ORSP Updates and Funding Opportunities – February 12, 2026

Announcements

• Effective Monday, February 16, researchers must use the DASH Research IRB module to submit IRB protocols for review and approval. This applies to sponsored and non-sponsored research with human subjects. Help guides and other resources are available on ORI’s DASH Research IRB webpage. Virtual office hours will be available starting next week on Tuesdays (9:00am – 12:00pm) and Wednesdays (3:00pm – 5:00pm). Please direct questions to Baley Whary at [email protected].

• DASH Research will be offline beginning 6PM on Friday, February 13 – 8AM on Monday, February 16 for the launch of DASH Research IRB. All currently active modules, including DASH Research COI, will be unavailable during this time.

• The NSF BIO Directorate has announced its monthly virtual office hours for Spring 2026. The first is scheduled for February 18 at 1pm. Learn more and register to attend here.

• The Provost’s Office has announced the FY26 call for applications for the Ruth S. Holmberg Grant for Faculty Excellence program. The deadline is March 25. See the Internal Grant Competitions section below for details.

• DOE’s Office of Science is accepting applications from graduate students to conduct a portion of their graduate thesis at a DOE National Laboratory. Applications for the Graduate Student Research Awards program are due May 6. Application assistance workshops will be held in March. Please share this opportunity with your students.

• NIH will begin enforcing the use of the Common Forms for the biosketch and Other Support document in June 2026. Investigators are encouraged, however, to begin using the new Common Forms as soon as practicable. See NOT-OD-26-033 for more details.

Internal Grant Competitions

Program	Deadline	Limitations or Special Considerations
Ruth S. Holmberg Grant for Faculty Excellence	March 25, 2026	Applicants are limited to tenured and tenure-track faculty. Contact [email protected] with questions.
Journey Health Foundation Research Center REACH Fund	March 30, 2026	PIs are limited to full-time UTC faculty or staff. An individual is limited to 1 proposal as lead PI. Contact [email protected] with questions.

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
South Arts State Fellows for Visual Arts	February 27, 2026	This is an award to individual. Eligible individuals should apply directly to South Arts; ORSP review is not required. Citizenship restrictions apply.
NEA Research Grants in the Arts	March 23, 2026	1:1 cost share required.
NEA Research Labs	March 23, 2026	UTC is limited to 1 proposal to this program. Proposal selection will be first-come, first-served. A confirmed arts partner, multidisciplinary team, and 1:1 cost share are required.

Sponsored Projects Policy Spotlight: UT Code of Business Ethics for Sponsored Projects Sponsored Projects Policy FI0225 lays out the UT Code of Business Ethics for sponsored projects. By leading or participating in a sponsored project, you agree to abide by the ethical standards outlined in this code.