The Office of Research Development positions Boston University at the forefront of emerging and convergent research areas—particularly those that span more than one department, college, or school. Our mission is to catalyze the next generation of high-growth areas by advancing large-scale, multi-investigator research initiatives and building the infrastructure that allows interdisciplinary collaborations to thrive. You can contact the Research Development team at resdev@bu.edu.
We do this by:
- Connecting people and ideas: Linking faculty, departments, and external partners around convergent themes to create transformative collaborations.
- Lowering barriers and enabling impact: Providing resources, administrative support, and targeted incentives that empower teams to pursue ambitious, cross-disciplinary projects.
- Measuring and amplifying success: Tracking progress, assessing impact, and sharing stories that elevate BU’s role in shaping the research frontiers of tomorrow.
We provide strategic support by:
- Guiding complex proposals: Helping multi-investigator, cross-disciplinary teams compete successfully for large, strategically significant federal opportunities—including center-level programs (NSF, NIH, DOE, DoD) and institutional training grants (e.g., NSF NRT, NIH T32).
- Leveraging data intelligence: Using advanced analytics to anticipate trends, identify strategic federal research priorities, and position BU for leadership in emerging fields.
Request Support
Research Development services are provided at no cost to the BU community. However, a formal request is required to initiate support. Requests may be submitted by investigators, faculty, staff, or administrators.
Each submission is reviewed by the Research Development team, considering factors such as current team capacity, timeline for submission (6-12 months in advance), the proposal’s/program’s alignment with institutional priorities, and whether the proposal involves collaboration across schools/colleges. While we aim to assist as many projects as possible, we ask for your understanding that not all requests can be accommodated.
Make your request here
Training Grant Support
Training grants provide institutional support for structured, multi-mentor programs that prepare graduate students and/or postdoctoral researchers. Our office prioritizes supporting these institutional training initiatives by offering comprehensive support to faculty planning to submit for these grants.
