ORSP Updates and Funding Opportunities – December 5, 2025

Announcements

• The NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences will host a virtual office hour on Thursday, December 18 at 1pm to discuss modifications to the merit review process and other directorate updates. ORSP strongly encourages researchers in the biological science disciplines to attend. Learn more and register here.

• Additional federal agencies will soon require the use of the Common Form biosketch and current/pending personnel documents in SciENcv:
  • NIH:  proposals due on/after January 25, 2026, will require the Common Form biosketch to be submitted. CPoS forms are requested at the just-in-time stage.
  • US Department of Energy: all new NOFOs will require both Common Forms at time of proposal submission.

• Last call for applications to the Mocs Innovate Mini-Grant Program! Awards of up to $4,000 are available for research with commercialization potential. Click here to learn more and submit your proposal by December 15.

• The new go-live date for DASH Research IRB is set for February 16, 2026. Only fully approved projects will be moved into the new system. Any submissions that are not approved by 5pm Eastern on 1/27/26 will not be moved to DASH Research IRB and will need to be re-submitted in DASH Research IRB after go-live on 2/16/26. Contact Baley Whary at [email protected] or 423-425-5867 for assistance.

• The DASH Research Employee Compensation Compliance (ECC) module is transiting to the project payroll confirmation method. In mid-December, PIs will receive notices to certify consolidated project statements for spring and summer 2025. If you are the PI of a sponsored project, please watch for the notification and complete your certification by the specified deadline. For more information about the ECC module, including self-study guides, please visit the DASH Research SharePoint. Contact Virginia Moore, Director of Accounting Services at [email protected] with questions.

Internal Grant Competitions

Sponsor/Program	Deadline	Limitations or Special Considerations
Mocs Innovate Mini-Grant Program	December 15, 2025	Open to any UTC faculty or staff member. For additional information, please email [email protected].
FY26 Open Publishing Support Fund	Rolling through 6/30/26	Lead authors/applicants are limited to 1 award per fiscal year.

External Funding Opportunities

ORSP has standardized the process for proposal notification, development, and submission. Click here to learn more and view required internal deadlines.

Looking for research development assistance? Learn more about ORSP’s Research Development services and request support here.

Sponsor/Program	Deadline	Limitations or Special Considerations
DARPA High-efficiency Nitrogen Oxidation (HNO3)	Proposal Abstract: December 18, 2025	Abstracts are strongly encouraged but not required. Full proposals are due February 5, 2026. Sign up here for the Proposer’s Day webinar on December 12.
NASA ROSES Astrophysics Data Analysis	Notice of Intent: December 19, 2025	NOIs are optional but encouraged.
NSF Training-based Workforce Development for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (CyberTraining)	January 15, 2026	PIs are strongly encouraged to contact the cognizant POs to discuss the appropriateness of their proposal prior to submission. An individual may participate on only one Pilot or Implementation proposal per competition cycle. Sign up here for the program webinar on December 9.
NASA ROSES Heliophysics Living with a Star Science	Step 1: January 21, 2026	Step 1 proposals are required. An individual is limited to 1 proposal as PI.
NSF Growing Convergence Research	February 9, 2026	See solicitation for participation limitations and requirements. Sign up here for program office hours in December or January.
DARPA Information Innovation Office Broad Agency Announcement	Rolling until November 1, 2026	See BAA for key thrust areas.
ARPA-E Spurring Projects to Advance Energy Research and Knowledge Swiftly (SPARKS)	No deadline	The first step is a concept paper, which may be submitted at any time.

Sponsored Projects Policy Spotlight: Effort Certification

UT has revised the Sponsored Projects Policy for Effort Certification (FI0215). The policy lays out the requirements and procedures for effort certification on sponsored projects, as well as the role of the PI in this process. ORSP helps PIs adhere to this policy by budgeting salaries based on the individual’s associated effort.