We are pleased to acknowledge those who received awards in June 2026. In FY2026, WSU researchers under Academic Affairs submitted external proposals in the amount of $93,852,204 and received $44,431,094 in external awards.
This month, we congratulate Drs. Souvika Sarkar of the School of Computing and Tetsuya Sato of the Psychology department on their receipt of First Awards from the Kansas NSF EPSCoR Program. Please join us in congratulating Drs. Sarkar and Sato on this incredible achievement!
WSU leadership continues to carefully monitor the impact of any executive orders on our research programs. If you receive any communication from a federal sponsor, please continue to forward that information to your respective office of research. And as always, if you have questions about the content of this newsletter, please contact us at research@wichita.edu.
Past and future editions of this newsletter may be found here:
https://www.wichita.edu/research/ResearchNewsletter/index.php.
Appreciate your commitment to excellence in research and innovation.
Pierre Harter, Associate VP Research and Industry Engagement
LAST MONTH'S
AWARDS
THE AGING PITUITARY/GONADAL AXIS YR 4
PI/Department: George Bousfield, Biological Sciences
Sponsor: Natl Institutes of Health
Amount: $2,146,742
KANSAS DATA TRUST
PI/Department: Misty Bruckner, Office of Community Partnerships
Sponsor: Kansas Health Foundation
Amount: $596,591
INTEGRATING BEACON TECHNOLOGY WITH THE VIZLING APP
PI/Department: Darren DeFrain, English
Sponsor: Peninsula Endowment
Amount: $47,825
RURAL VOICES, RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
PI/Department: Debra Fraser, KMUW
Sponsor: Kansas Department of Commerce
Amount: $100,000
RETURN TO CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN: VIDEO GAMES AND NAZISM
PI/Department: Jeffrey Hayton, History
Sponsor: State of Kansas - URCA
Amount: $4,500
EVALUATION OF THE GUIDED INDEPENDENT LIVING ASSESSMENT (GILA) PROGRAM - AMENDMENT 3
PI/Department: Victoria Koop, Education Dean's Office
Sponsor: Cerebral Palsy Res Found-Kansas, Inc.
Amount: $56,209
IMPACT OF EXERCISE ADAPTATIONS ON THE AGING STEM CELL
PI/Department: Rajprasad Loganathan, Biological Sciences
Sponsor: Natl Institutes of Health
Amount: $172,648
ONLINE LEGAL RESEARCH - TN
PI/Department: Lisa Parcell, The Research Partnership
Sponsor: Trial Partners, LLC
Amount: $3,500
ONLINE LEGAL RESEARCH – JUNE
PI/Department: Lisa Parcell, The Research Partnership
Sponsor: Trial Partners, LLC
Amount: $3,500
TRUE NORTH - EVERGY FOCUS GROUPS
PI/Department: Lisa Parcell, The Research Partnership
Sponsor: True North Market Insights, LLC
Amount: $2,400
EVALUATING EQUITY-BASED DECISION-SUPPORT AID FOR UAS DISASTER RESPONSE: A HUMAN-CENTERED APPROACH
PI/Department: Tetsuya Sato, Psychology
Sponsor: Univ of Kansas Ctr - Research, Inc. / Kansas Board of Regents
Amount: $49,996
BUILDING POWER & EQUITY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE (IMPROVING HEALTH EQUITY FOR LATINX AND INDIGENOUS KANSANS THROUGH ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION)
PI/Department: Rachel Showstack, Modern & Classical Lang & Lit
Co-PI/Department: Drew Colcher, Modern & Classical Lang & Lit
Sponsor: Kansas Health Foundation
Amount: $100,000
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF MACROPHOMINA PHASEOLINA: A BACTERIAL APPROACH TO COMBAT CHARCOAL ROT DISEASE
PI/Department: Bin Shuai, Biological Sciences
Sponsor: State of Kansas - URCA
Amount: $4,500
ADAPTING SMART STEPS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE AGING
PI/Department: Justin Smith, Physical Therapy
Co-PI/Department: Christina Ashbrook, Physical Therapy
Sponsor: Regional Institute on Aging
Amount: $18,362
