DataLab Start-Up Research Collaboration Award

The Start-Up Research Collaboration Award pairs UC Davis faculty and professional researchers with DataLab’s data scientists for intensive, short-term engagements. Our goal of these one-quarter “sprints” is to transform novel research ideas into pilot results and proof-of-concept workflows that serve as the foundation for successful extramural funding proposals.

Apply by Wednesday February 18, 2026 | 11:59 PM PT

Eligibility

This program aims to foster creativity across all disciplines,

• Who Can Apply: This program is open to faculty and professional researchers from any discipline at UC Davis. We may also consider projects from local/state government and non-profits. We prioritize applications from individuals and research teams who have data-intensive research ideas and do not yet have the technical, data science, or AI expertise to execute them.
• Project Types: Projects can be at any stage (data gathering, cleaning, management, analysis, visualization, interpretation, dissemination, preservation) and feature any type of data (e.g., numeric, text, image, audio, etc.). Because this engagement is time-limited, projects generally focus on honing or determining the validity of a proposed research question relative to the available data, assessing potential approaches and piloting solutions, and/or producing preliminary results suitable for the development of successful proposals for multi-year externally funded research collaborations.
• Beyond the Start-Up: If you require support beyond a single quarter, DataLab can also partner with you on funded research grants.

Products from Start-Up Awards are exploratory in nature and additional work may be necessary for publication and production-ready products. Past projects have included exploratory development and application of AI, statistical and machine learning, data visualization (including large-scale 3D/virtual reality), reproducible research workflows, webscraping, natural language processing, computer vision, and open-source software development. See DataLab’s website for a description of some of our prior Start-Up projects.

Review process

Applications consist of a short project narrative detailing your research goals, datasets, and anticipated technical challenges. The review committee prioritizes projects that demonstrate:

• Impact: A compelling research question with significant potential impact for your domain and research program.
• Need: A clear articulation of why partnering with DataLab is critical to advancing the research.
• Feasibility: Well-defined deliverables and reasonable scope for producing meaningful results within 8–12 weeks.
• Sustainability: A plan for targeting specific extramural funding calls.

After the submission deadline, it is common for us to reach out to short-listed projects with follow-up questions. These conversations do not ensure acceptance. Start dates will be determined by mutual availability, with preference for projects that are ready to start at the beginning of Spring Quarter.

Note on Attribution and Coauthorship: These awards represent a significant investment from DataLab. The work of our data scientists, and DataLab, is expected to be attributed in all resulting products including publications, presentations, software, etc..

How to Apply

Submit your application via email to datalab@ucdavis.edu with the subject “Start-Up Application 2026” by February 18, 2026.

Your application package should include:

1. Narrative Proposal (2-5 pages): Describe your research question, the data science challenges you’re facing (including what, if any approaches you’ve already tried), and how this collaboration could move you toward a specific extramural funding call.
2. Data Details (no more than 1 page): Tell us about your data. Do you have it “in hand”? Is any of it protected or sensitive (PII)? Who owns it and do you have permission to share it? Are there any known issues with access, copyright, or licensing fees? Include links to the available data and documentation (READMEs, data dictionaries, codebooks, etc.). If it is not possible to share the full dataset, provide a link to a sample of the data. For protected or anticipated data, provide a psuedo-sample.
3. One-paragraph description of the project for inclusion on DataLab’s website and outreach efforts. Please also include a few research images to accompany this overview paragraph. (See examples on DataLab’s project webpage.)
4. CVs: 2-page biosketches for all PIs.
5. Team Overview: A list with emails of all additional members of your team who will directly participate in the project. This includes any additional postdocs, graduate students, undergraduate students, staff, etc. who you would like to attend the weekly project meetings.
6. Availability: Most projects happen in Spring. Please confirm your availability, and preference for onboarding your project in Spring, Summer or Fall 2026.

It is strongly recommended that you consult with a DataLab director during our Tuesday (1-2 PM) Office Hours at DataLab for guidance on developing your proposal. Separate consultation times can also be arranged as needed.

For questions contact us at datalab@ucdavis.edu.

Program FAQs

What is the DataLab Start-Up Collaboration Award?

