August 26, 2026

Kansas State University has established an institutional membership with Atom Grants, providing faculty, staff and graduate students access to an AI-powered platform that makes finding and securing external funding faster and less burdensome.

The new partnership directly supports one of the central commitments of the Next-Gen K-State Strategic Plan: growing K-State's annual research expenditures to $350 million and faculty-initiated competitive awards to $300 million by 2030, while driving transformational discovery, innovation and scholarship across every college and campus. Reaching that goal means giving researchers better tools so they can spend less time hunting for opportunities and more time doing the work that defines K-State's land-grant mission of teaching, research and engagement.

Starting Monday, Aug. 24, a personalized Atom Grants email will be delivered to the inboxes of all K-State faculty, staff and graduate students. Emails will come from K-State Office of Research, ovpr@send.research.ksu.edu. Access is also available now to anyone with a K-State email account. To sign in:

1. Visit https://atomgrants.com/signin
2. Enter your K-State email address, using eid@ksu.edu (not k-state.edu)
3. After being redirected to Single Sign-On, log in with your K-State eID credentials

Learn more about training opportunities and view the full announcement in K-State Today.

Kansas State University’s Graduate School, the Office of Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research, and the Office of Research Development are hosting an information session on the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) via zoom at 3:30 p.m. on September 3, 2026.  Both students and their mentors/major professors are invited.  This fellowship supports outstanding graduate students, in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines, who are pursuing research-based Master’s or PhD degrees. Note to apply for a GRFP fellowship you must be a U.S. citizen.

The information session will start with an in-depth look at the requirements for an NSF GFRP submission. This presentation will be followed by a panel of student awardees and faculty members who have served on review panels for this program. They will discuss tips and provide advice that you will not find in this program’s Request for Proposals. If you are serious about submitting to this program, this is a session you should not miss.

Please register here for this session.

The National Science Foundation sets the focus area for the Focused EPSCoR Collaborations Program (RII-FEC) every other year. Since the Dear Colleague Letter has expired that announced the last focus area, NSF needs to announce the focus area for the next two years.   Because the Foundation has not yet done so, the Office of Research Development is moving the previously announced internal notification and preproposal due dates for this limited submission program from September 3 and October 3 to September 16 and October 16, respectively. If you have any questions about this change in due dates or this NSF program, please send an email to ordlimitedsubs@ksu.edu.

The Office of Research Development (ORD) is now hosting in-person office hours to assist and connect with K-State researchers. 

During ORD office hours, researchers can meet with members of the ORD team to discover funding opportunities, discuss specific funders and programs, review white papers or engage in casual conversation about research activity. 

The next session will take place August 27 from 2-4 p.m. at the Cornerstone Café inside Hale Library.

If you are interested in discussing your white paper, please send a copy of the paper to ord@ksu.edu at least three days in advance.

Additional office hours will be hosted at the Cornerstone Cafe from 2-4 p.m. on September 10, October 1, 15 and 29, November 19 and December 3 and 17.

Please contact ord@ksu.edu with any questions.

The Office of the Vice President for Research and K-State Libraries is excited to announce the continuation of the Posters, Pinot and Partnerships series for the fall 2026 semester.

The first session will take place from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, September 10 on the 5th floor of Hale Library. This month's event will highlight research conducted by recipients of K-State's Global Food Systems Seed Grant Program, Game-changing Research Initiation Program and GRIPex awards. 

Register to attend here.

K-State faculty, staff, and graduate students can request guidance on practical, responsible, and research-informed uses of artificial intelligence.

AI Consultation Services is a one-year pilot designed to help members of the K-State community connect with the most appropriate support for their goals. Whether you are exploring AI tools for everyday work, planning a class session in the AI Studio, or considering how AI might be applied in a research project, our consultation teams can help you identify next steps.

