2026–27 Academic Calendar 

Faculty Development Award for Professional-Track Faculty 
The Faculty Development Award Program (FDA) is for professional-track faculty members and provides up to $10,000 to support the recipient’s professional development opportunities and activities. The FDA application system opens on Tuesday, Sept. 1 and closes on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. 

Faculty Development Leave Program 
The Faculty Development Leave Program (FDL) provides tenured faculty members with paid leave from teaching and service responsibilities and allows them to focus on developing their research, scholarship and creative endeavors. (At other universities, this type of leave is commonly called a sabbatical.) The FDL application system opens on Tuesday, Sept. 1 and closes on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m.  

The 2026-2027 OVPR Research and Creative Grants are Open

The OVPR Research and Creative Grants (RCG) program provides support of up to $10,000 for specific projects of individual tenured and tenure-track faculty members. The program promotes research, outreach and creative activities in all disciplines that result in publications, patents, recognition, awards or exhibitions/performances appropriate to the PI’s discipline, and/or will improve competitiveness for external funding. Research support for institutes, centers, and organized research units is not available through this program. Submit for the 2026-2027 cycle by 5 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. 

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award Competition is now open, offering more than 380 opportunities for U.S. citizens to go abroad in Fall 2027 – Spring 2028. The competition closes on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Interested faculty may contact txglobal-grants@austin.utexas.edu for guidance.   

Faculty Travel Grants
Eligible faculty may receive up to $1,400 per academic year for travel expenses to support presenting their original papers at scholarly and professional meetings.  Applications are now open for travel during the 2026-27 academic year (through Sunday, Aug. 15, 2027).  

Harrington Faculty Fellows - National Security  
Pioneering early- or mid-career scholars in the area of national security are invited to apply for the Harrington Faculty Fellows Program for the 2027-28 academic year. This highly selective program provides a full year of salary support to enable ambitious scholars to focus entirely on the advancement of their research and scholarship. Bolstered by unmatched resources and financial support, Harrington Fellows are provided the freedom to solve significant problems, the privilege of renowned mentorship and scholarly collaboration, and the opportunity to push their work forward for the benefit of all society. 

Train the Trainer Accessibility Series – Virtual | Tuesday, Aug. 11 | Register
A multi-session series for UT Austin trainers, course designers and content creators. Creating accessible learning experiences is both a legal responsibility and an essential part of fostering an inclusive, effective environment for all UT Austin employees. This series provides practical, hands-on guidance for creating accessible digital content across commonly used tools and platforms. 

LaunchPad Series|Wednesday, Aug. 12 (online via Zoom) & Thursday, Aug. 13 (in person at PCL Learning Labs) | Register | Full Schedule
LaunchPad Fall 2026 brings together the tools, resources and expertise you need to start the semester with confidence. Join us for virtual workshops and hands-on sessions, technology demonstrations and networking opportunities with campus partners. Whether you're refreshing a course, exploring new teaching technologies or preparing for the first day of class, the LaunchPad series offers practical strategies and support to help you succeed. 

New Faculty Launch — faculty orientation
Monday, Aug. 17 – Wednesday, Aug. 19 | 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Register | Agenda
New faculty are encouraged to attend New Faculty Launch, which starts on Aug. 17 and lasts through Aug. 19. From there, in-depth monthly sessions will be offered on topics to help new faculty advance their scholarly agenda, develop teaching practices, establish effective mentorship relationships, integrate service with scholarly and teaching pursuits, plan for promotion and tenure and much more.  

Teaching With, Without and About AI at UT 
Wednesday, Aug. 19 | 1 – 4 p.m. | Etter-Harbin Alumni Center | Register
Spend the afternoon with the Office of Academic Technology team who will talk about resources, tools and approaches to artificial intelligence in teaching and learning here at UT Austin. The seminar will cover: 

This will be an interactive afternoon with plenty of peer discussion and workshop time. You will leave with a draft of your own AI syllabus policy, an AI-augmented assignment, or a plan for engaging responsibly with AI in the coming academic year. Registration is required on a first-come, first-served basis. Register here to guarantee your spot! 

Getting Started with UT Sage AI Tutors  
Thursday, Aug. 20 | 3 p.m. | Register
Curious about AI tutors for your classroom? Join us to explore UT Sage, a University-built platform that lets faculty and staff create custom AI chatbots for self-directed student learning. We'll cover effective uses of generative AI for course exploration, how Sage tutors work and how to build and share one of your own. 

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The Faculty Update is a bi-weekly newsletter. Please contact provost.office@utexas.edu for more information.