Final fringe benefit rates for fiscal year 2025 have been confirmed. You may begin using these rates when preparing budget estimates to be included in proposals submitted for extramural support that has a start date in FY2025. To facilitate the transition to these new rates, budgets that are in process will be accepted at the old rate until July 12, 2024 at which time the Office of Sponsored Programs will require the adoption of fiscal year 2025 rates.

Fiscal year 2025 rates are as follows:

·        Faculty and unclassified staff: 33%

·        University support staff: 45%

·        Student hourly employees and enrolled graduate research assistants and graduate teaching assistants with appointments less than 0.5 time: 1%

·        Student hourly employees and non-enrolled graduate research assistants and graduate teaching assistants with appointments less than 0.5 time: 9.0%*

·        Graduate research assistants and graduate teaching assistants enrolled in six hours or more and who have appointments of 0.5 time or grater: 14.0% - this includes the percentage allocable to employer’s share of health insurance

*Add 13% to this rate to include health insurance for benefit eligible graduate students not enrolled during the summer.

The above rates are to be used for estimating purposes. An individual’s actual fringe benefits will be charged to the sponsored project account.

Details regarding the different rates are available on the OVPR website.

If a particular employee’s actual fringe benefit rate is known to be higher than the estimates detailed within the table due to higher health insurance costs, then you may use that individual’s substantiated actual rate for budget estimating purposes. Payroll documentation will be obtained and secured as a part of the sponsored proposal/award record.

Please circulate this notification to all who need to know these new rates. Questions? Call Sponsored Programs at 785-532-6804 or email research@k-state.edu.

Hello, RAC Community!

NSF’s Proposals and Awards Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) 24-1, which is effective for proposals submitted or due on or after May 20, 2024, includes, among other revisions, updated guidance for Common Forms versions of the Current and Pending (Other) Support and Biographical Sketch documents. The updated SciENcv C&POS Instructions for Researchers is attached to this email and can also be found on our website.

For both the Biographical Sketch and C&POS, please ensure that researchers are using the SciENcv “Type”: “NSF Current and Pending (Other) Support (for proposals submitted or due on or after May 20, 2024)”. If you are uncertain or reviewing the PDF, you can identify the version by the document’s footer: The 24-1 Common Forms version will indicate “v.2024-1”, while the old version will indicate “v.2023-1 (rev.01/31/2023)”. Note that the 2023 version will cause an error in Research.gov and will not be accepted on or after 20 May 2024.

Primary updates to the Biographical Sketch Common Form:

• Consistent with NSPM-33, individuals are required to disclose contracts associated with participation in programs sponsored by foreign governments, instrumentalities, or entities, including foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs.
• In accordance with 42 U.S.C. § 19232, individuals are prohibited from being a party in a malign foreign talent recruitment program.
• A table entitled, NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance Pre- and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support ^[28] has been created to provide helpful reference information regarding pre-award and post-award disclosures.
• There is no page limitation to the Biographical Sketch.
• As before, NSF will continue to use ORCiD as the optional Persistent Identifier.
• Senior/key personnel must only identify all domestic and foreign professional appointments and positions outside of the primary organization for a period of up to three years from the date the proposer submits the proposal to NSF for funding consideration.
• Synergistic Activities will no longer be part of the Biographical Sketch but will instead be uploaded to the proposal as a separate document. See PAPPG 24-1 for additional information on this change.
• Certification Statement language updated to confirm the researcher is not a party to a malign foreign talent recruitment program.