FY2026 KS SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER (KDOC)
PI/Department: Brandy Willett, Kansas Small Business Dev Center
Sponsor: Fort Hays State University / Kansas Department of Commerce
Amount: $140,000
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
PI/Department: Scott Wituk, Office of Community Partnerships
Sponsor: Barton County Community College
Amount: $500
ALL HANDS ON DECK PROJECT SUPPORT
PI/Department: Scott Wituk, Office of Community Partnerships
Sponsor: Dept of Health & Environment - Kansas / Department of Justice
Amount: $124,889
KANSAS ESSENTIALS FOR CHILDHOOD: PREVENTING ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES THROUGH DATA TO ACTION - AMENDMENT 1
PI/Department: Scott Wituk, Office of Community Partnerships
Sponsor: Dept of Health & Environment - Kansas / Centers for Disease Control
Amount: $10,000
KANSAS TOBACCO GUIDELINE FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE
PI/Department: Scott Wituk, Office of Community Partnerships
Sponsor: Dept of Health & Environment - Kansas
Amount: $54,062
MATERNAL HEALTH INNOVATION - AMENDMENT 1
PI/Department: Scott Wituk, Office of Community Partnerships
Sponsor: Dept of Health & Environment - Kansas / Dept of Health and Human Services
Amount: $1,274
FOUNDATIONAL PREVENTION ETHICS
PI/Department: Scott Wituk, Office of Community Partnerships
Sponsor: Iowa State University
Amount: $900
WICHITA COALITION FOR CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION - AMENDMENT 3
PI/Department: Scott Wituk, Office of Community Partnerships
Sponsor: Kansas Department for Children & Families / Dept of Health and Human Services
Amount: $19,000
COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT
PI/Department: Scott Wituk, Office of Community Partnerships
Sponsor: Susan B Allen Memorial Hosp
Amount: $2,300
MONTHLY AWARDS FOR THE DIVISION OF INDUSTRY AND DEFENSE EQUAL $48,981,561 OF WHICH $48,534,441 BELONGS TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AVIATION RESEARCH (NIAR).
FUNDING
OPPORTUNITIES
Focused Funding Opportunities
Please reach out early and as soon as you have found a potential opportunity that you wish to apply for. Early notifications allow the Office of Research to minimize the risk of missing agency deadlines, to fix potential errors, to ensure compliance with WSU policies and procedures, and to ensure the best service from our office.
Pivot is the funding opportunity database WSU subscribes to; you must affiliate with Wichita State University to access the system. To request assistance with a customized search please contact funding@wichita.edu. If any of the following opportunities are of interest to you, please email proposals@wichita.edu as soon as possible so that a grant specialist may be assigned to assist. Visit Pre-Award Services to find out more about applying for external funding.
REMINDER: Funding Agency: TREE Fund
Title: Bob Skiera Memorial Fund Building Bridges Initiative and John P. White Grant Program
Application Deadline(s): Letter of Intent due September 1, 2026; If invited, Full Applications due October 15, 2026
Purpose: "The Initiative is intended to help arborists and urban foresters communicate the value of trees and urban forests through engagement via collaborative research and other projects with public works officials, risk assessment professionals, civil engineers, wildlife researchers, soil scientists and others."
Amount: $30,000
Funding Agency: Unreal Engine (Epic Games)
Title: Epic MegaGrants
Application Deadline(s): September 4, 2026
Purpose: "Epic Games has committed to providing financial grants to creative, noteworthy, and innovative projects built in and around Unreal Engine or projects that enhance the open source 3D graphics ecosystem."
