Clemson Division of Research

Doubling Research and Other Opportunities

Why do I feel so confidently that we will reach our goal to double research activity per Clemson Elevate? Because we have done it before. 

Total research and development expenditures as tracked at all institutions by the National Science Foundation (NSF) increased from $152 million in fiscal year 2013 to $287 million in FY2023, the latest year for which NSF data is available. I believe we will exceed $300 million in FY2024. 

Tanju Karanfil wearing a dark suit jacket with a Clemson tiger paw on the lapel
Tanju Karanfil

Our growth is unmatched. Over the past decade, Clemson posted a compound annual growth rate in total R&D of 5.6 percent, a full percentage point higher than the average of all other Carnegie R1 research institutions, according to NSF data. If interested in reading more about our research activity, you can read my latest quarterly research report here.

Together, we have enhanced our research culture and posted unmatched growth. This has required a shared commitment from university leadership, deans, associate deans, department chairs, faculty, research associates, graduate students and support staff to enhance our research enterprise. I want to thank all of you. 

We know we have much work to do, and the Division of Research is working hard to support your research. Here a few important updates as we near the end of another successful semester. 

We are accepting applications for funding from numerous R-Initiative programs:

  • The Clemson Faculty Succeeds R-Initiatives offers four opportunities: (1) Project Initiation/Seed Funding applications are due Jan. 15, 2025; (2) Collaborate applications are due March 5, 2025; (3) Project Completion applications are due Feb. 3, 2025; and (4) Fast Track applications are accepted any time. View details on each program here.
  • The Clemson Core Incentivized Access program that offers access to research facilities is accepting another round of applications, which are due March 31, 2025. 
  • Several R-Initiatives are available to support industry collaboration, including programs to support hiring postdoctoral researchers and engaging with for-profit companies. Details are available here.
  • Other R-Initiative programs accept applications any time and provide support for external reviews and travel to meet with funding agencies. The full list of R-Initiative funding programs available is listed here.
a collage of researchers working in different settings, including farm fields, classrooms, laboratories, hospitals and manufacturing facilities.

For untenured junior faculty, our Office of Research Development (ORD) is accepting applications to its annual CAREER Academy, which runs in the spring semester. The Academy provides a dedicated support structure for untenured junior faculty who are planning to submit National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) proposals. Academy participants will complete the program with a competitive proposal to submit to the NSF. Apply here by Dec. 7. 

Additionally, numerous ORD workshops are planned this spring to help you enhance your proposals for external funding:

  • Designing Effective Graphics for Grant Proposals;
  • NIH and NSF Requirements for Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Mentoring Plans;
  • 3-Part Series: Writing Effective Research Objectives and Specific Aims; and
  • Engaging Stakeholders: Community Organizations. 

Details on these workshops are available online here, and past workshops are available to view here. ORD also provides support to Clemson faculty who are working large-scale, complex research grants that are larger than $1.5 million. To request support, click here

For faculty and graduate students interested in commercializing their research, Clemson joined a hub of Southeast universities that received a $15 million from National Science Foundation (NSF) to help nurture the commercialization of innovation. Our participation in this Southeast I-Corps Hub is led by the Clemson University Research Foundation. The Hub will work to identify business development opportunities for new technologies and prepare inventors for commercial success. Learn more here

The Office of Research Compliance (ORC) is rolling out new InfoEd request forms for the Institutional Review Board (details here) and the Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee (details here) that will streamline the submission process and facilitate faster responses for you, as well as create an accessible archive of your compliance requests. The new forms will be released in mid-December. IMPORTANT NOTE:  To accommodate the transition, the system will be temporarily inaccessible from Nov. 23 until Dec. 9 when new forms go live, so any submissions (new, amendment or annual review) that need to be filed before then must be complete by Nov. 22. 

Additionally, ORC has launched a newsletter to keep researchers abreast of timely compliance updates. Subscribe here. IACUC also plans to launch a newsletter to update faculty on animal use and care matters. Subscribe here

We continue to monitor changing federal regulations. On Oct. 1, the federal government released new regulations that will impact proposal submissions and award management. Of particular interest is the value of equipment and the F&A applied to subrecipients. Clemson University is in the process of negotiating a new F&A rate with the federal government, so no action is needed at this time. Additional guidance will be provided after rate negotiation has concluded. Multiple additional changes are in the new regulations (2 CFR 200). As these changes are clarified by agencies, additional information will be posted. More information is posted here.

Finally, I am pleased to announce that we have hired a director of electronic research administration, a new position created to enhance and streamline services to you as we aim to double research per the Clemson Elevate strategic plan. Mike Bryant starts in this role Nov. 18. He has been with Clemson nearly 10 years, most recently as director of health care infrastructure, where he developed and implemented IT infrastructure improvements to support operational efficiencies and enhanced services to clients. Please join me in welcoming Mike to the team. He can be reached at cbryan8@clemson.edu.  

I want to thank all of you for your ongoing commitment to research, scholarship and creative endeavors at Clemson. 

Sincerely, 

–Tanju