Funding Opportunities | MI-AORTA

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MI-AORTA Funding Opportunities

MI-AORTA has funding opportunities available.  Click below for details regarding the different funding mechanisms. Please note that you must be a MI-AORTA member to apply for funding. If you have specific questions, you can email [email protected].

MI-AORTA Rapid Research Grant Funding

The MI-AORTA Program Rapid Research Grant Competition is a grant funding opportunity specifically designed to support small pilot grants for aortic research that are likely to lead to further development of the pilot area with the eventual goal being the securing of extramural funds for a complete research project.

The program will support meritorious innovative projects or concepts in the aortic disease realm. Those submitting proposals must have a primary appointment within the University of Michigan and be a member of the Frankel Cardiovascular Center faculty or staff (membership application and a grant application can be submitted together if faculty is not a current MI-AORTA member).

Grants are awarded up to $10,000 per proposal and applicants will be subject to a one award maximum per fiscal year. These grants are meant to promote the initiation of a promising process – not support an ongoing project.

Grant Submission Deadline: Rolling

Award Cycle: Ongoing

Funding Available: Up to $10,000 per application

MI-AORTA Rapid Research RFA

Please submit grant applications to:  [email protected]

MI-AORTA: Aortitis Program Grant Competition

The Frankel Cardiovascular Center (FCVC) MI-AORTA Aortitis Program Grant Competition is specifically designed to foster innovation and promote collaboration among faculty, staff, clinicians, and scientists to further research at Michigan Medicine in the area of aortitis and large vessel vasculitis.

Funding awards will be up to $50,000 for one year.

Grant Submission Deadline: Closed

Award Cycle: 2026

Funding Available: Up to $50,000 per application

MI-AORTA Aortitis RFA

MI-AORTA Grant Competition

The Frankel Cardiovascular Center (FCVC) MI-AORTA Program Grant Competition is specifically designed to foster innovation and promote collaboration among faculty, staff, clinicians, and scientists to further research at Michigan Medicine in the area of aortic diseases. Grants in the range of $5,000-$50,000 are awarded on a competitive basis. Applicants may be at any academic level in all tracks. Details regarding criteria and submission procedures are linked below.

Grant Submission Deadline: CLOSED

Award Cycle: 2026

Funding Available: $5,000-$50,000 

MI-AORTA Grant Competition RFA

MI-AORTA Publication Cost for Secondary Support Available!

MI-AORTA at FCVC will support publication costs for Scientific Article Publication Funding for MI-AORTA Members that cannot be covered through departmental channels. If you are interested in support, please provide the following details to [email protected]

  • Is this request for funding being made prior to publication submission?
  • What level of cost coverage is required?
  • Is the publication topic related to aortic disease*? Please specify how.
  • Is the author or any co-author a member of MI-AORTA?
  • Has publication cost coverage been requested through the department of the author listed as "corresponding author"*?
  • Do you have evidence of denial of the publication cost coverage through the department of the "corresponding author" (e-mail, letter, etc.)*?

*Required to be "yes" for consideration of funding through MI-AORTA

When publishing, please acknowledge this funding as follows: This work was partially supported by MI-AORTA from the Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center

Past Awardees

Investigator: Andrea Obi, MD
Project Title: Improving arterial prosthetic bypass graft patency using tethered liquid perfluorocarbon (TLP) coating
Department: Vascular Surgery
Mechanism: Rapid Research Award


Investigator: Dogukan Mizrak, PhD
Project Title: Dissecting the role of TGFB2 defects in human aortic root aneurysm formation using Bioengineered Vascular Grafts
Department: Cardiac Surgery
Mechanism: Rapid Research Award


Investigator: Jie Xu, PhD
Project Title: Development of NuRG rabbits for the research of aortic aneurysm
Department: Cardiology
Mechanism: Rapid Research Award


Investigator: Nicholas Burris, MD
Project Title: Hemodynamic Changes in Descending Thoracic Aorta After Endovascular Repair of Aortic Dissection
Department: Radiology
Mechanism: Rapid Research Award


Investigator: Yu (Ray) Zuo, MD
Project Title: Unraveling the Clinical and Mechanistic Role of NETs in Clinically Isolated Aortitis
Department: Rheumatology
Mechanism: Aortitis Program Grant


Investigator: Dogukan Mizrak, PhD
Project Title: Spatially Resoling the Mechanism Underlying Aortitis Formation and Progression
Department: Cardiac Surgery
Mechanism: Aortitis Program Grant


Investigator: Jifeng Zhang, PhD
Project Title: Revealing Hidden Players in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Pathogenesis through Long-Read RNA Sequencing
Department: Cardiology
Mechanism: Collaborative Research Award


Investigator: Yu (Ray) Zuo, MD
Project Title: Leveraging Progress to Unravel Clinically Isolated Aortitis Mechanisms Through Cellular and Molecular Insights 
Department: Rheumatology
Mechanism:  Aortitis Program Grant


Investigator: Priyanka Verma, PhD
Project Title: Flavin-like monooxygenase 3 (FMO3) links intestinal dysbiosis to vascular disease: novel target for aortitis therapy
Department: Rheumatology
Mechanism:  Aortitis Program Grant


Investigator: David Nordsletten, DPhil, BS
Project Title: Active and Passive Mechanics of the Dissected Ascending Aorta
Department: Biomedical Engineering
Mechanism: Collaborative Research Award


Investigator: Frank Davis, MD
Project Title: A Lymphatic-absorbed Multi-targeted Kinase Inhibitor to Treat Abdominal Aortic
Department: Vascular Surgery
Mechanism: MI-AORTA Grant


Investigator: Morgan Salmon, PhD
Project Title: Mitochondrial and Metabolic Dysfunction in Mitral Valve Disease
Department: Cardiac Surgery
Mechanism: MI-AORTA Grant