Proposal Reviewer Fund (Maryland Catalyst Fund)
The Proposal Reviewer Fund (Maryland Catalyst Fund) from the University of Maryland supports faculty by funding expert external reviews to strengthen the scientific quality of major research proposals.
Funder: University of Maryland
Due Dates: Rolling
Funding Amounts: Up to $3,000 per award; 50% unit / 50% VPR cost-share required.
Summary: Supports UMD faculty seeking external funding by providing honoraria for external experts to review draft proposals before submission.
Key Information: Only reviewer honoraria are supported; must be UMD faculty (assistant research scientist or higher, full-time).
Description
The Proposal Reviewer Fund (Maryland Catalyst Fund) is an internal University of Maryland program designed to help research teams maximize their competitiveness for significant external funding. The fund provides up to $3,000 (with a required 50% unit and 50% VPR cost-share) to pay honoraria to external subject matter or agency experts who conduct rigorous "red team reviews" of draft proposals before submission. The program is managed by the Research Development Office and overseen by the Vice President for Research. Its goal is to strengthen proposals' responsiveness and competitiveness through targeted, expert feedback.
This fund is best suited when reviewer honoraria are the only internal costs needed for proposal development. For more extensive pre-award needs (such as pilot data collection, student support, or technical writing), applicants should consider the Big Opportunity Fund.