Request a consultation:

General AI Literacy for faculty, staff, and graduate students seeking guidance on practical and responsible AI use.
AI Studio for individuals or teams who want hands-on exploration in a supported space.
Research Support for faculty, staff, and graduate students considering technical AI integration in research or scholarly project.

Register to attend upcoming events:

September 9: AI Instruction in the Classroom: Optional, Obligatory or Forbidden? 
September 10: Fine-Tuning LLMs - From Generic to Specialist: A Practical Walkthrough
September 16: Image Processing with AI: From Pixels to Intelligent Visual Understanding
September 24: LLMs 101: Chatting to Agents and the Engine Under the Hood

One of the key components of an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) proposal is the personal statement. Beth Powers, Director of K-State’s Office of Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research, will lead a Writing Workshop that will give you a chance to test run your NSF GRFP personal statement. Your draft must be submitted to Beth Powers (bethpowers@ksu.edu) by noon on Friday, September 18. Each attendee will be assigned to review one peer’s application using a rubric provided. You will then lead feedback on that application. Beth will read all applications and facilitate a conversation where feedback is given to each person, and everyone gets a chance to learn from their own and others’ feedback.

This session will be held on September 21 from 3:30-5pm. This session will be held via Zoom only. NOTE: To participate you MUST submit an essay by noon Friday the 18th.

Please register here.

On Thursday September 24, 2026, at 3:30 pm via zoom, the Office of Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research, the Graduate School and the Office of Research Development will host an overview of fellowship opportunities that are available to Graduate Students.  This session is geared toward graduate students and seniors planning on attending graduate school in any field. The session will feature descriptions of a wide range of award opportunities and links to resources that can assist with graduate fellowship searching and applying.  Key funding programs that will be discussed include NSF, DoD, DoE, NIH, Hertz Foundation, Fulbright and the American Association of University Women. Opportunities in the Humanities and Social Sciences will also be addressed, plus you will learn how to search for fellowships on your own.

To attend, please register here.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released NSF 26-517: Core Research in Biological Sciences (BIO Core), which describes substantial changes in how proposals will be submitted to NSF for research funded previously by the Divisions of Environmental Biology, Integrative Organismal Systems, and Molecular and Cellular Biosciences. Programs previously managed by the Division of Biological Infrastructure will continue to have separate solicitations.

The first step in submitting through BIO Core, which has open deadlines, is to identify which of the three new organizational units that have replaced the former Divisions is the best fit for your work. These thematic areas each have informational webpages linked from the main BIO page.

Foundations of Life (bio-fl@nsf.gov): Exploring natural or synthetic molecules, cells and tissues, and the physiology of living things

Living Systems (bio-ls@nsf.gov): Understanding how species evolve, interact, and shape Earth’s ecosystems

Bioinnovation and Infrastructure (bio-bi@nsf.gov): Investigating the functional genomic complexity of life and developing the tools, data, and technologies to drive biological discovery 

It is advisable to contact program officers either directly or at one of these email aliases and make sure your proposal topic fits the unit. When preparing your proposal, make sure that you use keywords that will allow sorting by AI to the proper thematic area.

Information shared at a recent BIO Virtual Office Hour included the guidance to address the impact of the project on a general biological audience.

BIO has added directorate-specific requirements for the Data Management and Sharing Plan that are described here: https://www.nsf.gov/bio/data-management-plans

BIO will hold another Virtual Office Hour on September 16. Information and registration are available here. 

NSF webinars & office hours:

Tuesday, September 1

The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture program staff presents an applicant webinar for the FY26 Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program. This webinar includes information on a program overview, Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) details, the proposal evaluation process, and additional information and resources. The HEC program provides funding to eligible applicants to help ensure a competent, and qualified workforce will exist to serve the food and agricultural sciences system. The Program is intended to strengthen institutional capacities, including curriculum, faculty, scientific instrumentation, and student recruitment and retention. The HEC program is focused on developing and improving formal master’s or doctorate degree-level food and agricultural sciences education and first professional degree-level education in veterinary medicine, such as a doctorate in veterinary medicine (DVM).