Amount: $5,000-$75,000
REMINDER: Funding Agency: Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation, Inc
Title: Grant Program
Application Deadline(s): Letters of Interest accepted throughout the year, however March 10, 2026 and September 10, 2026 are cycle deadlines
Purpose: "…current funding interests include, but are not limited to: Leveraging AI to increase student learning effectiveness and experience in economic education; Research on AI and economic education; Developing/enhancing/leveraging capabilities to reach greater number of people in economic education; Economic education programs which have multiplier effect through teachers, social workers, and etc. on the population they serve; New and innovative economic education curriculum and capability; Behavioral economics with a focus on environmental issues; and Programs to generate more excitement and demand for economic and financial education.”
Amount: Not specified
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Title: NSF 25-543: Computer and Information Science and Engeering: Future Computing Research (Future CoRe)
Application Deadline(s): September 10, 2026
Purpose: "NSF CISE encourages proposal submissions from EPSCoR-eligible institutions to the CISE Future Computing Research programs, with an aim to enhance engagement within the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enterprise, specifically associated with geographic location, and thereby enabling the jurisdiction's national competitiveness. Through this initiative, CISE aims to promote funded activities that enable sustainable growth in research enterprise in EPSCoR jurisdictions. Collaborative proposals among the EPSCoR and Non-EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions that are led by EPSCoR institutions are particularly welcomed."
Amount: $1,000,000
Funding Agency: Robert Lehman Foundation
Title: Grants
Application Deadline(s): September 15, 2026
Purpose: "Grants are made to leaders in the field of the visual arts as well as innovative newcomers...with the goal of enhancing the role of the visual arts within American and world culture."
Amount: The Edwin L. Weisl, Jr. lectureship grants are limited to $7,500 per application. Grant amounts for exhibitions, art education, and capital projects vary based on the scope of the exhibition, program or project.
REMINDER: Funding Agency: Samuel H. Kress Foundation
Title: History of Art Grants
Application Deadline(s): Letters of Intent due September 15, 2026; If invited, Full Applications due October 1, 2026
Purpose: "The History of Art Grants program supports scholarly projects that will enhance the appreciation and understanding of European works of art and architecture from antiquity to the early 19th century. Grants are awarded to projects, including those incorporating the use of digital methodologies and tools, that create and disseminate specialized knowledge, such as archival projects, development and dissemination of scholarly databases, documentation projects, museum exhibitions and publications, photographic campaigns, scholarly catalogues and publications, and technical and scientific studies."
Amount: See website for past awards and typical levels of funding
Funding Agency: Sony Group
Title: Sony Research Award Program
Application Deadline(s): September 15, 2026
Purpose: "As part of one of the world's most innovative and recognizable brands, we are committed to support university research and innovation in the U.S., Canada, India, and select European countries, while also fostering partnerships with university faculty and researchers. The Sony Research Award Program provides funding for cutting-edge academic research and helps build a collaborative relationship between faculty and Sony researchers."
Amount: Up to $100,000 for Faculty Innovation Awards; Up to $150,000 for Focused Research Awards
REMINDER: Funding Agency: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Title: Early Career Postdoctoral-Faculty Bridge Grant
Application Deadline(s): September 18, 2026
Purpose: "Building a productive research group as a new faculty member in chemistry and engineering is highly challenging. To that end, the support available to a faculty member in the first two years is critical to developing the foundation for a robust research program that attracts grant funding, provides holistic training and mentorship to graduate students, and contributes to the culture of the department and the professional community. In recognition of this need, the ACS Early Career Postdoctoral-Faculty Bridge Grant provides support at this crucial junction in the form of a salary for a postdoctoral fellow/associate, who can both help launch the new research lab and gain invaluable experience in the process that can be applied to their own ability to launch an independent career in the future."
Amount: $125,000
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Title: NIH Collaborative International Research Project (Parent PF5 Clinical Trial Optional)
Application Deadline(s): September 25, 2026
Purpose: "The National Institutes of Health (NIH) seeks to advance its mission by maintaining strong, productive, and secure international research collaborations in support of the NIH mission. The NIH Collaborative International Research Project (Parent Announcement) supports international research collaborations."
