The SPARC Strategic Plan Implementation Fund provides flexible, timely support for strategic initiatives on a rolling basis.
The fund allows the university’s Strategic Plan Action and Resource Committee (SPARC) to address emerging needs and opportunities, ensuring progress toward our strategic goals.
Application and Approval Process
The SPARC Strategic Plan Implementation Fund provides one-time, non-recurring funds to support tactics, strategies, or objectives to help reach goals outlined in the University of Iowa Strategic Plan.
Requests for funding from the SPARC Strategic Plan Implementation Fund are developed by the SPARC work groups responsible for implementing the strategic plan. A SPARC member must submit all project requests and serves as the project lead if the request is approved.
All requests are discussed by the SPARC work group in which the project would reside, with the group vetting the project before the request is submitted to all of SPARC for review. The SPARC chair and the president make the final determination on which proposals are approved. Approved projects are submitted quarterly to the P3 Board of Directors for review and endorsement.
P3 Program in Support of Strategic Priorities
The UI Strategic Initiatives Fund supports key initiatives tied to the University of Iowa 2022-2027 Strategic Plan. Up to $15 million per fiscal year in non-recurring P3 funds will be available annually to support the implementation of the strategic plan.
Any funds that remain after the allocation of funding to P3 projects submitted through the campuswide call for proposals may be used to support other strategic plan initiatives or reserved for use in the SPARC Strategic Plan Implementation Fund.
Proposals Funded
The following projects have been funded from the $7.8 million reserved for SPARC strategic plan initiatives in FY 2025:
HIHI: Strategically Retaining and Recruiting Talented Faculty
$4,000,000 for one year
Providing continued funding for this successful initiative will support growth and sustainability in strategic areas, impacting educational, research, and artistic endeavors, and increasing the university's profile through enhanced tuition, research revenues, patient care excellence, and philanthropic support.
A Proposal for Iowa’s AI Journey: First Steps in General AI Support
$784,517 over two years
This project aims to integrate AI into teaching, learning, and research initiatives, enhancing success for students, staff, and faculty while advancing institutional goals. It focuses on proactive engagement with AI advancements to manage risks and challenges, streamline processes, and support innovative activities across campus.
Iowa’s AI Journey: First Steps in AI Support for Research Scholarly and Creative Activities
$615,000 over two years
This initiative aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in Artificial Intelligence research, education, and outreach across campus. By enhancing communication and bridging the gap between data holders and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning experts, Iowa can remain at the forefront of scientific progress and achieve even greater success in securing extramural research funding.
The following projects have been funded from the $7.4 million reserved for SPARC strategic plan initiatives in FY 2024:
HIHI: Strategically Retaining and Recruiting Talented Faculty
$5,000,000 for one year
The HIHI program provides one-time funds to support strategic hiring and retention of talented faculty. This refunding of the program, which was initially started in March 2021, took place in July 2023.
Reducing the Impact of Lung Cancer Among Iowans Through Prevention and Early Detection
$576,000 for one year
This project focuses on community-based cancer research to inform a multi-level strategy for implementing high-value cancer screening, tobacco-use interventions, and radon control activities to prevent and detect lung cancer in the state of Iowa.
HIHI: Strategically Retaining and Recruiting Talented Faculty
$500,000 for one year
As the HIHI continues to show increased usage and demand from collegiate leaders, the program continues to have additional funding allocated toward it. This refunding of the project took place in June 2024.
Piloting Marketing Strategies to Expand Online Graduate and Professional Program Opportunities at Iowa – Phase 1
$500,000 for one year
This project aims to enhance the University of Iowa's graduate and professional online presence to meet student demand and workforce needs, focusing on developing infrastructure or a model to better market new and existing online programs.
Advancing Faculty and Student Success Through Building a Culture of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
$237,000 over three years
This project aims to increase faculty participation in SoTL, building a framework for ongoing SoTL programming and increasing campus-wide awareness and engagement with SoTL. The project will create a SoTL Scholars cohort model and include a focused cohort of mid-career faculty.
Development of a New Undergraduate Major to Create a Helping Professions Framework
$200,000 over two years
This funding will support the development of Iowa’s new interdisciplinary Counseling and Behavioral Health Services major, which is designed to prepare undergraduate students for careers in helping professions, addressing the growing need for these professions in the state of Iowa, particularly in rural areas.
AI for Iowa Future: Short- and Long-Term Support for AI Research at Iowa
$150,000 for one year
This project aims to establish a short-term program for hands-on experiential learning in Artificial Intelligence and create a long-term Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning program to develop AI programming and tools for researchers and students.
Investing in the Development of Teaching Practices for Student and Faculty Success
$132,000 over two years
This project supports student and faculty success by providing opportunities for instructional-track faculty to engage in national professional development related to teaching practices. Faculty selected for these opportunities will then share evidence-based practices with their departments.
Curricular Analytics: Identifying and Addressing Bottlenecks to Improve Student Retention and Timeliness to Degree
$105,000 for one year
This project will analyze UI degree programs to help the university identify and address issues with courses in the curriculum of a program of study that may be delaying students’ time to graduation.