Research, Innovation & Impact

Charting Research Pathways Program 

This six-week hybrid program helps faculty at all stages reframe their research, identify new funding streams and adapt to shifting federal priorities. Participants explore federal, foundation and industry funders; create funder-aligned concept papers; receive personalized coaching; and develop a tailored funding strategy. Includes expert-led sessions, peer review and follow-up writing support. All participants will receive an individualized research landscape report. 

Status: Registration is open. Registration deadline: Sept. 8

Fall 2025 program dates:

• Oct. 1 at 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. (in-person), Visioning and Reframing
• Oct. 9 at 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. (virtual), Federal Landscape
• Oct. 15 at 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. (virtual), Foundation Funding
• Oct. 28 at 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. (virtual), Industry Funding
• Nov. 4 at 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. (in-person), Opportunity Mapping
• Nov. 10 at 9 a.m. - noon (in-person), Writing Concept Papers

Principal Investigator Leadership Program 

The PI Leadership Program is intended to help principal investigators learn best practices and avoid common pitfalls in project management, meeting grant deliverables and team effectiveness.

Status: Registration is open for the fall 2025 virtual session. Registration deadline: Oct. 6.  Registration will open for the in-person Spring session in January 2026.

Registered participants will receive calendar appointments with Zoom links one week before the program start date. An in-person session will be offered in Spring 2026.

Fall 2025 program dates (virtual)

• Oct. 13 at noon - 1:30 p.m. (Zoom), Welcome and PI Responsibilities
• Oct. 14 at noon - 1:30 p.m. (Zoom), Building Successful Teams
• Oct. 15 at noon - 1:30 p.m. (Zoom), Project Planning & Administration
• Oct.16 at noon - 1:30 p.m. (Zoom), Resources & Support

Sign up to be notified about future programs.

Spring 2026 program date (in-person)

March 6, 2026 9 a.m. - 3p.m., Bond Life Sciences Center, Room 171

Status: Registration will open January 2026

Early Career Researcher Workshop Series

This workshop series features topics relevant to early career researchers throughout the year. Topics include developing your research agenda, communicating your research, introduction to grant writing and managing research teams. Each session is interactive, and participants can expect to leave with clear and actionable next steps.

Fall 2025 semester workshops

Research Planning and Goal Setting
Sept. 26, 9 a.m. - noon, Bond Life Sciences Center, Room 171

This interactive session will support researchers in developing a five-year research plan, including:

• Mapping career milestones
• Visioning and goal setting
• Time and task management skills
• Peer coaching and feedback

Status: Registration is open. Registration deadline: Sept. 19 or when full 
 

Foundation Funding for Early Career Researchers
Oct. 24, 9 a.m. - noon, Bond Life Sciences Center, Room 171

During this interactive session, participants will learn about private foundations, how to secure foundation funding for their work and how to work with Mizzou’s Foundation Relations team. Session facilitators will lead researchers through the development of a concept paper to use for reaching out to foundations. This session is co-hosted by the Division of Research and Foundation Relations.

Status: Registration is open. Registration deadline: Oct. 16 or when full

Spring 2026 semester workshops

Communicating Your Research
Feb. 26, 9 a.m. - noon, Bond Life Sciences Center, Room 171

During this session, the RII PD and communication teams will lead researchers in developing a marketing plan for sharing their research with a variety of audiences. Facilitators will share best practices for creating a personal brand, how to communicate research to campus and the public, and various resources available on campus. Participants will also hear from a panel of researchers who have been successful in marketing their research in unique and interesting ways.  

Status: Registration will open October, 2025

Writing Retreats

The Division of Research hosts writing retreats throughout the year to provide a quiet place for researchers to read, write and think in community with other scholars. The Professional Development team is available during retreats for individual researcher consultations and in-the-moment writing feedback and support. 

Status: Fall semester registration is open; when you register you will select the sessions you will attend.

Fall 2025 dates:

• Sept.19 at 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Bond Life Sciences Center, Room 171
• Oct. 27 at 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Bond Life Sciences Center, Room 171
• Nov. 17 at 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., Conley House

MU NSF CAREER Club

MU CAREER Club is designed to help eligible researchers submit or resubmit a competitive application to the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Program. Club participants receive training, support and consultation throughout the process — from first draft to submission. 

Status: Applications will open in October 2025 for the July 2026 grant submission deadline.
 

Summer 2026 Grant Writing Boot Camp 

Join a four-day intensive grant writing retreat and boot camp. Bring a funding request, and our team will walk you through the process of developing a responsive proposal. Topics include writing strong introductions, representing your research trajectory, building strong narratives, using images and charts strategically and more. There will be plenty of writing time and opportunities for individual support from the Division of Research team as you work on your proposal.

Status: Summer 2026 dates will be announced after winter break.

Arts and Humanities Research and Creative Works Fellows Program

The Office of the Provost offers a two-year program and funding through the Arts and Humanities Research and Creative Works Fellows Program for both tenure-track and non-tenure track faculty in the arts and humanities.

Mentoring at Mizzou

The Mentoring at Mizzou program uses an evidence-based, interactive approach to help mentors develop skills for engaging in productive, culturally responsive mentoring relationships.

See more professional development programs for faculty on the Provost's website.