Advancing Research by Supporting Ph.D. Students

Research starts with curiosity but progresses best when accompanied by a supportive infrastructure that incentivizes the discovery process. As we look ahead for IU Indianapolis, I am focused on identifying where those structures work well and where they unintentionally create obstacles. One challenge that often comes up in my conversations with faculty is the cost of supporting Ph.D. students on external grants.

Doctoral students are the engine of strong research programs. They bring ideas, focus, and talent. Yet the cost of including them in grant proposals can be a barrier. For this reason, I am pleased to share a new initiative that can remove this roadblock - the Supporting Opportunities for Learning, Vision, and Exploration in Research (SOLVE) Research Fund, a $1 million institutional investment — available until the full $1 million commitment has been allocated — designed to make it easier for faculty to include Ph.D. students in externally funded research. SOLVE is intentionally structured as an incentive model, encouraging faculty to design ambitious research proposals that meaningfully integrate doctoral scholars at the center of discovery.

Here’s how it works: Faculty members submitting a proposal for an external research grant can apply to the SOLVE Research Fund for support when the proposal includes a qualified Ph.D. student on the grant.  Selected proposals will receive institutional commitment from IU Indianapolis to cover the student’s tuition (at a standardized rate) and campus health insurance for up to two years if the external grant is awarded. To qualify, the external proposal must include the Ph.D. student’s stipend in the grant budget. Support is available for up to two Ph.D. students per proposal.

By removing a major project cost at the proposal stage, we incentivize faculty to expand opportunities for doctoral students, which allows for bigger ideas and more ambitious projects to be submitted.

The SOLVE program is open to faculty serving as PIs or Co-PIs submitting proposals for externally funded, research-focused projects. We have structured it so it allows all faculty to participate, no matter their discipline, and uses a standardized tuition rate. Faculty members who receive the SOLVE Research Fund and who mentor multiple Ph.D. students may also be eligible for a modest discretionary incentive, recognizing that mentorship of doctoral students is core to our scholarly work.

More than a funding mechanism, the SOLVE Research Fund reflects our priorities. For Ph.D. students, this means more opportunities to participate in meaningful, funded research. For faculty, it means fewer barriers and more room to think big. And for IU Indianapolis, it strengthens our capacity to pursue research and share the excitement of discovery with students who will become the next generation of researchers. Our doctoral programs are an investment, not an expense item; the outcomes resulting from such research are a social good that can benefit society at large.

Go Jags!

Latha Ramchand
Chancellor