Amount: Not specified
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Application Deadline(s): September 25, 2026
Purpose: "This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites eligible academic or research institutions to apply for funding support to purchase latest scientific equipment that will enhance and modernize research-supporting operations of existing shared biomedical research facilities. Targeted are laboratory research core facilities, animal research facilities, and other similar shared-use research spaces. The goal of this NOFO is to strengthen research-auxiliary activities of biomedical research facilities and to enhance the efficiency of their operations."
Amount: $350,000
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Title: NSF 25-515: Security, Privacy, and Trust in Cyberspace (SaTC 2.0)
Application Deadline(s): September 28, 2026
Purpose: "Supports interdisciplinary research and education to develop a secure, resilient and trustworthy global cyber ecosystem by addressing vulnerabilities, improving trust in cyber systems and cultivating a well-trained cybersecurity workforce."
Amount: $300,000-$1,200,000 depending on category
Funding Agency: Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood
Title: Grants
Application Deadline(s): Letter of Inquiry due May 31, 2026
Purpose: “The Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood is an incubator of promising research and development projects that appear likely to improve the welfare of young children, from infancy through 7 years, in the United States. The Foundation provides funding in the following areas: Parenting Education, Early Childhood Welfare and Early Childhood Education and Play.”
Amount: See website for examples of previously funded projects
REMINDER: Funding Agency: Whitehall Foundation
Title: Research Grants and Grants-in-Aid in Life Sciences
Application Deadline(s): Letters of Intent due October 1, 2026; If invited, Full Applications due February 15, 2027
Purpose: "The Whitehall Foundation, through its program of grants and grants-in-aid, assists scholarly research in the life sciences. It is the Foundation's policy to assist those dynamic areas of basic biological research that are not heavily supported by Federal Agencies or other foundations with specialized missions. In order to respond to the changing environment, the Whitehall Foundation periodically reassesses the need for financial support by the various fields of biological research."
Amount: $100,000 per year for Research Grants; $30,000 for Grants-in-Aid
Funding Agency: Frances R. Dewing Foundation
Title: Grants Supporting Innovation in Early Childhood Education
Application Deadline(s): October 1, 2026
Purpose: "The Frances R. Dewing Foundation supports innovation in early childhood education. Emphasis is placed on new, untried or unusual projects and programs that if successful could have a snowball or ripple effect benefiting the larger educational or local community. Generally such projects and programs need seed money to develop and try new educational methods and tools."
Amount: $1,000-$25,000
Funding Agency: ProLiteracy (Nora Roberts Foundation)
Title: Literacy Opportunity Fund
Application Deadline(s): October 1, 2026
Purpose: "We award grants up to $6,000 to literacy organizations of all types and sizes that are doing direct work with adult students. Apply for a grant to fund your organization’s general operating expenses, such as salaries or teacher stipends, supplies or equipment, space rental, and more. Grant funds can also be used to fund adult literacy projects or develop new programming."
Amount: $6,000
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Application Deadline(s): October 5, 2026
Purpose: "To meet a growing need for investigators trained in biomedical informatics research and data science by training qualified pre- and post-doctoral candidates; to conduct research in biomedical informatics, bioinformatics and related computer, information and data sciences; to facilitate management of electronic health records and clinical research data; to prepare scholarly works in biomedicine and health; to advance biocomputing and bioinformatics through participation in Federal initiatives relating to biomedical informatics, bioinformatics and biomedical computing; and to stimulate and foster scientific and technological innovation through cooperative research development carried out between small business concerns and research institutions, through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants."
Amount: Application budgets are expected to be no more than $250,000 per year in direct costs and should reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.
Funding Agency: American Chemical Society (ACS): Petroleum Research Fund (PRF)
Title: Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) Grants
Application Deadline(s): October 9, 2026
Purpose: "Proposals must be for fundamental research in “the petroleum field,” which is defined in our founding document as “petroleum, natural gas, coal, shale, tar sands and like materials.” Fundamental research encompasses the properties of these materials, whereas the petroleum industry undertakes “applied research,” which is outside the scope of ACS PRF. However, please note that while the PRF Trust imposes certain restrictions, PRF currently funds many topics of current interest in sustainability and green chemistry. These include, for example, new catalysts and upgrading/utilization of methane and carbon dioxide."
