Our editorial team is keeping abreast of the current status of federally funded opportunities. Such opportunities advertised here, to our knowledge at time of publication, are active. However, please continue to check solicitation websites for updates to U.S. Government opportunities of interest.

What is a Limited Submission?

A limited submission solicitation places a cap on the number of proposals Auburn may submit to a sponsor. Auburn coordinates limited submissions with notifications via this newsletter and competitions created in the Auburn University Competition Space (InfoReady). To apply to any limited submission posted in this newsletter, click on the link within the announcement. Please refer to the Limited Submission Procedures page for a general list of requirements.

Found a Limited Submission opportunity that interests you?

If so, please contact the PSFS office sooner than later so that an internal competition can be created for a timely, university-wide, fair and equitable selection process that allows for ample time for review, feedback and revisions.

NSF: Safety, Security, and Privacy of Open-Source Ecosystems (Safe-OSE)

To respond to the growing threats to the safety, security, and privacy of open-source ecosystems (OSEs), NSF solicits proposals to address significant safety, security, and/or privacy vulnerabilities, both technical (e.g., vulnerabilities in code and side-channels) and socio-technical (e.g., supply chain, insider threats, and social engineering) to bolster the ecosystem’s capabilities for managing current and future risks, attacks, breaches, and responses. Safe-OSE applies to any type of OSE, including those based on scientific methodologies, models, and processes; manufacturing processes and process specifications; materials formulations; programming languages and formats; hardware instruction sets; system designs or specifications; and data platforms. The goal of the Safe-OSE program is to catalyze meaningful improvements in the safety, security, and privacy of the targeted OSE that the OSE does not currently have the resources to undertake.

Institutional Limit: Two (2) Preliminary Proposals

Internal Deadline: December 4, 2025, 4:45pm

Funder Deadline: January 13, 2026, 5:00pm CT

Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program

The Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program supports the research and teaching careers of talented early career faculty in the chemical sciences. The award is based on an independent body of scholarship attained in the early years of their appointment, as well as a demonstrated commitment to education, and provides unrestricted research funds. The award is open to faculty who meet all of the following criteria:

• Hold a full-time tenure-track academic appointment focused on the chemical sciences.
• From Ph.D. granting departments in which scholarly research is a principal activity and undergraduate education is an important component.
• Are within the first six years of their independent academic careers at the time of submission of the nomination. Experience has shown that awardees tend to be close to the end of their eligibility window, but all eligible candidates are welcome to apply.

Institutional Limit: One (1) Nomination

Internal Deadline: December 4, 2025, 4:45pm

Funder Deadline: February 3, 2026, 11:59pm ET

Creative Showcase 2025 Digital Catalogue Launched

Creative Showcase 2025, the university's triennial celebration of creative scholarship by AU faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, has launched its first ever digital catalogue featuring the event's exhibits.

The catalogue digitally captures all of the submisions - both physical artifacts and live performances - that were first on display at the Jules Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and the Gogue Performing Arts Center. Works represent the efforts of individuals, collaborations and interdisciplinary partnerships and hail from variety of disciplines, both scientific and creative, from across campus.

See the Catalogue here and read Showcase stories.

Funding Opportunities

Deadlines Extended for USDA NIFA: Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) - Foundational and Applied Science Program

Submission deadlines have been extended for AFRI proposals supporting research, education, and extension projects assisting farmers, ranchers, foresters, and other agricultural producers in six priority areas;

• Plant Health and Production and Plant Products;
• Animal Health and Production and Animal Products;
• Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health;
• Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment; 
• Agriculture Systems and Technology; and
• Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities.

Proposals Now Due by Topic: December 4 - December 18, 2025, 5:00pm ET
(See pages 5&6 of the RFA for exact dates per topic) 

Alabama Biomanufacturing Program 2026 Cohort for Startups

The Alabama Biomanufacturing Program, which aims to boost life sciences manufacturing startups in rural Alabama, is launching its second cohort for startups in 2026. $100,000 in non-dilutive technical, regulatory, commercial, and venture development support may be provided to biomanufacturing startups.

Indication of Interest Applications Due: December 5, 2025

I

ABL Office Hours for Questions
Fridays through December 5 (excluding Thanksgiving week). 
12:00 noon - 2:00pm CT

Register for an Office Hour

Other Questions: Contact Symone Alexander, Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering

FFAR/Clemson University: Crops Packaging Innovation Program

FFAR is accepting applications, on behalf of Clemson University and FFP, for the Packaging Innovation Program to develop novel sustainable packaging or packaging alternatives that can replace single-use packaging and single-use plastic packaging for specialty crops compliant with emerging packaging regulations in the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and other key markets.

The Sustainable Innovation Packaging Program consists of three tracks:

• Track 1 (Applied R&D) seeks proposals aimed at bringing a solution for specialty crop exports that is still at the laboratory stage but shows high promise to be implemented in pilot-scale manufacturing with minimal further effort.
• Track 2 (Technology Accelerator) seeks proposals aimed at scaling innovations in sustainable packaging to meet requirements of foreign markets.
• Track 3 (Scale-up and Pilot) seeks proposals to run pilot-scale manufacturing projects aimed at commercializing a packaging solution for specialty crop exports.

Applications Due: December 17, 2025, 5:00pm ET

Chemistry in Cancer Research Grants 

These grants are designed to support groundbreaking basic or translational research projects that utilize chemistry or chemical biology to address urgent issues in cancer. Projects should aim to develop innovative chemical tools and/or probes to validate difficult or emerging cancer targets to advance our understanding of cancer biology.

