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Expertise. Innovation. Collaboration.

Core Voucher Program

Core Facilities Advocacy Committee (CFAC) SOM Core Voucher Program

 

Important Documents

Core Voucher Program Attestation form  (must be submitted for each core within the proposal)

RFA SOM Core Voucher Program – FY26 FINAL

CFAC Voucher Program Template – FY26 Final

RFA SOM Core Voucher Program Eligible Cores FY26

To request review of a core facility not listed here, please e-mail corefacilities@med.unc.edu.

 

General Information

The Core Facility Advocacy Committee (CFAC) in the Office of Research Technologies, UNC School of Medicine (SOM), announces a pilot program to support research projects  that directly utilize UNC SOM biomedical research cores. Please refer to the list of the cores found in the RFA announcement above.

Core vouchers worth up to $10,000 will be awarded to investigators with qualified projects to be used exclusively for core services.

The CFAC Core Voucher Program will open for submissions August 18, 2025 and close September 22, 2025 at 11:59 pm. 

 

Project Eligibility

For FY26, applicants must have full or joint appointment in the UNC School of Medicine and must propose to use at least one SOM core which invoices for services. 

 

To be eligible for funding, proposed projects must be for new method development or generation of pilot data for a project not currently funded AND must satisfy at least one of the following criteria:

 

• Pipeline project that utilizes more than one core

• Applicant is a new core customer of at least one of the cores the proposal utilizes

• Applicant is using a technology or service within a core that they have not used before, even if they have previously worked with the core

• Applicant has been impacted by a recent grant termination (last 6 months) or a programmatic change at the NIH or other federal agencies, and is collecting pilot data to target new federal funding opportunities or new internal collaborations (see special note in Application Instructions)

 

Additionally, projects should spend out their award by June 30, 2026. Feasibility to meet this timeline will a factor in award decisions.

 

Applicants must discuss their proposed project with the collaborating core directors prior to submission and include a Core Director Attestation form (linked at the top of the page) with the proposal submission with signatures of both the core directors and the applicants. Core directors have the right to not sign proposals presented without adequate time to meet and evaluate the project.

 

Funding awards will be transferred to the awardees home department. Spending reports will be requested at the end of FY26. Unused funds may be requested to be returned to the SOM Office of Research.

 

Required Documents

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  • Project budget (if not described in text)
  • NIH-style specific aims project description (if not described in text)

 

  • Signed attestation form(s)
  • Applicants who qualify under “Applicant has been impacted by a recent grant termination (last 6 months) or a programmatic change at the NIH or other federal agencies, and is collecting pilot data to target new federal funding opportunities or new internal collaborations” should also include a letter describing the impact of changes to federal scientific funding priorities to their research program and how access to these funds will support changes to their program to address the challenges described.

Submit an Application

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Click to submit an Application

 

Voucher award decisions will be announced mid-November. Thank you for your patience!

 

Questions

If you have questions about eligibility or the application process please reach out to the Office of Research Technologies at corefacilties@med.unc.edu

 

Publishing

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  • Cores must be acknowledged in published work stemming from this award.
  • Funding must be acknowledged as: “Funding provided by the Core Facility Advocacy Committee and Office of Research Technologies, UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine.”