Amount: $125,000 for New Directions; $110,000 for Doctoral New Investigators; $70,000 for Undergraduate Research; $55,000 for Undergraduate New Investigators
Funding Agency: Brady Education Foundation (BEF)
Title: Research Project and Existing Program Evaluation Proposals
Application Deadline(s): Letters of Intent due September 15, 2026; If invited, Full Applications due November 1, 2026
Purpose: "The Brady Education Foundation seeks to improve educational outcomes for children, including those living in low-income communities. The Foundation pursues its mission by promoting collaboration among researchers, educators, and other stakeholders via the funding of Research Projects and Program Evaluations."
Amount: Total budgets for BEF grants typically range from as low as $20,000 to as high as $375,000.
REMINDER: Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Application Deadline(s): October 15, 2026
Purpose: "The NIH INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE (INCLUDE) Project seeks to improve health and quality-of-life for individuals with Down syndrome. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites researchers to submit applications for support of new exploratory and developmental research projects that address critical needs for Down syndrome projects, as articulated in the INCLUDE Project objectives."
Amount: $275,000 in Direct Costs
Funding Agency: Defense Health Agency (DHA)
Application Deadline(s): Pre-Applications due October 23, 2026; Full Applications due November 6, 2026
Purpose: "The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Parkinson’s Research Program (PRP) Early Investigator Research Award (EIRA) supports Parkinson’s disease (PD) research for investigators in the early stages of their careers. The FY26 EIRA offers two funding levels, which align to the research career stage of the Principal Investigator (PI). Funding Level 1 (for fellows) requires the investigator to receive guidance from a designated Mentor, whereas Funding Level 2 (for early-career independent investigators) does not. Proposed research must address at least one of the four FY26 PRP Focus Areas."
Amount: $0.3M for Funding Level 1 awards and $1.0M for Funding Level 2 awards
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Title: NSF Individual and Small Team Proposals
Application Deadline: Varies by topic. Proposals are accepted anytime unless a due date is listed.
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Applied Mathematics – Nov 16, 2026
- Astronomy and Astrophysics – Nov 16, 2026
- Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (AGS-PRF)
- Biomechanics and Mechanobiology
- Biosensing
- Chemistry: Disciplinary Research Programs – Sep 30 or Nov 2, 2026 - based on discipline
- Cultural Anthropology Program Senior Research Awards (CA-SR) –Jan 15 & Aug 15 annually
- Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) Core Research (ECR: Core) – Oct 1, 2026
- Division of Materials Research: Topical Materials Research Programs (DMR-TMRP)
- Division of Materials Research: Condensed Matter and Materials Theory (CMMT)
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Core Programs (MCB)
- Energy, Power, Control, and Networks
- Environmental Biology
- Environmental Engineering
- Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research: Workshop Opportunities (EPS-WO)
- Foundational Research in Robotics (FFR)
- Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research (Capacity)
- Linguistics –Jan 15 & Jul 15 annually
- Manufacturing Systems Integration
- Mathematical Biology – Oct 14, 2026
- Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics – Aug 27, 2026
- Molecular and Cellular Biosciences
-
Research Infrastructure in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (RISBS)
- Science of Learning & Augmented Intelligence – Aug 5, 2026
- Security, Privacy & Trust in Cyberspace (SaTC 2.0) – Sep 28, 2026
- Security and Preparedness
- Social Psychology – Jan 15 & Jul 15 annually
- Sociology
- Statistics – Dec 1-15, 2026
- STEM K-12
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Title: NSF Special Programs
Application Deadline: Varies by topic – click each topic to learn more about these special program opportunities. Proposals are accepted anytime unless a due date is listed.
- Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE): Core Programs – Varies by size of application (Small, Medium, Core)
- Critical Aspects of Sustainability (CAS) – Various funding mechanisms available
- Division of Chemistry: Disciplinary Research Programs (CHE-DRP) – Sep 30, 2026, for CAT, CSDM-B, and SYN; Nov 2, 2026, for CMI, ECS and MSN
- Division of Materials Research: Topical Materials Research Program
- Division of Physics: Investigator-Initiated Research Projects – Varies by topic
- Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program (HEGS) – Aug 7, 2026
- Mathematical Sciences Infrastructure Program – Aug 4, 2026
- National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program (NRT) –TBD
- Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) – Aug 19, 2026
- Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science – Oct 14, 2026
- Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE) - proposals accepted anytime
EDUCATION &
TRAINING
WSU Office of Research Workshops
Topics include an Introduction to the WSU Office of Research with resources and contacts, WSU policies and procedures related to research, utilizing Pivot to find external funding, project budgeting and general grant-writing tips. Previously recorded workshops can also be found on the Office of Research website.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) R25 Open House Webinar: August 3, 2026
“Join this virtual open house to learn about the R25 for Research Education opportunities supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).”
Register for NIH NINDS Webinar
Candid Webinar: Introduction to Proposal Writing: August 4, 2026
“…a step-by-step guide to creating a grant proposal to a foundation, including:
- The basic elements of a grant proposal, including the need statement, project description, and evaluation plan
- A model outline of the essential components of any grant proposal
- The "do's" and "don'ts" of writing, planning and submitting a proposal
- The methods for building a relationship with a potential funder, from initial outreach to follow-up and reporting”
Register for Proposal Writing Webinar
Candid Webinar: Introduction to Project Budgets: August 6, 2026
“…step-by-step instructions on how to generate a standard project budget for a foundation proposal. We will discuss:
- The basic components of a project budget including income and expenses
- Common terminology, including direct costs, indirect costs, and in-kind.
- How to estimate the realistic cost of a project for both personnel and non-personnel expenses
- Financial documents you may also need to submit with your proposal”
Register for Introduction to Project Budgets Webinar
NSF PESOSE Proposal Preparation Webinar: August 11, 2026
“The NSF PESOSE program is a new funding opportunity from the NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships that combines the former Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems and Safety, Security, and Privacy of Open-Source Ecosystems programs...”
Register for NSF PESOSE Proposal Preparation Webinar
TBED CoP Lab-to-Market: Software supporting commercialization: August 11, 2026
“Chris Rehkamp, vice president of business services at KU Innovation Park, will be joined by Dane Christensen, manager of operations and business development at Continuum, an NIH-funded educational software company based at KU Innovation Park. They’ll discuss how Continuum supports NIH- and NSF-funded teams with structured entrepreneurship, commercialization, and workforce development training.”
Register for August Lab-to-Market Meeting Webinar
Materials Research Society Webinar: Achieving Professional Excellence: Strategies for Early-Career Professionals: August 13, 2026
“This webinar dives into navigating the many tasks involved in starting an independent research career in materials science and engineering, including managing the administrative workload, securing independent funding, building and choosing a research team, managing career advancement, and successfully balancing interpersonal relationships in professional settings.”
Register for Materials Research Society Webinar
NIH Webinar: Understanding NIH's Unified Funding Strategy: What the Research Community Needs to Know: August 14, 2026
“…join a conversation between NIH leadership on NIH’s Unified Funding Strategy. Our Unified Funding Strategy is designed to support NIH Institutes and Centers to make informed, transparent, and flexible funding decisions. During their conversation, NIH leadership will:
- Clarify the approach’s rationale, goals, and implementation across NIH
- Address misconceptions
- Help foster communication between NIH staff and applicants, recipients, researchers, and the wider research community”
EPA Webinar: Participatory Science: August 19, 2026
“Participatory science is the involvement of the public in science…This webinar will walk through common steps and processes to design and implement a participatory science project as well as water, air, and soil case studies from across the country.”
