Photo collage representing five of the Spring 2026 Grant-in-Aid projects. Photo Credit: stock.adobe.com (top and bottom right) and Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (raspberry), College of Design (textile), UMD (St. Louis River).
The Research and Innovation Office (RIO) has awarded approximately $900,000 to 24 projects as part of the spring cycle of the Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry, and Scholarship (GIA) program. This cohort includes principal investigators from 12 colleges across two campuses, with an average award of $37,377. As RIO’s longest-running program, the GIA supports the University’s strategic plan, Elevate Extraordinary 2030, by bolstering the research, scholarly, and artistic activities of faculty university-wide.
The program’s impact is significant: from fiscal years 2019 to 2023, every dollar RIO invested in the GIA generated thirteen dollars in external funding.