August 5, 2026

The Genesis Mission, a national effort to harness AI for Science, was initiated at DOE earlier this year with a short-fused RFA calling for applications from interdisciplinary teams addressing research in one of twenty one challenge areas covering advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, critical materials, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, quantum information science, semiconductors and microelectronics, discovery science, and energy.  On July 22, the White House announced a $5 billion expansion of this initiative to 15 additional Federal agencies that will contribute research awards, funding opportunities, specialized scientific datasets, and research facilities.  These agencies will also leverage the American Science and Security Platform (ASSP) which is an artificial intelligence-driven discovery system built by the Department of Energy as the core technology engine for the Genesis Mission.  It unifies high-performance supercomputers, federal scientific data resources, advanced experimental facilities, and AI tools into a single shared infrastructure to accelerate scientific output and national security.

In response to the Genesis expansion, the National Science Foundation (NSF) released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) calling for researchers to submit proposals to existing NSF programs that align with the Genesis Mission.  NSF is particularly interested in 1) Leveraging and Building AI for Science, 2) Building Foundations for Science and Technology Challenges and 3) Growing Workforce Capacity in AI for Science.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to engage with partners from industry, nonprofits, national laboratories, and other organizations.

If you submitted to the DOE Genesis call and were not funded, consider rethinking your project for submission to NSF under this DCL.   Look for an appropriate open NSF program for your research and contact the Program Officer (PO) for that program to make sure there is fit.  Note that most standing programs in the Engineering and Biology Directorates receive proposals at any time.   Even if you didn’t submit to the DOE call and you have a potential idea that will fit this initiative, contact the PO for the applicable program.  Also, be sure to monitor the list of Genesis National Science and Technology Challenges. An initial list of 26 Challenges was developed by DOE.  Agencies recently included in the Genesis mission will add new challenges to this list over the summer.  This list may be helpful in developing your research ideas.

The Office of Research Development will let you know about other such opportunities as the newly included agencies announce funding availability under the Genesis Mission.

September 2, 2026 | 12 to 5 p.m.
K-State Olathe Campus

The Secure Energy Initiative's Technical Interchange Meeting will bring together external stakeholders and the K-State community to connect with partners, explore opportunities for collaboration and develop innovative approaches to ensure energy affordability, accessibility, reliability and resilience in Kansas and the surrounding region. 

Benefits for industry and community stakeholders:

Benefits for K-State faculty:

Presenting a poster is required to submit a proposal for SEI seed funding, and only K-State personnel are eligible. Registration for attendance and abstract consideration is required by August 20.

Email Amir Bahadori (bahadori@ksu.edu) for questions on technical topics, or Brooke Speake (kcprofdev@ksu.edu) for more details about registration.

Registration for this free event is required by August 26. Additional information and registration can be found on the K-State Olathe website.

NSF webinars & office hours:

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards give opportunities to U.S. citizens to teach, research and carry out professional projects around the world.

Join us for a series of webinars to learn more.

Can't make it? No problem! These webinars will be recorded. We encourage you to still register so you can have access to the recordings. 

Interested applicants can visit fulbrightscholars.org to learn more. To receive news and updates about the competition, we invite you to register your interest. 

We look forward to receiving your U.S. Scholar application by our deadline, September 15, 2026.

The Common Fund supports bold scientific programs that catalyze discovery across all biomedical and behavioral research. These programs bring together investigators and multiple NIH Institutes, Centers and Offices (ICOs) to collaborate on innovative research. Common Fund programs are expected to address high-priority challenges for NIH as a whole and make a broader impact on the scientific community. 

The NIH requests ideas for biomedical and behavioral research challenges and opportunities that may be of interest to the Common Fund. These ideas may inform activities to advance areas of science relevant to these challenges/opportunities, including, but not limited to, scientific workshops, pilot initiatives, and/or future Common Fund programs.

NIH encourages idea submissions that may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• A critical challenge or exciting emerging opportunity in biomedical/behavioral research
• Resources, tools, or knowledge that are needed to address the important challenge or opportunity
• Scientific advancements or other factors that make addressing the important challenge or opportunity particularly timely
• Critical challenges that small labs or research groups face with respect to funding, contracting, or navigating the regulatory landscape
• Priorities from "Advancing NIH's Mission Through a Unified Strategy" and "Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy."

Submissions are due September 19, 2026. 

View the full announcement for additional information.