March 25, 2026

K-State faculty, postdocs, graduate students and staff engaged in research, scholarly, and creative activity and discovery are invited to attend and exhibit at this year's Research Connections event as a part of One K-State Research Week. This event will take place Monday, April 20, 2026, from 3-5 p.m. in the K-State Alumni Center Banquet Room.

Research Connections offers K-State researchers a chance to learn what their colleagues are doing, promote their work and explore possible collaborations. Exhibitors can reserve a table where they can display posters, banners, signs, and handouts. Registration and additional information can be found on the K-State Research website. The deadline to register as an exhibitor is April 6.

K-State faculty and staff, centers, institutes and units who are leading the way in innovation and economic engagement are invited to apply for the K-State Excellence in Innovation and Economic Engagement Award. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 27. 

The award recognizes exemplary economic engagement and the intersections of these categories: 

Applications or nominations should include a two-page narrative submitted to ecodevo@k-state.edu.  

Directions and additional application materials are available on the Excellence in Innovation and Economic Engagement Award website. 

One winner will be selected and recognized at the April 20 Research Connections event, part of One K-State Research Week 2026. The winner receives a commemorative plaque, along with a certificate and a $1,000 grant to advance economic engagement efforts. 

This warning email from Dr. Faupel-Badger for the INBRE program will likely be true for all NIH funded research as well as for all Federal funders.

Dear INBRE PIs:

With many of you submitting RPPRs soon, I am reaching out about publications co-authored with individual(s) from foreign institutions. 

Since 2003, NIH awards with publications coauthored with investigators from foreign institutions have required prior approval. Until now the prior approval guidance has not been fully enforced. As a reminder, the INBRE NOFOs specifically state that, “Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed”.

The GPS defines foreign components as:

The performance of any significant scientific element or segment of a project outside of the United States, either by the recipient or by a researcher employed by a foreign organization, whether or not grant funds are expended. Activities that would meet this definition include, but are not limited to, (1) the involvement of human subjects or animals, (2) extensive foreign travel by recipient project staff for the purpose of data collection, surveying, sampling, and similar activities, or (3) any activity of the recipient that may have an impact on U.S. foreign policy through involvement in the affairs or environment of a foreign country. Examples of other grant-related activities that may be significant are:

- collaborations with investigators at a foreign site anticipated to result in   co-authorship;
- use of facilities or instrumentation at a foreign site; or
- receipt of financial support or resources from a foreign entity.

Foreign travel for consultation is not considered a foreign component. (See Grants to Foreign Organizations, International Organizations, and Domestic Grants with Foreign Comp… chapter in IIB).

Since no prior approval requests were submitted for publications with foreign co-authors for this reporting period, these publications should not be attributed to the INBRE award and, therefore, should not be included in the RPPRs.  Please take this into account when preparing your RPPRs.

Moving forward, PIs are required to submit prior approval requests for any publication co-authored with individual(s) affiliated with a foreign institution(s). Per NOT-OD-26-026, prior approval requests must be initiated and submitted by a Signing Official (SO) for the recipient organization. In addition to noting the foreign site and the name of the foreign investigator, the prior approval request should provide information about the nature of the research being conducted; why the involvement of the foreign site is necessary; and whether any data will be transferred.

Best regards,

Jessica M. Faupel-Badger, PhD, MPH
Chief, Networks and Development Programs Branch
badgerje@mail.nih.gov

There likely will be many funding opportunities coming out in the next few months.  Federal agencies that support extramural research did not receive the large funding cuts they anticipated.   The problem is that they found out when the fiscal year was already half over, but they still must obligate these funds by the end of the federal fiscal year.   This is very good news, but these opportunities will likely come out with very short submission timelines of four to six weeks or less.

To be ready, you should:

For further information on funding opportunities, limited submissions, teaming, and submission and writing strategies, contact the Office of Research Development team via ord@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 March 26 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 April 8, April 23 and May 7.

Please contact ord@ksu.edu with any questions.

On April 9, 2026, the Office of International Programs, the Office of Research Development, and the Office of Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research will host an event to celebrate the Fulbright Program’s 80th anniversary as well as to honor the birthday of Senator William Fulbright who started this program in 1946.

