Internal Funding Opportunities
The Office for Research and Economic Development invests in innovation and discovery through several internal funding programs.
Supporting your research journey with internal funding opportunities
Wherever you are in your research journey, internal funding opportunities at the University of Mississippi are here to help you take the next step. These programs are designed to support projects at every stage—whether you’re launching a new idea, traveling to connect with peers, or preparing for external grants.
Explore funding options below to find the one that aligns with your goals. Each opportunity includes clear guidelines on eligibility, timelines, and application steps, so you can focus on advancing your work.
Faculty travel grants
UM faculty may apply for grants to offset some of costs to attend conferences, gather data, advance collaborations, or conduct other scholarly activities.
For questions about the program or process, email oredfacultytravel@olemiss.edu.
Full-time university employees with a faculty appointment are eligible to apply to receive up to one faculty travel grant per fiscal year.
Faculty should use the online application form to submit their applications two to four months before the planned departure date. In the application, provide travel destination and dates, amount of ORED request, detailed purpose of trip, detailed budget, and any other information you would like the committee to consider in evaluating your request.
As direct travel reimbursements of eligible expenses incurred, up to award amount, in accordance with UM travel policies. While following their unit’s regular procedure for processing travel authorizations and reimbursement vouchers, the traveler must also route these forms through ORED so that we can apply the award amount to the trip.
Currently, faculty may request up to $700 towards a domestic trip or $1,200 towards an international trip. Actual grant award amounts vary based on the level of competition each month.
A rotating four-person subcommittee of the University Research Board reviews monthly requests and makes funding recommendations to ORED. Factors they are asked to consider include: the quality and completeness of the application; the perceived value of the trip in advancing individual’s scholarly career; and the nature of the faculty member’s appointment (with preference given to assistant professors, then associate professors, then full professors, then other faculty).
SEC travel grants
This program supports University of Mississippi faculty in fostering collaboration and advancing scholarship with other Southeastern Conference (SEC) institutions. These grants provide funding for travel to SEC campuses, enabling researchers to exchange ideas, develop grant proposals, and conduct research that benefits the academic community.
Proposals should be submitted through this form.
Travel must be to SEC university campuses. Visits to off-campus sites affiliated with the host institution, such as research centers or extension offices, are permitted if they directly support the collaborative effort. Travel funds may only cover expenses for the traveling faculty member, including transportation, lodging, and meals. Activities during the visit may include consulting with faculty or students, delivering lectures or symposia, presenting recitals, or other mutually agreed-upon engagements.
This program may not be used in conjunction with outside employment, and faculty are responsible for arranging coverage of their University of Mississippi duties while traveling.
Faculty traveling together for the same collaborative purpose must each submit an individual application. A single invitation letter from the host collaborator, listing all UM travelers by name, must accompany each application.
Each applicant should detail their specific travel costs (e.g., meals, hotel rooms) and include an explanation if shared costs, such as car rental or gas, are covered by one group member. All applicants should reference the group trip and name the other UM travelers in their application.
Applications must include:
- A description of the proposed activities and expected benefits (e.g., research, teaching, or scholarship impacts on UM, the applicant’s career, or the broader academic community).
- Host institution and unit details.
- A detailed budget with justifications.
- A brief biography (up to 125 words) and a headshot (1,000×1,000 pixels).
- An invitation letter from a representative of the host institution outlining expectations for the visit and, if available, the preferred dates.
Encouraging Fellowships for Graduate Students (EFG) Scholarships
The EFG program incentivizes graduate and senior undergraduates at the University of Mississippi to apply for external graduate fellowships. The program helps students develop as competitive grant seekers and effective grant writers as they transition to the next stage of their academic or professional careers.
Summer Undergraduate Research Group Grants (SURGG)
SURGG grants fund small faculty teams to develop and pilot a new, intensive, thematic program of research or creative scholarship during the summer for a small cohort of UM undergraduate students, as a stepping stone to a future competitive external REU-style or training program grant proposal.
The submission window for SURGG proposals for 2025 has closed. View the call for proposals.
Questions? We can help.
Jason Hale
- Director of Research Development
Mary Lea McMillan
- Program Manager