About RDI

Who We Are

The Research Development Institute: A Bold, New Initiative

The goal of the Research Development Institute is to empower interdisciplinary research teams to pursue large-scale, center-level grant funding and elevating those submissions to be successful in a highly competitive environment. 

The Research Funding Landscape

The funding environment for research is extremely competitive, with institutions across the nation contending for limited, large-scale support. Large-scale research proposals, often totaling over $5 million, typically focus on 鈥済rand鈥� challenges with significant societal or global impact, and/or pave the way for a new technology, field, or industry to emerge. They, consequently, require long-term planning with strong, interdisciplinary or multi-institutional teams ready to articulate a bold, strategic, and scalable vision, inclusive of novel innovation, societal impact, and public engagement.  

How can the RDI help?

RDI chart

The RDI, in complement to the important administrative support of colleges, aims to be a guide for teams looking to navigate the complex landscape of large-scale funding.  We work closely with faculty throughout the entirety of this 鈥渞esearch development鈥� process鈥攆rom 鈥渂old idea鈥� generation to post-submission support鈥攁s well as across their careers to prepare and pursue these transformative, large-scale grant opportunities. Our aim is to maximize research productivity, offering a concierge service for grant seekers including grant writing, editing, and graphic support, and assist in communicating the significant and compelling impact of their research. 

We also aim to elevate the USF research enterprise鈥攃reating diverse pathways for transformative knowledge to emerge through think tanks, research collaboratives, and the university鈥檚 thriving innovation ecosystem. Think Tanks, a featured initiative of the RDI, bring together dynamic, interdisciplinary teams capable of generating transformative discoveries and bold solutions for the world鈥檚 most pressing challenges.  By empowering faculty to pursue dynamic discoveries and investing in open networks of collaboration, the RDI works with purpose to advance USF鈥檚 bold trajectory of excellence and relentless pursuit of innovation with an eye toward the future. 

RDI Contact Information 

RDI TEAM