This program pairs data scientists with domain experts to explore and make rapid progress on a research project. We support projects at any stage, from initial data gathering and cleaning to advanced analysis, visualization, and dissemination. A goal of the program is to generate pilot results that enable the development of successful extramural funding proposals. A key feature of the program is the short-duration and intensive nature of the collaboration, which serves as an incubator for testing hypotheses and approaches to data-intensive domain problems. Our data scientist dedicates up to 20% time on the project, and everyone is expected to meet at least weekly to ensure steady progress. Accepted projects are scoped to include statements of work and project deliverables that can be successfully achieved within one quarter (approximately 8-12 weeks). Products are exploratory in nature and additional work may be necessary for publication and production-ready products.

Who can apply?

Any principal investigators (PIs) from any department at UC Davis and UC Davis Health are eligible to apply. Postdoctoral scholars and advanced graduate students seeking support for a project may write a proposal but require support and engagement from their faculty mentor as the primary PI. Proposed projects cannot be a stand alone chapter of a students’ thesis or dissertation. Government and non-profits may also be eligible to apply, and are encouraged to discuss their application with a DataLab director prior to submission.

What makes for a successful proposal?

All proposals will be evaluated by an interdisciplinary external review committee consisting of representatives from DataLab’s directorate, faculty advisory board, and affiliate community. We recommend avoiding (or at least explaining) any field-specific jargon, and focusing on the data, methods, and challenges that need data science help. While it is helpful to convey how the proposed project fits into your larger research agenda, be sure to articulate specific goals and desired deliverables for the Start-Up project. Priority will be given to projects that the committee deems: have the highest potential for impact; are most likely to lead to larger, externally funded research efforts; and are most technologically feasible within the scope and resources of the Start-Up program.

What do I receive as part of the award?

Start-Up Award recipients receive:

• Regular consultation with the DataLab directorate;
• Technical project management by DataLab staff;
• Up to 20% time of dedicated DataLab staff data scientist time to work on the project;
• Customized training opportunities for your research team on an as needed basis;
• Access to DataLab compute infrastructure (local server and HPC @ UCD) as necessary and suitable for completion of the project;
• All project PIs are invited to become DataLab Affiliates;
• Access to DataLab’s physical facilities in Shields Library.

Do Start-Up Awards provide any funding?

No. This award provides high-level “in-kind” personnel support and expertise rather than a funding transfer.

What am I expected to do if I receive a Start-Up Award?

This program involves a significant investment by DataLab in your research project. We expect that awardees will:

• Participate in weekly project meetings (typically in person but virtual engagement is possible as necessary);
• Dedicate focused time towards the completion of the proposed project during the identified time period;
• Make themselves available to DataLab’s data scientists for communications required to keep the project moving forward successfully;
• Use shared workspaces for the project as established by DataLab;
• Review and contribute to the initial scoping document, final project report, and documentation;
• Present at a DataLab hosted event (timing to be mutually determined);
• Provide attribution to DataLab in any resulting products from the collaboration;
• Actively seek out, co-write and co-PI suitable follow-up applications for external funding to expand and continue the research. (We expect that domain researchers will be the primary PI on domain-focused grants, whereas DataLab will lead on technical/data science-focused grants.)

Do I need to have data before I apply?

Not necessarily. While it is most helpful to have the data “in hand” at the time of application, a project aim may include gathering the data (via an API, webscraping, etc.) and limited initial data exploration. 

Does my data need to be “clean” in order for my project to be considered?

Not necessarily. We expected that all projects require some degree of data cleaning, but significant data preparation is often resource-intensive and may necessitate re-scoping. Well documented data is always desired and can streamline the cleaning process.

My data and project need to be organized. Can you help with that?

Most likely. We have extensive experience with data storage technologies and data management, and several prior projects included database schema development and data documentation. These efforts tend to be resource intensive and may necessitate re-scoping the research aims. 

Can I apply if I work with protected, sensitive, or PII data?

Yes. Describe the data access and privacy requirements in your application. While we prefer open projects (where all data and code can be published online) to promote research reproducibility and transparency, we recognize that not all datasets can be made publicly available.

What if I need longer-term support?

DataLab can partner with you on funded research grants. Email us at datalab@ucdavis.edu to discuss your needs.

When are proposals due?

For consideration for 2026, submit your proposal by February 18. Proposals are generally evaluated in Winter quarter, with project work beginning in Spring or Summer. Start-Up Projects selected to begin in Spring have the benefit of incorporating participation from student interns enrolled in DataLab’s introductory data science experiential education series.

How can I get help when preparing my proposal?

Attend DataLab’s weekly Office Hours to consult with a DataLab director. You can also request a separate consultation with us by emailing datalab@ucdavis.edu.