Utah System of Higher Education | UVU Applicant Guidance
Utah Valley University’s Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is coordinating UVU's internal review and submission process for the following Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) funding programs:
Higher Education Research Funding Pilot Program (HERFP), a $45 million funding program with possible awards ranging from $500K to $5M for 2-3 years, as described in this PDF: HERFP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
Utah AI Moonshot Program, a $5 million funding initiative established through the Governor's Pro-Human AI Initiative with possible awards ranging from $50K to $1M for 0.5-2 years, managed by the Nucleus Institute, as described in this PDF: AI Moonshot NOFO
Both programs' Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) require that proposals led by faculty at a Utah institution of higher education be reviewed and prioritized by the president of the lead institution prior to submission. In addition, only sponsored projects offices will have access to the State's submission portal. Accordingly, all UVU-led submissions must proceed through the UVU Office of Sponsored Programs and the university's internal review process.
Completed NOI forms were due to Sheldon Sumpter ([email protected]) or Kathryn Johnson ([email protected]).
Budget worksheet(s) must be approved by both the Department Chair and Dean before submission to OSP. See Budget Preparation & Approval below for required templates and routing instructions.
Submit the full proposal and OSP Routing Form to OSP.
OSP submits finalized proposal packets to USHE.
Each program's Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) defines the full proposal requirements, while the corresponding Summary of Requirements provides a condensed reference for applicants. Review both documents thoroughly for your program before drafting your proposal.
The NOFO and Summary of HERFP Requirements provide the required narrative sections, appendices, page and word limits, formatting rules, and applicable scoring criteria. Use the NOFO as the authoritative source for full requirements and the Summary as a quick reference while drafting.
As you prepare your HERFP proposal, note that partnerships with industry and other organizations, such as state agencies, local governments, and community organizations, are important to proposal success. Letters of collaboration and support help document these partnerships and their commitments to the project. HERFP proposals may include up to 5 letters, one page each.
USHE Institution Letter
A letter from your Dean should address the following:
PIs are encouraged to prepare a draft of the institution letter for their Dean's review and signature.
“Fully dedicated simply means the faculty member must be fully dedicated to the research project and not be splitting time on other research projects. It does not relate to teaching loads. The PI may maintain a standard teaching load or funds could be used to buy out some of their teaching load.” — T.J. Bliss, USHE Associate Commissioner, 8/11/2026
Partner Letter(s)
As you develop partnerships and document those relationships through letters, please consider the following:
Letter Preparation & Submission
Start early to develop partners and obtain strong letters of commitment, as these can take time. Letters should be on letterhead stationery, dated, signed, and provided in PDF format. An email is not sufficient. Letters are due with proposals on October 6.
The NOFO and Summary of AI Moonshot Requirements provide the required proposal sections, page limits, formatting rules, and applicable scoring criteria. Use the NOFO as the authoritative source for full requirements and the Summary as a quick reference while drafting.
The required Team Roster & Approach section is limited to two pages and should identify all senior personnel, their project roles, and their relevant qualifications. Applicants must identify at least one full-time member of the research team as the Project Lead, whose non-teaching time can be fully dedicated to ensuring that project milestones and deliverables are met on the proposed timeline.
AI Moonshot proposals do not request or allow CVs or biosketches, so applicants should use the Team Roster & Approach section to establish the relevant qualifications of key personnel. The section should also describe project partners, their roles, and their contributions. Partner contribution amounts should be consistent across the Team Roster & Approach, partner letters, and budget cost-share information, where applicable. See the NOFO and Summary of AI Moonshot Requirements for complete section requirements.
Letters of commitment are required for AI Moonshot proposals and accompany the Team Roster & Approach section. Letters are not counted toward the proposal's 12-page limit.
USHE Institution Letter
A letter from your Dean should address the following:
PIs are encouraged to prepare a draft of the institution letter for their Dean's review and signature.
“Fully dedicated simply means the faculty member must be fully dedicated to the research project and not be splitting time on other research projects. It does not relate to teaching loads. The PI may maintain a standard teaching load or funds could be used to buy out some of their teaching load.” — T.J. Bliss, USHE Associate Commissioner, 8/11/2026
Non-Academic Partner Letter(s)
At least one non-academic partner is required. Industry, government, community, school district, health system, and tribal partners are strongly encouraged. Partners should have a substantive, clearly defined role in the project and demonstrate genuine collaboration and commitment to the project's ongoing impact.
Letter Preparation & Submission
Start early to develop partners and obtain strong letters of commitment, as these can take time. Letters should be on letterhead stationery, dated, signed, and provided in PDF format. An email is not sufficient. Letters are due with proposals on October 6.
As you prepare your budget for the AI Moonshot or Utah HERFP proposal, please use the UVU Budget Worksheet for HERFP-Moonshot template. Indirect costs are not included in this worksheet because they are not allowable under these programs.
If you are applying for the HERFP opportunity, or if your AI Moonshot project includes cost sharing or matching funds from UVU or industry partner(s), also complete the HERFP Budget Template. For AI Moonshot proposals, the budget/budget justification is limited to two pages. PIs should work with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) to develop this document; it is not due on September 22.
Budget worksheet(s) for AI Moonshot and HERFP proposals must be submitted to OSP by September 22, 2026, at 5:00 PM Mountain Time. Before that deadline, budgets must be approved by both the Department Chair and Dean. Approval requests should be routed:
USHE information sessions for the Higher Education Research Funding Pilot Program (HERFP) and the AI Moonshot Program were held jointly on August 14 and August 18, 2026. Both sessions were recorded and are available through the USHE grants portal:
https://ushe.my.site.com/grants/s/
We recognize that these opportunities involve an accelerated timeline and appreciate everyone's flexibility and cooperation in helping UVU identify and advance its strongest ideas. OSP is available to support applicants who submitted an NOI by the internal deadline with proposal requirements, partnerships, institutional approvals, budgets, and proposal development questions ([email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]).
Thank you for the important research and creative work you do on behalf of UVU and the State of Utah. OSP is grateful for your continued efforts to pursue innovative research and external funding opportunities, and we look forward to supporting applicants as they move through the proposal development and submission process.
