Investing now in the future of research
Catalyst 2030 is the University at Albany’s coordinated research growth and expansion strategy to seed high-impact research, recruit top-tier talent, build interdisciplinary centers, and strengthen entrepreneurship and industry engagement.
The initiative brings together strategic investments that strengthen UAlbany’s capacity to pursue ambitious research, respond to emerging opportunities, and translate discovery into public and economic impact.
Catalyst 2030 will help promising work move toward external funding and long-term sustainability by creating multiple pathways for growth:
Launching new research directions
Developing interdisciplinary teams and centers
Attracting specialized talent
Expanding international collaboration
5 Steps for Success: How Catalyst 2030 Works
about
- Invest: Provide funding, people and enabling infrastructure.
- Activate: Recruit talent, launch awards, deliver research services and engage partners.
- Advance: Move projects, teams and centers toward clear milestones.
- Grow: Build research capacity, partnerships, sustainability, commercialization pathways and public impact.
- Learn: Track results, review data and adapt the portfolio over time.
Measuring what the investment makes possible
Catalyst 2030 will track both shared portfolio measures and program-specific outcomes, including:
- Talent recruited and retained
- Projects launched and research directions advanced
- Interdisciplinary teams and centers developed
- External proposals and follow-on funding
- Partnerships, translation, commercialization, and public impact
- Service quality and responsiveness for participating researchers
Programs & Opportunities
programs
Strategic Allocation of Resources (StAR) Program
Program purpose: Support public-impact research and international partnerships through flexible internal awards.
| Status | Who should apply | Key date |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | UAlbany faculty, staff and students | Proposals due by September 30, 2026 |
StAR Program Details
UAlbany’s Strategic Allocation of Resources (StAR) program is an initiative to support one-year, campus-wide initiatives that advance UAlbany’s Strategic Plan.
The 2026 StAR Program will allocate up to $500,000 in total funding, with 15 to 20 proposals selected to receive awards of $5,000 to $50,000 each.
Faculty, staff and students are invited to submit proposals under two pathways:
- Public Impact Research
- International Partnerships and Collaborative Research
Visit the StAR webpage for detailed information, including application instructions.
Talent Recruitment Program
Program purpose: Help UAlbany centers, laboratories and research units recruit postdoctoral associates who can expand research capability, launch new areas of inquiry and strengthen pathways toward externally funded research portfolios.
| Status | Who should apply | Key date |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | UAlbany full-time faculty and professional staff | Submissions due by November 19, 2026 |
Talent Recruitment Program Details
The Talent Recruitment Program will help UAlbany’s centers, institutes and research units recruit and integrate high-caliber postdoctoral associates who can expand research capability, develop areas of inquiry not currently represented within the host unit, and position emerging research portfolios for external funding and longer-term sustainability.
Who should apply: UAlbany full-time faculty and professional staff affiliated with a center, institute and/or research unit proposing a strategic new research direction, with the unit director’s support, and demonstrating the experience, mentoring capacity, management approach and resources needed to support a postdoctoral associate.
Submission guidelines:
Proposals must be submitted via the Talent Recruitment Program Portal by 5 p.m. November 19, 2026.
Proposals must:
- Define the proposed new area of inquiry and explain how it expands beyond the host unit’s current research portfolio
- Explain why the applicant unit, and any co-applicant unit, is uniquely positioned to lead development of the proposed area and build a funded research portfolio
- Identify required resources, such as office or lab space, supplies, data, core facilities, computing equipment, AI GPU time or other supports, and describe the plan to provide them
- Provide a recruitment plan, including the anticipated appointment type, expected salary range and whether there is a specific individual of interest, if applicable
- Provide a management and mentoring plan and a key performance indicators plan for the proposed postdoctoral associate
- Follow applicable Research Foundation recruitment processes, including guidance on search waivers and visa eligibility where relevant
High-impact Seed Funding
Program purpose: Seed new interdisciplinary research and accelerate promising projects and emerging centers toward larger grants, innovation and commercialization outcomes.
| Status | Who should apply | Key date |
|---|---|---|
| Upcoming opportunity | Interdisciplinary UAlbany research teams | Planned Spring 2027 launch |
High-impact Seed Funding Program Details
The High-impact Seed Funding Program will provide substantial internal support for ambitious research that can open new interdisciplinary directions, advance emerging centers, generate competitive large-scale proposals, and accelerate innovation and commercialization pathways.
Tracks:
- Individual Research Projects: Support focused projects positioned to build preliminary evidence, strengthen a team or prepare for larger external funding.
- New Multidisciplinary Center Grants: Support teams developing a new center or institute-wide research direction with a credible plan for leadership, collaboration, sustainability and future external support.
Thematic priorities: Quantum computing, artificial intelligence, resiliency, materials science, diversity, RNA and genomics, brain research, biomedical engineering, and healthcare.
Outcome emphasis: New capability, stronger external proposals, follow-on funding, technology readiness, partnerships, commercialization and sustainable interdisciplinary research capacity.
Additional Programs Coming Soon
- Puerto Rico Initiative: Advancing joint research with Puerto Rico-based partners.
- India Initiative: Building on UAlbany’s partnership with Ramaiah University through joint research, curricula and exchange.
Contact the Catalyst 2030 team
For program questions, application support or general information about Catalyst 2030, please contact [email protected].
UAlbany students, faculty and staff can also share feedback and ideas using our Ideas Portal.
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