The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) is accepting new proposals through Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, from teams of faculty, staff and students whose projects further the goals of Forging Ahead, the university’s strategic plan.
The SIF is designed to fuel innovative, collaborative initiatives that advance UAB’s mission and strengthen its impact in areas such as student success, enrollment, research, sustainability, wellness, and community engagement.
The 2025 fund will enable high impact single or multi-year projects to move from concept to implementation with meaningful support. Proposals are scored based on their strategic fit, potential impact, and feasibility.
Funding priority is given to those projects that clearly demonstrate interdisciplinary collaboration across UAB schools and colleges. Whether focused on launching a pilot program, scaling a successful initiative, or addressing a campus-wide challenge, proposals should demonstrate innovation, sustainability, and alignment with UAB’s strategic priorities.
Past projects funded by the SIF have made a tangible difference across campus and beyond. Funded 2024 projects include a mobile maternal and child health project delivering nurse-led care to underserved rural counties, Live HealthSmart Alabama’s community-based wellness efforts across Birmingham neighborhoods, and the expansion of the multi-disciplinary driving simulation lab that supports research in driver safety, rehabilitation, and engineering.
The 2025 SIF review committee includes:
- Janet Woodruff-Borden, Ph.D. (co-chair), senior vice president for academic affairs and provost
- Tom Brannan (co-chair), senior vice president for advancement and strategic initiatives
- Chris Brown, Ph.D., vice president for research
- Kecia Thomas, Ph.D., professor and dean of the UAB College of Arts and Sciences
- Dan Givans, Ph.D., professor, UAB School of Dentistry and chair, faculty senate
The Strategic Investment Fund is one way UAB continues to invest in its people, programs, and future. Members of the campus community are encouraged to think boldly, collaborate widely, and submit ideas that will help shape what’s next for the university.