LOIs Due: December 16, 2025, 1:00pm ET

American Sleep Medicine Foundation Career Development Grants

Bridge to Success Grant for Early Career Investigators
Provides support during the period of time needed for revision and resubmission of a promising application in response to reviewer critiques.


Bridge to Success Grant for Mid-Career/Senior Investigators
Helps independent investigators stay in the field of sleep and circadian research by providing bridge funding while re-applying for research support. 


Focused Projects Grant for Junior Investigators
Provides seed funding for mentored research projects to jumpstart an early career investigator’s research career and provide the necessary support and resources needed to establish a track record of funding.


Applications Due: January 5, 2026, 11:59pm ET

PCORI: Broad Pragmatic Studies Funding Announcement

PCORI is interested in research that fills pertinent evidence gaps representing decisional dilemmas for patients, caregivers, clinicians, policymakers and other healthcare system stakeholders, with a goal of generating evidence that helps patients and members of the broader healthcare community make informed decisions about their health care and health outcomes.

For Cycle 1 2026, PCORI has identified the following Special Areas of Emphasis:


• Addressing Obesity
• Treatments and Strategies To Address Menopausal Symptoms
• Improving Care Delivery for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)

Applicant Town Hall: December 2, 2025, 11:30am ET

LOIs Due: January 6, 2026, 5:00pm ET

NSF: Security, Privacy, and Trust in Cyberspace

This program fosters research on building trust in cyberspace by addressing system vulnerabilities, enhancing security and privacy, exploring social-technical dimensions of trust, and advancing cybersecurity education. It integrates computer science, social sciences, STEM education, and mathematical sciences to strengthen global cyber resilience.

Proposals must be submitted pursuant to one of the following designations, each of which may have additional requirements:

• RES: The Research (RES) designation is the focus of the multidisciplinary SaTC 2.0 research program.
• EDU: The Education (EDU) designation is used to identify proposals focusing on education and workforce training in building trust in security, privacy, and resilience of cyberspace.
• SEED: The Seedling (SEED) category is intended for special topics defined by accompanying Dear Colleague Letters.

Proposals Due: January 26, 2026, 5:00pm CT

Important Updates

Grad 8200: Principles of Responsible Conduct of Research and Scientific Integrity Open for Spring 2026
Mondays, 12:00noon - 2:50pm
Research & Innovation Center

Professors and advisors are encouraged to steer their graduate students to GRAD 8200 this spring. The class is a foundational course that strengthens graduate students’ understanding of scientific integrity, regulatory requirements, and best practices for conducting research responsibly. The course also examines fundamentals of the broader research environment, including collaboration, mentorship, regulations, intellectual property, and responding to suspected wrongdoing.

Hanover Research Webinars

Facilitating Stakeholder Engagement in Grant Development

Thursday, November 20, 2025

11:00am CT

For many large-scale grants, funders are aiming to foster cross-sector and community engagement to maximize the impact of their awards and solve complex challenges. This webinar will review key considerations and best practices for engaging partners and stakeholders in the grant development process to ensure that impact is realized.

Register Here.

• Final Webinar of 2025: Deciphering Feedback from Grant Reviewers
• Recently posted to the archives: Engaging Non-specialist Audiences in Grantwriting

Update: Resumption of Operations at NSF

NSF is now operating under a continuing resolution that runs until January 30, 2026. The agency is prioritizing the most pressing issues, including restoring the capacity to make awards and ensuring continued management and oversight of existing awards.

You may visit the recently updated Resumption of Operations at NSF page on NSF.gov for information and answers to frequently asked questions.

NSF TIP Directorate Seeks Input on Workforce Development Roadmap

NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP) seeks input from individuals and organizations across all sectors for its recently published Workforce Development Roadmap: Building Pathways and Innovations for the Critical and Emerging Technology Workforce (to include artificial intelligence, biotechnology and quantum technology, or related jobs).

Responses will be accepted until Jan. 15, 2026, in the Workforce Development Roadmap form at TIPWorkforce@nsf.gov, Respondents can choose to provide feedback on one or more questions of interest or relevance to them.

Hanover Research Queue Proposal Review Availability

Slots available after January 28, 2026


Auburn University has partnered with Hanover Research for a number of grant development solutions including Pre-proposal Support; Proposal Development; and Capacity Building. Hanover's full-service grant development solutions are available to set goals, build strategies to achieve key grant-seeking objectives, and develop grant proposals that are well-planned, researched, and written. 

For information regarding Hanover’s core capabilities and project timelines, click here. If you are interested in a slot in the queue, please e-mail Tony Ventimiglia.

Council on Government Relations (COGR) Resource Page


This resource page offers continually updated information concerning the 2025 Administration Transition in regards to federal funding.

Hanover GLC Modules for NIH, NSF-CAREER & Grant Development


The Hanover Research Grants Learning Center (GLC) on-demand grant development training portal offers faculty enrollees the unique opportunity to receive targeted training through self-paced, interactive modules with step-by-step guidance and templates for prospective applicants to develop compelling proposals. In addition to NIH and NSF-CAREER modules, AU faculty now have access to a variety of new modules on grant seeking, development and revisions.

Auburn faculty interested in signing up for this training should contact Christine Cline for registration information.

Free CITI Training Modules

Auburn subscribes to several training modules via the CITI Program website that may be of interest to researchers and research administrators. Each module is self-paced and can be finished in one or multiple sessions. Click on the link above to read descriptions.



• Essentials of Grant Proposal Development
• Essentials of Research Administration

The federal funding landscape is changing daily, necessitating extra due diligence on the part of funding seekers. When perusing a solicitation, 1) make sure you are viewing the latest version, 2) read all notes in the headers and margins, and 3) follow provided links to ensure a solicitation is still active and accepting applications.