Limited Submission Review for NSF MRI

ISU can submit up to four applications for the NSF MRI grant. Details on the number of submissions is available below. If you are considering applying for this award, you must contact Dr. Amy Wuest with the Office of Research Development by 12:00pm on 5/14/2025.

About this program: The Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program serves to increase access to multi-user scientific and engineering instrumentation for research and research training in our Nation's institutions of higher education and not-for-profit scientific/engineering research organizations. 

Learn more about the MRI Program here.

Save the Dave: End of Semester Reception

Faculty and staff are invited to join the Office for Research at an "End of Semester" reception. At this event, faculty and staff from across campus can meet, mingle, and connect. Brief remarks will highlight ISU recent research and creative scholarship successes. Office for Research staff will be available to discuss supports and services to help faculty grow their research and creative scholarship activity. Brief remarks by VP for Research and Economic Development, Marty Blair will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Light refreshments will be served. 

DATE: April 29, 2025

TIME: 3:00-4:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Wood River Room

Instrumentation Grant Program for Resource-Limited Institutions (S10 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

This NOFO provides funds to purchase a single, specialized, commercially available instrument or an integrated instrumentation system with a cost between $25,000 and $250,000. An integrated instrumentation system is one in which the components, when used in conjunction with one another, perform a function that no single component can provide. The components must be dedicated to the system and not used independently. Types of instruments to be supported include, but are not limited to, basic cell sorters, confocal microscopes, ultramicrotomes, gel imagers, mass spectrometers, optical instruments such as fluorimeters or CD spectropolarimeters, centrifuges, micro-plate-readers equipped with optical systems for high throughput measurements, FPLCs and HPLC, or computer systems. All instruments, integrated systems, and computer systems must be dedicated to research and education. Applications for stand-alone computer systems (e.g., computer clusters and data storage systems) will only be considered if the system is solely dedicated to biomedical research and/or education and alternative access to such services (e.g., commercial cloud services) is not feasible or cost-effective. Foreign-made instruments are allowed. Due July 3rd, 2025.

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is for a different type of instrument. Applicant organizations are advised to consult with a Scientific/Research Contact before submitting multiple applications. If you are interested in this application, please contach Dr. Amy Wuest or the Office of Sponsored Programs asap.

Learn more here.

Upcoming NSF Grants (All grants updated 4/7/2025)

• Fire Science Innovations and Education (FIRE): Due June 20, 2025
• Infrastructure Systems and People (ISP): Full Proposal Accepted Anytime
• Cybersecurity Innovation for Cyber Infrastructure (CICI): Due January 21, 2026
• Collaboration in Geosciences and AI: Due February 4, 2026
• Partnership to Advance Conservation Science: Due date forthcoming.
• Water, Landscape, and Critical Zone Processes: Full proposal accepted anytime.
• Earth Sciences Instrumentation and Facilities: Proposals Accepted Anytime
• Division of Chemistry: Disciplinary Research Programs: No Deadline Pilot: Proposals Accepted Anytime
• Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Core Programs (MCB): Proposals Accepted Anytime

Upcoming NIH Grants (All grants updated 4/7/2025)

• New Investigator Gateway Awards for Collaborative T1D Research (R03, Clinical Trials Not allowed). Expires 3/7/2026
• Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional). Expires 11/19/2026.
• Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Small Research Grant (R03 Clinical Trial Optional). Expires 11/17/2026.
• HEAL Initiative: Pain Research Enhancement Program (PREP) (R15 Clinical Trial Optional). Expires 11/24/2026
• Interventions on Health and Healthcare Disparities on Non-Communicable and Chronic Diseases in Latin America: Improving Health Outcomes Across the Hemisphere (R01 - Clinical Trial Required) Expires 5/8/2027.
• Academic-Industrial Partnerships for Translation of Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment (R01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Expires 1/8/2028
• Innovative Mental Health Services Research Not Involving Clinical Trials (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) Expires 1/8/2028

Sign up for the NIH ListServ Here

Support for Research Excellence – First Independent Research (SuRE-First) Award (R16 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The SuRE program supports research capacity building at eligible higher education institutions through funding investigator-initiated biomedical research in basic, social, clinical, behavioral, or translational science that falls in the mission areas of the NIH. 

