Greetings, faculty!
Please see the list of announcements, funding opportunities, and resources below. Archives of previous updates are available on ORSP’s blog.
Research Development and Networking Opportunities
- The Office of the VCR and ORSP are planning a site visit and networking opportunity with researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the UT – Oak Ridge Innovation Institute in 2025. If you’re interested in participating, please complete this brief survey by November 8 to help us select an optimal date and plan activities of interest to you.
- The Office of the VCR and ORSP are collaborating with The Implementation Group (TIG) to provide opportunities for PIs to receive feedback on their proposals early in the development process. TIG will review a 1-page summary of your project and meet with you to discuss your project plan. Submit your 1-page summary by December 18, for a review session with TIG in January. This cycle is ideal for proposals with sponsor deadlines on or after March 1, 2025. Individuals who are planning a proposal to the 2025 NSF CAREER program are STRONGLY encouraged to participate.
- Launch Tennessee is hosting a virtual workshop entitled “Navigating SBIR/STTR for TN University Researchers” on October 30 from 2-4pm. RSVP here with your university email to secure your spot.
- The next Meetup for Researchers will be held on November 8 at 11am in the Southern Writers Room (440) UTC Library. This month’s speakers include guests from the UT Research Foundation and Dr. Tom Lyons, who will be talking about the MOC Innovate Mini-Grant Competition for 2025. Register here to attend.
Sponsor Announcements
- NSF will begin requiring multifactor authentication to log into research.gov on October 27. Training resources including how-to guides and frequently asked questions (FAQs) will be available on the new About Signing Into Research.gov page on Research.gov Help on that date.
- The US Dept of Energy is accepting applications from faculty for the Summer 2025 Visting Faculty Program through January 8, 2025. This is an individual award and does not need to be routed through ORSP. Learn more and apply here.
- The US Dept of Energy is also accepting applications from students for the Office of Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships program through January 8, 2025. Encourage your students to learn more and apply here.
Funding Opportunities
If you are interested in applying to any of the opportunities below, please notify ORSP at least 4-6 weeks in advance of the deadline. Proposals with fewer than 5 business days notice may face barriers to submission. More information about ORSP’s proposal development timeline and services is available here.
| Sponsor/Program | Deadline | Limitations or Special Considerations |
| DOE APRA-E Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy (IGNIITE) | Concept Paper: November 15, 2024 | Limited to early career faculty meeting the requirements detailed in the NOFO. No Co-PIs or other senior personnel are permitted. |
| DOE BER Genomics – Enabled Understanding and Advancing Knowledge on Plant Gene Function(s) | Pre-App: December 2, 2024 | An individual is limited to one proposal as PI. |
| NSF Regional Resilience Innovation Incubator (R2I2) | LOI: December 16, 2024 | The LOI deadline is for Phase 1 proposals. An individual is limited to one proposal as PI and one proposal as Co-PI. Office hours are being held October 25 and 29. Learn more and register here. |
| NSF Addressing Systems Challenges through Engineering Teams (ASCENT) | January 22, 2025 | A minimum of three (3) PIs or co-PIs must participate in each proposal. An individual is limited to one proposal as PI. |
| NSF DCL: Opportunity for NSF Researchers to Participate in BioMADE Project Calls as Part of an Integrated Project Team | January 22, 2025 | BioMADE solicitation will be available on November 13. |
| NSF CAREER | July 23, 2025 | Limited to Assistant Professors meeting the requirements detailed in the solicitation. No Co-PIs or other senior personnel are permitted. |
Sponsored Projects Policy Spotlight: Program Income
Sponsored Projects Policy FI0235 lays out the policies defining program income and the procedures for using it. Note that most federal agencies have additional restrictions on when program income is allowed and how it can be used. The most restrictive policy always applies.
Best,
Ashley Ledford,
Director of Pre-Award Services
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Book a meeting with me!