ORSP Announcements

The 2026 Panmure House Prize is now open for submissions. The prize offers $75,000 USD to support bold, high-impact research on the long-term funding of innovation, inspired by the legacy of Adam Smith and focused on developing practical, original solutions to pressing global challenges.

This international prize seeks research that advances new thinking about how innovation can be sustainably financed and supported over the long term, across areas such as finance, public policy, technology, and broader social or economic systems. Interdisciplinary projects and proposals that address real-world implementation challenges are particularly encouraged.

Applications are currently open, with submissions accepted until 17:00 (BST) on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a revised solicitation for Pathways to Enable Secure Open-Source Ecosystems (PESOSE), supporting the development, governance, sustainability, and security of open-source ecosystems that address national and societal challenges.

PESOSE includes three tracks:

• Track 1: Scoping and Planning – Up to $300,000 (approx. 30 awards)
• Track 2: Establishing and Expanding – Up to $1,500,000 (approx. 10 awards)
• Track 3: Improving Safety, Security, and Privacy – Up to $1,500,000 (approx. 10 awards)

NSF anticipates funding 40–60 total awards.

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, nonprofits, for-profit organizations, state and local governments, Tribal Nations, and FFRDCs.

Deadlines: September 1, 2026; March 2, 2027; and annually thereafter on the first Tuesday of March and September (5:00 pm local time).

Are you interested in teaching, conducting research, and/or engaging internationally? The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is now accepting applications for the 2027–28 cycle, with a deadline of September 15.
Join us for a Fulbright Coffee Hour for award details, application guidance, and stories from DU faculty Fulbright alumni.
March 13, 9:00–10:30 a.m., in the Faculty Lounge, CCOM 2800
For Fulbright questions and/or a personal consultation, email DU’s Fulbright Scholar Campus Liaison at leasa.weimer@du.edu.

Google has launched the Impact Challenge: AI for Government Innovation, a $30 million global initiative designed to help governments harness artificial intelligence to improve public services and drive measurable social impact. Academic institutions partnering with government entities are eligible to apply, creating a significant opportunity for university faculty engaged in applied research, civic innovation, and public-sector collaboration.

While innovative proposals across public service domains are encouraged, Google is particularly interested in projects addressing:

• Health – Strengthening public health systems and improving “front door” access to care
• Resilience – Enhancing crisis forecasting, response, and recovery through AI-powered tools
• Economy – Improving public infrastructure and essential services (e.g., optimizing transit networks using agentic AI)

Application Deadline:  April 3, 2026

Lewis-Burke Associates, in collaboration with the European Union (EU) Delegation to the U.S., recently hosted an informational webinar introducing Horizon Europe, the EU’s primary funding program supporting research and innovation. Horizon Europe aims to strengthen global research impact and foster international collaboration, and its newly released Work Programme 2026–2027 outlines upcoming funding opportunities.
The webinar, featuring Dr. Florent Bernard, Science Counsellor for the EU Delegation to the U.S., offered guidance for U.S.-based scholars interested in engaging with Horizon Europe. Dr. Bernard highlighted that U.S. researchers may join Horizon Europe projects even without direct funding, and identified three pathways for eligibility: 

1. European Research Council Synergy Grants
2. Health Cluster awards
3. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowships

DOE announced 26 Lighthouse Grand Challenge topics spanning AI applications that support its missions in scientific discovery, energy deployment, and nuclear and national security. In the coming months, DOE will release a solicitation for multi-institutional teams from national labs, universities, and industry to compete in these areas, along with detailed topic descriptions.
DOE will engage stakeholders—including the Genesis Mission University Summit on February 18—to align computing, data, AI tools, and research expertise. It is also launching a Genesis Mission Consortium with a Collaborative Hub linking DOE’s 17 National Labs, industry, and universities, plus Working Groups focused on AI validation, data standards, cloud infrastructure, robotics, automation, and high-performance computing.

• Implementation of New Common Forms: https://grants.nih.gov/policy-and-compliance/implementation-of-new-initiatives-and-policies/common-forms-for-biosketch 
• FAQs: https://grants.nih.gov/faqs#/common-forms-biographical-sketch-current-pending-support.htm?anchor=57875 

• Review the NIH announcements linked above
• Set up or update your SciENcv profile if you haven't already
• Transition your biosketch and other support documents to the new Common Forms
• Inform collaborators involved in upcoming NIH submissions
• Contact ORSP for assistance with the new requirements

This snapshot provides an update on current status, planned fiscal year (FY) 2026 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) activities and funding opportunities. 2026 will be a major year for the agency, highlighted by the Artemis II mission in February which is expected to launch humans outside Earth’s orbit for the first time since Apollo and the next flagship telescope, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is expected to launch as early as Fall 2026.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released an updated Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Advanced Research and Development of Regulatory Science. The BAA is a specialized contract mechanism used by the agency to solicit and fund extramural research concerning high-priority topics of concern to FDA’s public health mission. For FY 2026, FDA seeks proposals in areas such as biomarkers, innovative clinical trial design, predictive toxicology, medical countermeasures, antimicrobial resistance, and substance use. Please check the Sam.gov website for more information.

Proposals are now being accepted for the European Union’s flagship Horizon Europe program for research and innovation through its 2026–2027 main Work Programme, committing more than $16.4 billion in 2025 to advance ambitious scientific and innovation priorities. This new phase will accelerate the green and digital transitions and additional opportunities to be launched throughout the year.

Please check out the European Commission's website for more information. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to Leasa.Weimer@du.edu.

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced it is seeking applications to support the funding of 20-year term endowments that “advance the humanities on college and university campuses and at independent educational institutions, specifically by building the organization’s capacity in research and teaching of Western civilization, American history and government, and civics.” NEH anticipates awarding five grants, with a maximum award amount of $5 million, plus an additional $100,000 in outright funds for fundraising support costs.

The award requires a one-to-one match with nonfederal funds. Application materials are due by February 10, 2026, with award recipients expected to be notified by June 2026.

1. CAMEL Collaborative Networks
2. Establishment of a Collaboratory and National Coordinator.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) has announced a request for information (RFI) to gather feedback on its new proposed Tech Labs Initiative. The Tech Labs initiative aims to create new independent research organizations that will accelerate research with real-world applications, scale across technology readiness levels (TRL), and de-risk the development of emerging technologies to be applicable for industry investment. NSF seeks input from academia, nonprofits, venture capital, the private sector, and other interested parties to inform the development of this program.

NSF TIP will be hosting two webinars to discuss Tech Labs on December 17, 2025, 11:00 AM and January 14, 2026, 2:00 PM ET. Registration is available here. The deadline for responses to the RFI is January 20, 2026, at 3:00 PM