Public Impact Research Initiative

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Public Impact Research Initiative
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How to Apply
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Prior Awardees

Public Impact Research Initiative Grants

The Public Impact Research Initiative (PIRI) was established to recognize and support research that is cogenerated with community partners, is of mutual benefit, and has a positive public impact. Through this program we provide financial support for new collaborations or sustaining relationships that will support publicly engaged research with non-university partners. We are sorry to announce that we have had to pause the PIRI program for spring 2025 due to mid-year budget reductions.

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Eligibility and Award Criteria

All current Academic Senate and Academic Federation members from any UC Davis location are eligible to apply.

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Office Hours

To answer your questions about the program, PIRI office hours will be held via Zoom while the application period is open.

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"With support from the UC Davis Public Impact Research Initiative, my Ph.D. student Olivia Feldman initiated a project to co-generate data with ranchers using participatory mapping."

Justine Smith, '22 PIRI Recipient

PIRI-Funded Project: Collaborating with Ranchers

Wildlife biologist Justine Smith’s goal in Patagonia is to find wildlife conservation solutions that work because both ranchers and nonprofits have a seat at the table.

Read more about this project 

Explore Our Funded Projects

Discover the diverse range of initiatives we've supported over the years. 

View Funded Projects Submit an Application

When COVID-19 isolated incarcerated people, Assistant Professor Ben Weber and the California Coalition for Women Prisoners launched a writing group to facilitate communication among individuals both on inside and outside of prison walls.

Illustration of two girls running towards one another for a hug. A group of children cheer in the background. Above them is a sign that says “NO ONE GETS FREE ALONE”.

Filmmaker Julie Wyman, associate professor of cinema and digital media, brings a deeply personal connection to "UNTITLED DWARFISM PROJECT", a documentary feature film exploring the little people community’s perspectives on new pharmaceutical treatments for dwarfism.

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Explore the profound and inspiring work of Professor Inés Hernández-Ávila, a distinguished scholar dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Indigenous languages and cultures.

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In the eyes of Jennifer Phipps and her research team, the pandemic has reaffirmed the importance of engaging community members in their public scholarship work that is focused on promoting health equity.

A woman bends over in a field of strawberries in Knights Landing, CA

PIRI-Funded Project: Citizen Science in Prison Gardens

PIRI Grant recipients teamed with the Insight Garden Program to bring hands-on science opportunities to people in prison.

"We sought funding from the UC Davis Public Impact Research Initiative to lay the groundwork for incorporating citizen science into IGP’s existing garden-based educational programming in regional prisons."

Read more about this project