Topic Area 5, Space Strategic Technology Institute (SSTI): Space Cyber-Cognitive Overmatch (SCCO)
Sponsor: USSF DOD AFRL
Keyword(s): Space, Sensing, Supply Chain, AI, Autonomy, Machine Teaming, Quantum Science, Space, Digital Engineering
Description: This call is part of the Space Technology Advanced Research-Fast-tracking Innovative Software and Hardware (STAR-FISH) Advanced Research Announcement (ARA). The USSF is establishing Space Strategic Technology Institutes (SSTIs) to address space science and technology (S&T) challenges through a network of partnered universities. The USSF goal is for the SSTIs to facilitate joint applied research and focus it on transformational space domain technology breakthroughs and developments that lead to the advancement of capabilities that can be transitioned and integrated into current and future USSF and U.S. Government space capabilities. It is highly desired for the research to lead to testbeds, high fidelity modeling and simulations, demonstrations, and prototypes. The ultimate objective of this initiative is to create disruptive, cutting-edge technologies that fundamentally alter the strategic landscape of space operations. The Space Cyber-Cognitive Overmatch SSTI will focus on technologies needed to ensure continued and enhanced capability across all space areas (including moons and planets) of U.S. military and civil operations: (1) Threat Sensing, Detection, and Adaptive Response; (2) Cyber-Hardening, Protection, and Supply Chain Security; (3) AI, Autonomy, and Cognitive Execution; (4) Human-to-Machine Teaming (HMT) & Cognitive Interfacing; (5) Distributed Compute & Quantum Architectures; (6) Cognitive Electronic Warfare (EW) & Space-Enabled Cyber Tools; and (7) Digital Engineering, Modeling, and Test & Evaluation (T&E). Teams are expected to compose of one university leading the effort as the offeror, two universities partnered with them, and any combination of further potential recipients from the following list: Universities, For-profit entities, Non-profit entities, State, local, and tribal governments, Small Business enterprises.
Institutional Limit: No limit
PI Eligibility: No restrictions. Note: In the event an Offeror is unable to hire a U.S. citizen due to a rare, highly specialized, needed expertise, a waiver request must be submitted from the organization to the Contracting/Agreements Officer with the submission of the white paper.
Award: Amount not noted. The award period can be up to 60 months.
Cost Share: Not required
Deadline(s): White Paper (required) due August 13, 2026
Society Fellowships
Sponsor: Society for the Humanities at Cornell University
Keyword(s): Play, Anthropology, Literature, History, Music, Theater, Media Studies, Gender and Sexuality studies, Cultural Studies, and Game Studies
Description: The Society for the Humanities at Cornell University seeks faculty fellows for year-long residential fellowships who are conducting interdisciplinary research projects exploring play.
Institutional Limit: No limit
PI Eligibility: Applicants must have received the Ph.D. degree before January 1, 2026. The Society for the Humanities will not consider applications from scholars who received the Ph.D. after this date. Applicants must also have one or more years of teaching experience, which may include teaching as a graduate student.
Award: $68,000 stipend for 1 year
Cost Share: Not required
Deadline(s): September 1, 2026
NIH Director's Pioneer Award (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional)
Sponsor: NIH
Keyword(s): Innovative Research, Health, Medicine
Description: The NIH Director's Pioneer Award supports individual scientists of exceptional creativity who propose bold and highly innovative research projects with the potential to produce a major impact on broad, important areas relevant to the mission of NIH. To be considered pioneering, the proposed research must reflect substantially different scientific directions from those already being pursued in the investigator's research program or elsewhere.
Institutional Limit: No limit
PI Eligibility: Individuals may submit only one application as PD/PI in response to this NOFO. Only single PD/PI applications are allowed. Applications with multiple PD(s)/PI(s) will not be accepted. Investigators who were not selected for an award in prior years may submit applications this year as long as they retain eligibility requirements described in this NOFO; however, all applications must be submitted as "new" applications regardless of any previous submissions. No reference to any prior application may be included. Any reference to a prior application may be grounds for administrative withdrawal.
Award: $700,000 for up to 5 years. Pioneer recipients are required to commit the major portion of their research effort (more than 6 person-months or at least 51%) to activities supported by the Pioneer Award project in the first three years of the project period. Effort expended toward teaching, administrative, or clinical duties should not be included in this calculation.
Cost Share: Not required
Deadline(s): September 9, 2026
NSF 24-539: Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Core Programs
Sponsor: NSF
Keyword(s): Biosciences, Atoms, Molecules, Cellular Biology
Description: Supports research on living systems at the molecular, subcellular and cellular levels. Core areas supported include cellular dynamics and function; genetic mechanisms; molecular biophysics; and systems and synthetic biology. To be eligible for this track, proposers from an organization in an EPSCoR jurisdiction must partner with a researcher in another organization in any jurisdiction on a collaborative project. The organization in the EPSCoR jurisdiction must be the lead in any collaborative proposal submitted to this track. New York is not an EPSCoR state, therefore PIs applying to this funding opportunity must have a partner organization or institution in an EPSCoR state.
Institutional Limit: No limit
PI Eligibility: No restrictions
Award: Amount not noted; Length typically 3 to 5 years
Cost Share: Not required
Deadline(s): Proposals Accepted Anytime