The event will start with a short tabling session at 2 p.m. that will allow attendees to pick up printed information on the different Fulbright programs as well as branded promotional materials. At 2:15 p.m., Julie Taylor, the Director of Academic Relations at IIE (the Fulbright Program’s Administrator), will give an overview of Fulbright and introduce the K-state individuals who are responsible for providing assistance for the many different Fulbright programs (e.g., student, US Scholar, Visiting Scholar, Specialist). At 2:45 p.m., Dr. John Kirkegaard, Fulbright Australia Distinguished Chair at K-State, will present “Cultivating Connections to Secure Global Wheat Production” as part of the Vernon Larson Lecture Series.  Following this lecture at 3:45 pm, there will be a panel discussion by alums of the student, US Scholar and Visit Scholar Fulbright programs addressing their experiences.

The celebration will conclude around 4:30 p.m. with a reception to honor K-state’s Fulbright alums as well as to allow individuals interested in Fulbright to network with our alums and representatives from the different Fulbright programs.  The event will take place in the Library’s Hemisphere Room. This event is open to all students, faculty, and staff interested in Fulbright and in educational and cultural exchange.

The Office of Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research (SDUR) coordinates professional development workshops, community building, and research presentations for undergraduate researchers on campus each summer. Do you have a summer REU or other summer undergraduate research program? Please reach out to Susan Rensing (rensing@ksu.edu) to be included in SDUR's summer programming.

Join us for an energizing GROW Saturday workshop where we’ll explore creativity, innovation, and bold thinking under this year’s theme: “Invent the Future.”  Whether you're dreaming up new ideas or looking for inspiration to spark your next big invention, this workshop will offer tools, activities, and connection to help you imagine what’s possible. Come grow with us!

Have an idea for an activity? Want to demonstrate the broader impacts of your research? Excited to get youth involved in your field? Consider hosting an activity at the April 11 workshop.

Fill out our activity proposal form!

For more information about our workshops and how you can get involved, visit our GROW/EXCITE facilitation page. 

The GROW Saturday Workshop bolsters 6-8th grade students' interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through a day-long series of hands-on, educational activities. The workshop is open to all middle school students in grades 6-8. It is hosted by the K-State KAWSE office and facilitated by experts (like YOU!) across campus, including K-State faculty, postdoctoral researchers, staff, and students.

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. 

The SDUR Team is looking for K-State faculty, staff, and graduate students to serve as Undergraduate Research Champions for the presenters at the Spring Symposium on the afternoon of Thursday, April 23. Champions will be assigned 5-10 researchers to interact with during the event, ensuring that each student interacts with someone outside of their current cohort. Research Champions should be prepared to ask questions and engage with presenters. Complete this form to sign up.

NSF webinars & office hours:

Scholars are being asked for their views on excellence in interdisciplinary research to help fuel the third edition of Times Higher Education’s Interdisciplinary Science Rankings.

The Interdisciplinary Science Research Survey targets experienced, published academics across the world and asks for their views about their own research and their institutions’ interdisciplinary research in science, or science and social science subjects. It also asks them to name up to five institutions that they believe are best at supporting interdisciplinary research between science, or science and social science, subjects.

The survey is available in 12 languages and typically takes up to five minutes to complete.

The U.S. National Science Foundation Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate (NSF CISE) invites the research community to participate in the NSF CISE Faculty Early Career Development (NSF CAREER) Program Workshop 2026, designed to support early-career faculty members preparing proposals for NSF CAREER.

This full-day workshop will provide guidance on developing strong and competitive CAREER proposals, with a particular focus on crafting compelling integrated research and education plans. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the CAREER program and hear advice from NSF program directors.

The workshop will be held May 11, 2026, as a hybrid event, allowing participants to attend either in person or virtually.

Registration deadlines:
- March 27, 2026 – In-person attendance
- May 8, 2026 – Virtual attendance

For additional information and registration details, please visit the NSF CISE CAREER Workshop 2026 website.

The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Engineering (NSF ENG) will hold informational webinars for investigators and administrators in jurisdictions eligible for the NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.

Webinars will be held Friday, March 27, and Thursday, April 2, 2026.

During the webinars, NSF ENG leaders will describe current funding opportunities for engineering research and education. 

Register to attend a webinar.

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture and The Good Food Institute invite qualified experts to serve as peer reviewers for proposals submitted to the Enhancing the Flavor of Plant-based & Fermentation-derived Protein Request for Applications. Reviewers will review up to five proposals between April and June 2026.

To be considered, please complete the Call for Reviewers Interest Form by April 6, 2026.