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) ORISE Symposium 2026: August 25 – 28, 2026
“The 2026 ORISE Symposium will bring together speakers from academia, federal agencies, and research institutions to discuss current applications of artificial intelligence across STEM fields and related considerations for research and workforce development. The theme of this year's event is Exploring AI Horizons in STEM.” This virtual event is hosted by ORAU, of which WSU is a member.
Register for the 2026 ORISE Symposium
REMINDER: Hanover Research Webinar: Artificial Intelligence in Grant Prospecting and Development: August 27, 2026
“AI is rapidly changing the way organizations identify and pursue grant funding, offering tools that can save time and enhance your strategy if used thoughtfully...”
Register for Hanover Research Webinar
Hanover Research Webinar: Navigating the Foundation Funding Landscape: September 24, 2026
“This session will provide a primer on the wide-ranging grant makers that comprise foundation funding landscape, how to identify potential private grant opportunities, and the conventions of pursuing grants from these funders as compared to public sources.”
Register for Hanover Research Webinar
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Online Radiation Safety & Health Physics Training Courses
“Whether you are just starting your career in the health physics field or are a seasoned professional who needs a refresher or way to develop new radiation safety skills, [Professional Training Programs offer] a variety of radiation safety and health physics courses for any experience level.”
Register for ORAU Online Training Courses
Data Privacy & Security Training, Questions or Reporting
If your research includes patient medical data and you need to take HIPAA / Sensitive Data Handling training, if you have a question about data privacy or security, or need to report a concern, please contact the WSU Privacy or Security Office.
Privacy: 316-978-4HIP (4447) or privacy@wichita.edu
Security: 316-978-4SEC (4732) or askinfosec@wichita.edu
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NASA: Grant Notice: SciENcv Requirements for NASA Disclosure Forms
“Beginning June 25, 2026, applicants will be able to access and complete the NASA-specific biographical sketch and current and pending (other) support forms within SciENcv, a National Institutes of Health, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) system that supports the creation, management, and sharing of standardized disclosure forms. NASA will accept disclosure forms in either the Word fillable format or SciENcv format until August 31, 2026. Starting September 1, 2026, NASA will only accept the NASA-specific, SciENcv-developed forms in grant and cooperative agreement proposals.”
Read More about SciENcv Requirements for NASA Disclosure Forms
NIH: Request for Information: Measuring and Rewarding Scientific Impact
“NIH is engaging stakeholders in defining specific, measurable indicators and incentives that reflect the collaborative, rigorous, and mission-driven nature of modern biomedical science…Comments are due on or before August 19, 2026.”
Read More about NIH’s Request for Information
REMINDER: NIH: Request for Information: Proposal to Cap the Number of Simultaneous Research Project Grants per Principal Investigator to Support More Researchers and Maximize Scientific Productivity and Innovation
“The NIH is requesting information on the proposed policy to cap the number of RPGs on which an individual could serve as [Principal Investigator] PI or [Multi-Principal Investigator] MPI simultaneously…Comments on this Notice must be received no later than August 3, 2026.”
Continue Reading about NIH’s Proposal
NSF: Request for Comment: Proposal/Award Information-NSF Guidance on Financial Assistance
“The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to renew and revise its collection for its financial assistance policies and procedures…Comments on this Notice must be received no later than August 24, 2026.”
Read more about NSF’s Request for Comment
NIH: Request for Information: NIH Common Fund is Soliciting Ideas for NIH-wide Challenges and Opportunities
“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.”
Continue Reading about NIH’s Request for Information
NIH: Highlighted Topic: Advancing Nutrition Research to Inform Regulatory Practice
“The purpose of this topic is to advance the gold standard of nutrition and food science. We encourage participation from experts across a variety of disciplines, including nutrition, toxicology, risk analysis, behavioral science, infant and child development, chemistry, and chronic disease research.”
