January 21, 2026

The Patterson Family Foundation (PFF) released its call for Cycle One of their 2026 Grant Opportunities with LOIs due by February 18, 2026, and invited full proposals due by April 3, 2026.  This foundation limits the number of LOIs that can be submitted by an organization.  As such, there will be a limited submission competition conducted by the Office of Research Development (ORD) to determine which LOI’s will go forward from K-State and the K-State Foundation. If you are interested in submitting an LOI to Cycle One, please complete the form here by 5 pm on January 26, 2026. Groups whose LOIs will move forward to PFF will be notified by early February.

A second limited submission opportunity for Cycle Two applications (LOIs due May 13, 2026) will be announced in late February.

Topic areas of interest to the PFF are listed below; please note that although Riley County is not within the PFF catchment area, if the work you are doing takes place in a KS or western MO county with fewer than 50,000 residents, you are eligible to apply. Funding amounts vary by opportunity.

Economic Opportunity: 
- Entrepreneurship and Business Support
- Trades and Workforce Development
- Innovation in Economic Opportunity
- Rural Housing Solutions

Education:
- Literacy Advancement
- Career and Technical Education
- Early College Pathways
- Adult Learning; Primary and Specialty Care Access

Health Care:
- Primary and Specialty Care Access
- Healthcare Workforce Opportunities
- Mental Health Services
- Chronic Disease Prevention, Screening, and Education
- Maternal Health
- Innovation in Healthcare

Community Engagement:
- Community Foundation Opportunities
- Community Needs

Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol is an annual event where undergraduate students from the state’s public universities present their research to legislators and state officials through a poster session. Showcasing projects from a wide range of disciplines, the event highlights the valuable role of undergraduate research in addressing issues important to Kansas and demonstrates how higher education contributes to the state’s civic, economic, and community development. Each university may select up to five outstanding projects to represent their institution.
 
The 2026 Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol will be February 26, 2026 from 2-4 p.m. in the 2nd Floor Rotunda.

Questions about this opportunity should be directed to the Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research office. Applications are now open and available here.

The deadline for applying is January 26, 2026 at midnight.

The University Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Student in Research has been established to recognize outstanding individual contributions in research for the purpose of the discovery and creation of new knowledge at K-State. The award is for an undergraduate student who has demonstrated excellence in research in any field of study.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2026 Distinguished Undergraduate Student in Research Award.

The Distinguished Undergraduate Student in Research Award recipient will receive an engraved plaque and prize of $1,000.00. This award will be presented at the Spring Campus-Wide Undergraduate Research Symposium, held on Thursday, April 23, 2026.

Students who are eligible for this award may be nominated by KSU faculty, students, staff, or administrators. Any questions can be directed to the Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research team at SDUR@k-state.edu.

More information and the link to nominate can be found here.

Finalists for this award will be invited for an interview. The deadline for nominations is February 15, 2026.

The University Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research has been established to recognize outstanding individual contributions to the development of undergraduates in research projects at Kansas State University. Nominations are now being accepted for the 2026 University Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research.

The University Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research recipient will be awarded a plaque and prize of $4,000.00. This award will be presented at the Spring Campus-Wide Undergraduate Research Symposium, held on Thursday, April 23, 2026.

Faculty who are eligible for this award may be nominated by K-State faculty, students, staff or administrators. Any questions can be directed to the Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research team at SDUR@k-state.edu.

More details about the awards and the nomination form are available here.

The deadline for nominations is February 15, 2026.

The Kansas State University, Office of Research Development’s Faculty Development Award (FDA) and University Small Grant (USRG) programs provide international meeting travel support and seed grant funding to K-State faculty.  The FDA award can also be used to meet with program officers from potential external funders.  Awards for the FDA program typically range from $1,000 to $3,500.  For USRG awards, the range is $2,000 to $5,000. The proposals for both programs are due by 5 pm on March 1, 2026, and should be submitted via ord@ksu.edu. 

The Kansas State University, Office of Research Development announces the opening of its funding opportunity for faculty researchers working in the fields of design, arts, social sciences, and humanities. The Design, Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (DASH) award is an annual opportunity for one-time, one-year $10,000 awards to support research, scholarly work, or creative activities.

Applications follow the same eligibility guidelines and must include all items requested in the call for University Small Research Grants, but unlike that lower-funded internal program, your DASH budget can include up to one summer month of faculty salary. DASH proposals are due by 5 p.m. on March 1, 2026. Proposals must be submitted as a single PDF file to ord@ksu.edu.

Proposals will be peer-reviewed and awardees notified by early May. Award periods will begin on July 1, 2026.

Registration for the Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium is now open! The Symposium offers undergraduate students a valuable opportunity to showcase their research and to practice communicating their findings to a broad audience.  This year the symposium will be part of One K-State Research Week (April 17-24).

This year’s Symposium will be held on Thursday, April 23rd, 2026 with registration open from now until March 27, 2026.

Registration can be found here. 

