University of Wisconsin
School of Medicine and Public Health

External Funding Opportunities

UW-Madison

Federal Agencies

William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital

The William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital has an active research program focused on health issues that affect Veterans. VA-funded investigators direct preclinical, clinical, and health services research projects. More than half of them also provide direct patient care, enabling a rapid translation from bench to bedside. Current areas of focus include endocrinology, infectious disease, aging, cancer, neurological disorders, and Gulf War Illness. The Madison VA is also home to a Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), one of only 20 nationwide.

The VA has an intramural funding program that supports investigators conducting Veteran-centric research. In 2019, a nationwide research budget of $727 million supported over 2,000 projects. Funding opportunities are available to clinicians and non-clinicians, and for both early career and established researchers.

The Merit Award is the principal mechanism to support investigator-initiated research and is similar in duration and budget to an NIH R01 award. Career development and pilot awards are also offered. To be funded by the VA, the investigator must hold a VA appointment of at least 5/8ths (required at the time of funding, not the time of submission). If you are interested in joining the VA research program or applying for VA funding, please contact Dr. Nasia Safdar at ns2@medicine.wisc.edu.

Other National Organizations

NIH RePORTER

The NIH RePORTER is a repository of NIH-funded research projects and resulting publications that provides valuable information for the research planning process. Investigators can:

  • Explore what types of projects NIH is/has funded in your area of science;
  • Identify the appropriate IC by searching for the IC that is funding projects similar to yours;
  • Identify the program officials who are associated with similarly funded projects;
  • Find collaborators who are experienced NIH grantees or who have skills that complement your own to improve the strength of your proposal.

Use this information to carve out a niche that will allow you to significantly advance knowledge in your respective field and help you develop a list of who to contact at NIH.