The purpose of SuRE-First awards is to provide research grant support for faculty investigators who have not had prior independent external research grants, to furnish students with high-quality undergraduate and/or graduate research experiences and to enhance the institutional scientific research culture. Due: May 29, 2024

Learn more here.

New Dear Colleague Letter: Amplifying STEM Education Investments in and with Rural and Remote Areas and Communities

The Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) seeks new proposal submissions to continue its support for science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science education innovations, research, capacity, and workforce development in and with rural and remote communities. Through this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), EDU acknowledges the multidimensionality of rural America and welcomes proposals that meet the specific needs and that leverage the wide-ranging assets and opportunities of rural and remote communities, such as the Delta Region, Appalachia, and Tribal and EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) jurisdictions.

Learn more here.

Translation and Diffusion (TD)

This solicitation addresses issues of translation and diffusion that arise in moving knowledge gained from fundamental learning and education research toward application in PreK-12 STEM classroom practice or leveraging knowledge derived from effective practice toward driving fundamental research. The first goal of this funding opportunity is to encourage the scientific study of theories, frameworks, and models for the translation and diffusion of knowledge, especially between fields and across contexts and levels-of-analysis (e.g., biological to cognitive/socioemotional to behavioral; individual to classroom to broader demographic variables; lab to classroom to school to district). The second goal is to advance or move specific practice, research or scientific discovery in STEM education reciprocally along the research-practice continuum. Full proposals due February 4th, 2026.

Learn more here.

Research Grants on Reducing Inequality

This program supports research to build, test, or increase understanding of programs, policies, or practices to reduce inequality in the academic, social, behavioral, or economic outcomes of young people ages 5-25 in the United States.

Major Research Grants

$100,000 to $600,000 over 2-3 years, including up to 15% indirect costs.Projects involving secondary data analysis are typically at the lower end of the budget range, whereas projects involving new data collection and sample recruitment can be at the higher end. Proposals to launch experiments in which settings (e.g., classrooms, schools, youth programs) are randomly assigned to conditions sometimes have higher awards.

2025 application deadlines for major research grants are: January 8, May 7, and August 6 at 3:00 PM ET.



Officers’ Research Grants

$25,000–$50,000 over 1-2 years, including up to 15% indirect costs. Studies may be stand-alone projects or may build off larger projects. The budget should be appropriate for the activities proposed.

2025 application deadlines for Officers’ research grants are: January 8 and August 6 at 3:00 PM ET.



Learn more here.

Update: Statement of NSF priorities

April 18, 2025

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) was established in 1950 to promote the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare, and secure the national defense. It does this by investing in the most promising ideas and people across all fields of science and engineering (S&E). NSF priorities are grounded in the mission of the agency and modulated by statutory directives and administration priorities.

NSF uses two statutory criteria to ensure that every award has the potential to advance new knowledge (Intellectual Merit) with maximum impact on the Nation and its people (Broader Impacts). NSF investments unleash groundbreaking discoveries, translational solutions and expand participation in STEM. These efforts strengthen our domestic workforce to fuel economic prosperity, national security, and global S&E competitiveness.

The principles of merit, competition, equal opportunity, and excellence are the bedrock of the NSF mission. NSF continues to review all projects using Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria.

NSF's broadening participation activities, including activities undertaken in fulfillment of the Broader Impacts criterion, and research on broadening participation, must aim to create opportunities for all Americans everywhere.

These efforts should not preference some groups at the expense of others, or directly/indirectly exclude individuals or groups. Research projects with more narrow impact limited to subgroups of people based on protected class or characteristics do not effectuate NSF priorities.

NSF will continue to support research with the goal of understanding or addressing participation in STEM, in accordance with all applicable statutes and mandates, with the core goal of creating opportunities for all Americans.

NSF will continue to support basic and use-inspired research in S&E fields that focus on protected characteristics when doing so is intrinsic to the research question and is aligned with Agency priorities.

Learn more and review the Q&A here.

The Office for Research Development is always looking for new ways to support faculty at ISU. Use the link below to share ideas and suggestions.

Did you attend a really great training, team building project, or grant development workshop that you think would benefit the culture of research as ISU? If so, let us know! Use the short survey below to share your idea with the Office of Research Development! None of the questions are mandatory; feel free to provide whatever information that will help us to learn more about this program and how it benefited your research.

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