Welcome!
Research, scholarship, and creative works (RSCW) at the University of Northern Colorado are at the core of UNC's Strategic Framework to provide our students a Transformative Education. The mission of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is to support and promote the RSCW of faculty, staff, and students at UNC.
ORSP Announcements
- Government Shutdown Information - March 2025
-
Update to Impact of Executive Orders on Federal Awards - Feb. 6, 2025
- Important Updates Regarding Federal Funding - January 28, 2025
- Urgent Federally Funded Research Update - January 27, 2025
- ORSP Staff Update - October 2024
- NEW! UNC access to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities' (AASCU) Grant Resource Center (GRC) for anyone with a first.last UNC account.
- NSF Important Notice No. 148: Improving Compliance with NSF Project Reporting Requirements
- Annual Conflict of Interest Disclosure Step-by-Step Instructions
- Looking for funding? Please complete the UNC PI Information Sheet so ORSP can help you find funding opportunities in your areas of interest.
- Grant or Gift? ORSP or UNC Foundation? Learn more here.
- Current Studies Seeking Volunteers
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Core Functions
Contact Us
Carter Hall 2008
Phone: 970-351-1907
Office Hours
8 a.m.–5 p.m. Mountain time
Monday-Friday
Recognizing Awards in Research
The following individuals have received outstanding awards and grants for the work in their fields.
Jieun Lee is Colorado's Sole Recipient of the 2024 NSF ADVANCE Award for Groundbreaking GAIA Initiative
Dr. Lee’s ADVANCE Golden Compass Onward: Geospatial sciences Alliance for International women faculty Advancement (GAIA) award brings the University of Northern Colorado and two STEM professional societies, the American Association of Geographers (AAG) and the University Consortium of Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), into a partnership to identify and address systemic inequities, specifically experienced by foreign-born women faculty, in academic workplaces in Geography and Geospatial Sciences. The GAIA project will gather and synthesize intersectional qualitative and quantitative data on barriers and lived experiences of all women faculty, particularly foreign-born women scholars, to inform equity systemic change toolkits for deployment in Geography and Geospatial Sciences departments. To learn more about the GAIA project, please click here.
Tyler Engstrom & Andrea James Secure NIH Grant for Groundbreaking Research on Zebrafish & Foveal Development
Tyler Engstrom (UNC Physics) and Andrea James (Biology) will work with 12 physics and biology majors who will gain undergraduate research experience in this National Eye Institute three-year interdisciplinary project, “Developing new biophysical models of choroid fissure closure in zebrafish and foveal pit formation across species”. The project will address a basic research need for quantitative eye morphogenesis models that are tested against experimental data and that can shed light on biophysical mechanisms during eye development. Such models will aid in treatment and prevention of developmental diseases of the eye. For additional information about this research project, please click here.
Biology Faculty Yuyan Han & Nicholas Pullen Win UNC’s Second 2024 NIH Grant for Pioneering CBG & CBD Research in Fatty Liver Disease
This project, “The therapeutic effect of cannabigerol (CBG) with or without cannabidiol (CBD) in diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease” will directly engage UNC biology students in research to evaluate the anti-inflammatory therapeutic effects of CBD and CBG in reducing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease, which can progress to a more advanced state (NASH) with no current treatment. Preliminary data suggest that Cannabinoids attenuate immune cell recruitment, suppresses inflammatory mediator release, and thus mitigate liver damage caused by diet in mice. This research will provide critical therapeutic efficacy data about CBG and CBD for NAFLD/NASH for the first time in mice, which will benefit future cannabinoid-related animal and human studies; and provide in-depth information about molecular mechanisms in which CBG alone or with CBD diminishes NAFLD/NASH progression. For additional information about this research project, please click here.
Congratulations to Lucinda Shellito, Sharon Bywater-Reyes, & Chelsea Romulo on Winning the NSF RISE Award: “COOLER - COmmunity COllaboration and LEarning for climate Resilience”.
The goal of the COOLER project is to build a learning ecosystem around climate change resilience in Northern Colorado. This planning grant supports the development of trans-disciplinary climate change curricula, as well as connections between UNC students, faculty, and community groups that promote learning together, supporting each other, and collaborating on projects that address climate change resilience in the region. Learn more about COOLER here.
Isaac Wanasika, Maurice Harris, & Jeri Lyons Win First Round NSF EPIIC Grant to Boost Innovation: “Enabling Meaningful External Research Growth in Emergent Technologies (EMERGE)”.
The EMERGE project consists of a four-member cohort that also includes Kettering University, University of the Incarnate Word, and Western Carolina University. Through a shared vision of being recognized as partners in R&D, translation of research into practice, and talent development in emerging technology fields, EMERGE partners will build capacity to more effectively integrate into regional innovation ecosystems and establish collaborative relationships with emerging technology programs. Dr. Wanasika will lead UNC efforts to expand the regional innovation ecosystem and foster economic development; advance career-readiness/workforce development to support regional/state-wide needs; and support the needs of UNC faculty, students, and regional stakeholders through the promotion of tech transfer and use-inspired research.