Continue Reading NIH Highlighted Topic of Interest: Advancing Nutrition Research
NIH: Highlighted Topic: Advancing Data Science Approaches to Address Health Disparities Through Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML), and Community-Engaged Research
“This topic will support the development, implementation, and evaluation of community-engaged AI/ML interventions that convert routinely collected clinical and community-linked data into timely actions to improve screening completion, treatment adherence, disease control, and continuity of care in populations experiencing health disparities.”
Continue Reading NIH Highlighted Topic of Interest: Advancing Data Science Approaches
NSF Dear Colleague Letter: Unleashing a new age of AI-enabled scientific discovery through the Genesis Mission
NSF “Invites proposal submissions to invest in AI-enabled scientific discovery and foundational research in support of the Genesis Mission National Science and Technology Challenges and Platform.”
Continue Reading NSF Dear Colleague Letter
REMINDER: DMP Tool Now Available for WSU Researchers
Dr. Jung Mee Park, Data Librarian, Ablah Libraries, has created a libguide for WSU researchers who are interested in using the free DMPTool to create data management plans that are compliant with sponsor requirements. The libguide may be found here: https://libraries.wichita.edu/dmptool. Researchers interested in using the DMPTool do not need to wait to have a formal proposal to start using the tool. Ablah Librarians are also available to assist with creating data management plans within the DMP Tool system. Remember, the WSU Office of Research should be notified in advance of any planned submissions for external sponsored funding: proposals@wichita.edu, so that our office may assist with meeting sponsor requirements.
REMINDER: NIH: Helpful Reminders to Ensure Integrity of NIH-Supported Research When Using Artificial Intelligence
“Today, we are sharing some helpful reminders on the appropriate use of AI tools when applying, managing awards, and conducting the research process itself…”
Continue Reading NIH Reminders about Use of AI
REMINDER: WSU Participating in NSF Emerge for Industry and Research Collaborations
“Halo is a platform where researchers can discover industry-sponsored funding opportunities, connect with corporate research and development teams, and showcase their work to potential partners.”
Read about NSF Emerge and Register for an Account on the HALO Platform
REMINDER - ORCID ID – Persistent Digital Identifiers for Researchers
ORCID is an international, interdisciplinary, open, non-proprietary, and not-for-profit organization created by the research community for the benefit of all stakeholders, providing a persistent digital identifier (an ORCID iD) that distinguishes researchers with record that supports automatic links among all professional activities. A researcher’s ORCID iD and connections are stored in the ORCID Registry, in an account owned and managed by individual researchers. The WSU Office of Research recommends that Researchers set up their ORCID if they have not already, as some federal funders may require the use of an ORCID as part of a researcher’s biographical sketch or CV.
View Training Videos about ORCID and setting up your ORCID ID
REMINDER - Wichita Public Schools (USD 259): Advance Notice Required for Letters of Support and/or Participation in Research
Wichita Public Schools (USD 259) requests a minimum of 30 business days to process letters of support or participation in research. It is WSU’s responsibility to have appropriate support from the school(s)/personnel that will be involved in the project prior to submitting a request. Letters of Support/Grant Proposals: WSU personnel who need a letter of support or USD259 participation on a grant proposal, should complete the External-Request for Grant Support form and are encouraged to reach out directly to Holly Wilson at hwilson@usd259.net early in the process for questions/clarification. Research Requests: WSU personnel who want to conduct research in USD 259, are encouraged to reach out directly to Katelyn Schoenhofer at kschoenhofer1@usd259.net early in the process for questions/clarifications.
As a reminder, all proposals submitted on behalf of WSU must be reviewed by the Office of Research prior to submission. This includes proposals where WSU is a direct recipient of funds and proposals where WSU is a proposed subawardee/subcontractor. Please contact the Office of Research at proposals@wichita.edu to get started.
FREE WSU Office of Research Services
Email funding@wichita.edu to:
- Set up a Pivot account and receive guidance on how to search the database to find funding opportunities;
- Subscribe to funding announcements and funding-related alerts; and
- Attend Research Workshops that will help you with finding funding, budgeting and writing effective proposals (and much more)!
Please let us know how we can help you.