Register here.

Wednesday, September 2

This webinar will provide an overview of the U.S. National Science Foundation State and Regional Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Hubs program (NSF 26-513), which aims to expand access to the computing resources needed for AI-enabled scientific discovery and strengthen research, education and workforce development at institutions of higher education.

NSF program directors will present the webinar, followed by a question-and-answer session.

Learn more at nsf.gov

Join us for the latest information on the UIDP Industry-Integrated PhD (I-PhD) Scholars Program on September 3, 2026.

Since its launch, the innovative project has generated significant interest from universities, industry, and other organizations committed to strengthening STEM doctoral education. This webinar will cover next steps as the national pilot forms the inaugural cohort of university-industry partnerships.

The UIDP I-PhD Scholars Program, supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Directorate (TIP), is a jointly funded model through which universities, industry and organizations co-invest in STEM doctoral training. The program is designed to integrate sustained industry research experiences into rigorous, dissertation-based doctoral education. Universities and companies interested in joining can learn more and submit an application through the program website.

This informational webinar includes an opportunity for Q&A with the speaker. There is no cost to participate, but registration is required.

Wednesday, September 16

These monthly virtual office webinars will focus on updates from the U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Biological Sciences and may be of interest to the biological sciences research community.

More information and registration can be found here.

The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF MPS) has published five new funding opportunities supporting foundational research in astronomical sciences, chemistry, materials research, mathematical sciences and physics.

The five funding opportunities collectively span more than 40 research programs supported by NSF MPS. Each funding opportunity includes multiple foundational research programs grouped as follows:

• MPS Astronomical Sciences Research Programs (MPS Astro)
• MPS Chemistry Research Programs (MPS Chem)
• MPS Materials Research Programs (MPS Materials)
• MPS Mathematical Sciences Research Programs (MPS MathSci)
• MPS Physics Research programs (MPS Physics)

These funding opportunities do not have proposal deadlines. Proposals are accepted by NSF anytime, although some programs have recommended target dates. More information is available here.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a request for information on Proposed Changes to Reporting Outcomes from NIH Peer Review (https://rfi.grants.nih.gov/?s=6a2b1c22c3fcfda46e0badd2).

Briefly, NIH is proposing a change in the initial peer review process such that the PI, applicant institution, and NIH staff would no longer receive a quantitative impact score based on individual reviews. They would receive a qualitative ranking placing the proposal into one of three categories: “Most competitive”, “Competitive”, or “Not discussed”.

Comments are invited for this proposed change and must be received by October 13, 2026. Researchers are welcome to respond from a non-K-State email account in their capacity as private citizens.

NEW! Application Walk-Through - Join IIE's Application & Selection Lead Catherine Matto for a pre-recorded overview of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar online application.

NEW! Watch our Application Writing Clinic for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar 2027-2028 Competition, Part II

Review detailed Application Instructions on the Fulbright Scholar Website.

Halo (Halo Science) is an AI-powered R&D partnering platform that connects academic researchers, universities, and startups with corporate research and development teams. Their new feature—PulseCheck—allows university researchers to immediately connect to a company needing a solution through a one-click expression of interest. No form or write-up is needed; an investigator simply flags their existing Halo profile or technology readiness through this mechanism.  

Below are active PulseChecks from companies currently looking for university partners through Halo. If any are relevant to your work, use the one-click feature to raise your hand to express your interest and connect with the sponsoring company. Make sure that 1) “academic researchers” are listed as one of the eligible partners and 2) you have a researcher profile on the Halo Science Innovators Page.

Enrichment-free rapid pathogen detection for food safety testing

Automation and imaging technologies for Petri Film-based testing

Food-enabled nutrition innovations for GLP-1 consumers

LCA-grade landfill degradation kinetics for biopolymers

Efficient inference and model compression for on-device agentic AI