience.

Two people running a test

Develop Your Budget

Craft a comprehensive budget that accounts for essential elements like grant matching, indirect costs, and institutional support.

Student researching in lab

Involve Your Students

Learn how to meaningfully involve students in your research—from navigating experiential learning requirements to planning for compensation and mentorship.

Develop Collaborative Teams and Proposals

Our Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Mississippi (IDRUM) program helps connect and support faculty collaborations stage-by-stage.

Make your pitch

What do you need to take your research to the next level?

Get your idea in front of the right potential sponsors with help from the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development (VCRED). Our team will help you craft your short “elevator pitch” and a Pitch Sheet explainer, so that your idea can be ready to offer at the right opportunities.

How It Works

Each pitch idea will be vetted by your supervisors (e.g., chairs and deans) and, if prioritized, developed into a quad-chart-style Pitch Sheet for inclusion in a virtual Pitch Book. The VCRED will access the Pitch Book in meetings with potential sponsors, so he can be ready with a short pitch and your sheet as a takeaway.

Please submit 1-3 attachments as potential images for your pitch sheet; if you have a draft quad chart, feel free to upload it as well. ORED Research Development may also assist in identifying published funding opportunities that align with your idea.

Questions? Email resdev@olemiss.edu, or contact Jason Hale at 662-915-3922.


Submit your pitch

Division of Research Development

Jason Hale

Jason Hale

  • Director of Research Development
Mary Lea McMillan

Mary Lea McMillan

  • Program Manager
Kendra Sampey

Kendra Sampey

  • Research Administration Advisor
Ellen Shelton

Ellen Shelton

  • Director UM Writing Project and Lecturer in Writing and Rhetoric and Interim Writing Center Director - Oxford
Amy Williams

Amy Williams

  • Research Administrator II