The Office of the Vice President for Research is pleased to announce the Go phase of the revamped Catalyst Program, which now has three phases: Ready, Set, and Go.
The OVPR launched the Catalyst for Innovative Partnerships (CIP) program in 2014, followed by the Pre-Catalyst for Innovative Partnerships (PRECIP) program in 2016, to foster a pipeline of high-impact interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary team partnerships to pursue major opportunities that address grand societal and scientific challenges. After three cohorts of CIP teams and two cohorts of PRECIP teams, the OVPR, through the Research Acceleration Office (RAO), has launched an enhanced series of Catalyst strategic programs, now called Ready(new), Set (formerly PRECIP), and Go (formerly CIP).
Ready is the first phase of this program (first round completed spring semester 2025), aimed at enhancing the research enterprise by inspiring and priming the Catalyst-level vision and collaborative connections of future Catalyst teams. It is intended to prompt transformative teams, or people looking to create transformative teams, to begin thinking big and making connections. This phase includes a speaker series and networking support.
Set is the second phase of this program (first round completed fall semester 2025), aimed at preparing nascent and early-stage interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary teams to pursue substantial, high-impact funding opportunities and substantial, multi-sector collaborations under an increasingly broad funding portfolio. Set provides emerging team development workshops to increase readiness and competitiveness levels while priming teams for other OVPR strategic programs, including the Go phase.
Go is the third phase of this program, aimed at providing more substantial internal funding and engagement support to more advanced teams so they can develop large, high-impact external funding proposals in an evolving funding landscape that includes mixed funding sources and cross-sector partnerships. Success in transformative funding areas often requires strong interdisciplinary teams, cross-sector partnerships, big ideas, and an intersection of center-like activities that bridge research, scholarship, workforce development, translation to practice, community engagement, and more.
Proposal Submission Process:
Applications are due March 9, 2026 by 5:00 pm through the CSU InfoReady Review system. The system will not accept applications after 5:00 pm. Find the “CSU – OVPR Catalyst Program – Go” opportunity within the list of opportunities and click “Apply”.
Please refer to the Catalyst Go Request for Proposals for additional information, including eligibility, general funding criteria, proposal requirements, and submission process. Other downloadable files include a Project Time Template, Funding Roadmap Template, and Funding Request Form.