NSF webinars & office hours:

Thursday, January 22, 2026

In this session, Dr. Hongmei Luo and colleagues will discuss the EPSCoR Research Fellows opportunity, which aims to transform the career trajectories of non-tenured and tenured investigators through extended visits to private, government, or academic institutions. EPSCoR Program Officers will also facilitate a Q&A session related to this funding opportunity.

This EPSCoR Live! will be of particular interest to early- and mid-career researchers in EPSCoR jurisdictions, as well as leaders within research administration. 

Register here.

January 22, 2026

Join NSF CISE leadership for an Office Hour focused on recent organizational updates within the U.S. National Science Foundation Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate (NSF CISE), including changes related to CISE’s internal reorganization and updates to NSF’s Merit Review process.

The goal of this event is to help researchers understand how these changes may affect proposals development and review and answer questions from the research community. CISE Office Hours are designed for researchers interested in learning more about CISE programs and NSF policies. They offer insights into how CISE operates and are intended to help current and potential investigators strengthen future proposals.

Register to attend.

The BoSS program, or BioStabilization Systems, part of the ARPA-H program, is hosting a Proposers’ Day in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2026, for talented teams interested in advancing the program.

BoSS aims to make cell and gene therapies more widely available by pioneering new technologies to produce, store, and transport cells without any need for refrigeration. Currently, these biologic therapies are incredibly sensitive to temperature changes and costly to transport, making them out of reach for many Americans. By making them shelf-stable, BoSS intends to improve access for patients and grow the market for cell-based therapies.

Register for Proposers’ Day at the BoSS program page. The deadline for virtual attendance is January 25.

NSF is now operating under a continuing resolution that runs until January 30, 2026.

They are prioritizing the most pressing issues, including restoring the capacity to make awards and ensuring continued management and oversight of existing awards. 

Please visit the recently updated Resumption of Operations at NSF page on NSF.gov for information and answers to frequently asked questions.

Be among the first to see what’s ahead for PCORI in 2026 and beyond! Join PCORI leadership and members of the healthcare community Thursday, February 5 for the annual PCORI 2026 & Beyond webinar. 

During this fast-paced, 30-minute virtual event, you’ll: 
- Take a first glance at upcoming funding opportunities for patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research and related projects.
- Discover practical ways to actively engage with PCORI and help shape future research. 
- Hear directly from PCORI leaders, with answers to questions submitted by participants. 

Submit your questions during registration to help guide the discussion and to make the most of your virtual experience. 

Register here.

The NSF I-Corps program is designed for research teams who want to explore the real-world impact of their innovations. By participating in I-Corps, your team will learn how to use the scientific method to validate the translational potential of your technology. This is about equipping your team with tools to translate research into solutions that matter.

Regional I-Corps offers a unique opportunity to begin assessing the value proposition of your technology by helping researchers explore how their technology can create real-world impact and think beyond the lab.

Teams should include an Entrepreneurial Lead, Technical Lead, and Industry Mentor (preferred). Industry mentors are strongly encouraged and can be provided upon request. The Technical Lead is typically a faculty researcher/innovator while the Entrepreneurial Lead is often a graduate student on their research team. Post doctoral fellows may serve as either the Technical or Entrepreneurial Lead. Industry Mentors are not necessarily sector specific.

5-week virtual program requirements
      - 8-10 hours/week (includes 2 hours class time + 30-minute coaching       meeting)
      - Attend and actively engage in all cohort meetings
      - Complete weekly homework
      - Participate in weekly 30-minute coaching meetings with your       instructor
      - Complete 20+ customer discovery interviews

Participant support of $2k to the Entrepreneurial Lead is based on successful cohort participation. The maximum number of teams allowed is 10.

University of Kansas application deadline: February 9, 2026.

Virtual Cohort Sessions: February 23, March 2, March 9, March 23, and March 30.

Apply here.

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation is hosting an informational webinar discussing the 2027 Beckman Scholars Program (BSP) application on Tuesday, February 10.

Foundation staff will present a general overview of the 2027 BSP Application. Post-webinar there will be opportunities to sign up for Office Hours sessions to ask institution specific questions. Office hours will take place February 19, February 25, March 5 and March 9.

Learn more about program eligibility on the Beckman Foundation website. 

Registration can be found here.

Please note that this opportunity is a limited submission opportunity.  If you are interested in submitting to this program, you must submit a notification (working title, team list, and a short synopsis of what you will be proposing) to the Office of Research Development by 5 pm on March 17, 2026 via ordlimitedsubs@ksu.edu.

The success of NSF's peer review process depends on the willingness of qualified reviewers like yourself to share your time and expertise. Your experience and state-of-the-art knowledge enables you to provide helpful advice to NSF program officers on the merits of proposals and constructive comments to proposers that strengthen their projects.

In addition to providing a great service to NSF and the science and engineering community, you can benefit from reviewing and serving on panels. Reviewers gain first hand knowledge of the peer review process, learn about common problems with proposals, discover strategies to write strong proposals, and meet colleagues and NSF program officers managing programs related to their interests.

One of the best ways to learn about NSF Merit Review and what makes a strong NSF proposal is to become a reviewer. To become a reviewer for ENG programs, start by completing the recruitment form.