OVPR Research Updates
February 2026

Please continue to monitor the OSP Federal Research Updates webpage and the GW Federal Updates webpage for the most up-to-date information.

GW scholars led and contributed to research addressing critical challenges, from improving maternal and infant health worldwide to shaping the future of artificial intelligence and building sustainable food systems. Explore some of the breakthroughs and partnerships that defined GW’s research enterprise in 2025.

LabArchives, the electronic lab notebook (ELN) tool GW has made available university-wide, hosts an online workshop series as part of Love Data Week (February 8-13). These sessions offer an introduction to the tools available to our research community as well as enhanced usage tips for those who have already begun using the lab notebook and/or scheduler tool. Learn more about LabArchives at GW. Register to attend LabArchives Love Data Week events.

This workshop introduces attendees to grant and fellowship opportunities, explains grant review processes, and offers guidance on writing effective appeals to reviewers. Participants will also learn how to leverage grant proposals into book proposals and book proposals into grants. This interactive session will be held via Zoom on Friday, February 20 from 12:30–2:30 PM. Learn more and register to receive the Zoom link. The session is offered jointly by OVPR and the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and is open to all members of the GW research community.

Upholding ethical research practices is central to GW’s scholarly mission and a shared responsibility. OVPR invites faculty, staff, postdocs and students to join sessions on key Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) topics. These hybrid interactive sessions are designed to meet federal RCR training requirements and include faculty-led presentations, real-world case studies and facilitated discussion. View the full RCR calendar.

• Upcoming Session: Safe Laboratory Practices and Safe Research Environments
  Monday, February 23, 1:30–2:30 PM

Whether you work with student, employee, alumni, or research subjects’ personal data, the GW Privacy Office hosts a variety of workshops that cover key privacy principles, relevant laws and regulations, and practical guidance for handling personal and sensitive data in your day-to-day work. View the calendar of privacy training events.

GW’s second annual InnovationFest will take place on Thursday, April 30, from 10:00 AM–2:00 PM in the Smith Center. Register to attend and plan to join us for this university-wide event! This year’s theme is artificial intelligence across disciplines, and programming will explore the societal impact of AI and its role as an accelerant of discovery. Students, postdocs, faculty and staff are invited to submit poster abstracts by Saturday, February 28.

The updated Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy—which outlines GW’s process for addressing allegations of research misconduct in accordance with federal regulations, sponsor requirements, and ethical standards—has been finalized and posted to GW’s public policy repository. The final version incorporates input from members of the GW research community. Thank you to all who engaged in the review process and provided valuable feedback.

GW will recognize exceptional graduate research with its new Outstanding Dissertation Awards (ODA) and Student Inventor of the Year (SIY) award. The awards will be formally presented at InnovationFest on April 30. Read more about the new awards in GW Today.

• Outstanding Dissertation Award nominations must be made by a student’s faculty dissertation advisor. The nomination package containing all required materials is due by March 1. For more information, please visit the ODA website.
• Student Inventor of the Year nominations may be submitted by faculty, staff or students. Details are available on the SIY website. Nomination forms are due February 15, and the full package submitted by a faculty advisor is due March 1.

GW's Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics (IDDP) has announced a call for funding proposals in support of research projects aligned with IDDP’s mission to help the public, journalists, and policymakers understand critical challenges that arise at the intersection of digital technology, media and democracy, and to develop sound policy solutions to disinformation and other harms that arise in these spaces. IDDP anticipates funding 4–6 research proposals from GW faculty members, with awards ranging from $10,000 to $25,000. For more information, view the Call for Submissions. The proposal deadline is Friday, March 6.

Effective immediately, the Executive Level II salary limitation/cap of $228,000 should be used when preparing new National Institutes of Health (NIH) applications and re-budgeting active awards as allowable.

Use of the Common Forms for Biographical Sketch (including the NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement) and Current and Pending (Other) Support is required for NIH submissions with due dates on or after January 25, 2026, including applications and Just-in-Time (JIT) responses, Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR), and Prior Approval requests. NIH Common Forms are now available within SciENcv and can be found under the dropdown menu for "Document Type". NIH has published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on this topic.

Effective January 25, 2026, individuals who are party to a Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP) are not eligible to serve as senior/key personnel on any NIH grant or cooperative agreement. Individual senior/key personnel will use NIH’s new Common Forms for Biographical Sketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement to certify that they are not a party to an MFTRP at application submission and annually in Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR). Additional details can be found in NIH Notice Number NOT-OD-26-018. The Office of Sponsored Projects has provided additional guidance on its Biographical Sketch (Biosketch) and Current and Pending (Other) Support webpages.

Tuesday, February 10, 2026  |  11:00 AM–12:00 PM ET  |  Online

Wednesday, February 11, 2026  |  12:00–2:00 PM ET  |  Hybrid

Thursday, February 12, 2026 |  12:00– 2:00 PM ET  | Online

Friday, February 13, 2026  | 12:30–1:30 PM ET  |  Online

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 |  12:00–1:00 PM ET |  Online

Friday, February 20, 2026  |  12:00 PM ET  |  Online

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 |  12:30–1:30 PM ET  |  Funger 221

Thursday, February 26, 2026 |  12:00 PM ET  |  Online

Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

1922 F Street NW 4th Floor | Washington, DC 20052 US

This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.