Primary updates to the C&POS Common Form:

• Consistent with NSPM-33, individuals are required to disclose contracts associated with participation in programs sponsored by foreign governments, instrumentalities, or entities, including foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs.
• In accordance with 42 U.S.C. § 19232, individuals are prohibited from being a party in a malign foreign talent recruitment program.
• A table entitled, NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance Pre- and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support ^[28] has been created to provide helpful reference information regarding pre-award and post-award disclosures.
• As before, NSF will continue to use ORCiD as the optional Persistent Identifier.
• In-Kind Contributions must only be disclosed if they have a dollar value of $5,000 or more and require a commitment of the individual’s time. In-kind contributions that require no time commitment or have a dollar value of less than $5,000 need not be reported.
• Certification Statement language updated to confirm the researcher is not a party to a malign foreign talent recruitment program.
• Certification date must be within the same calendar year as the submission to NSF.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your Office of Sponsored Programs grant specialist or the Office of Sponsored Programs at research@ksu.edu.

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement-Focused EPSCoR Collaborations Program (RII-FEC), formerly known as “EPSCoR Track-2 program”, builds interjurisdictional collaborative teams of EPSCoR investigators in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) focus areas consistent with the current National Science Foundation Strategic Plan. Projects are investigator-driven and must include researchers from at least two EPSCoR eligible jurisdictions (states) with complementary expertise and resources necessary to address challenges, which neither party could address as well or as rapidly independently. 

The new RFA for this program was released in mid-May announcing the renaming of the EPSCoR Track-2 program. NSF designates a focus area for this program typically announced in the annual RFA. Under the new RII-FEC program, the focus area will be announced in a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) every two years. The DCL for the current RII-FEC was released late in May. The focus area for this and next year is ‘Building capacity towards use-inspired research’."  NSF defines “Use-inspired research” as work whose rationale, conceptualization, and directions are inspired by potential use cases.  

This is a limited submission program with K-State allowed to submit only one proposal each year. Thus, if you are interested in submitting to this program, you must notify (working title, team list and a 2 to 3 sentence synopsis of the planned project) the Office of Research Development by 5 pm September 3, 2024 via ordlimitedsubs@ksu.edu. If there are two or more interested groups who notify, an internal competition will be required with preproposals due by 5 pm September 30, 2024. If you have questions, please contact Mary Lou Marino at mlmarino@ksu.edu.

The Microbial Innovations for Climate-Resilient Agriculture, or MICRA, an NSF funded Focused EPSCoR Collaboration project, is accepting now applications for its Career Seed Grant.



The grant provides funds to build and boost the research career of Kansas State University assistant professors in the area of climate resilient agriculture in the Central High Plains by providing up to $10,000 funds for research, professional development and/or professional travel. Awarded funds should be spent within 12 months.

Applicants must be a tenure-track assistant professor or a non-tenure track research assistant professor with a home department in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, the College of Agriculture or the College of Arts and Sciences and have an official research appointment.

Please apply through the online link. 

Applications are due June 15. 

The K-State Libraries is collaborating with the National Agricultural Library (NAL) to provide the following opportunity to all who assist awardees and contractors engaged in USDA-supported scientific research. We appreciate any assistance you can give us in getting this information out to interested parties. Please share the following as you deem appropriate:

Join Kansas State University and the National Agricultural Library on Friday, June 21 at 12 p.m. for a ‘train-the-trainer’ on USDA public access requirements!

The United States Office of Science and Technology Policy has released two memos providing guidelines on public access awareness and compliance. This informational presentation on Departmental Regulation (DR) 1020-006, involving public access to scholarly publication and digital scientific research data assets, will provide details on how to meet the requirement to submit final, peer-reviewed, accepted manuscripts to PubAg, the USDA public access archive system, and create catalog records for datasets in Ag Data Commons. This session will be of interest to all who assist awardees and contractors engaged in USDA-supported scientific research. DR 1020-006 makes all peer-reviewed, scholarly publications and digital scientific research data assets arising from unclassified scientific research, supported wholly or in part by the USDA, accessible to the public to the extent practicable. DR 1020-006 applies to NIFA grant awards, cooperative agreements and contracts having started on or after October 1, 2022.

Please register in advance for this meeting.

The National Endowment for the Humanities’ Summer Stipends program supports continuous full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two consecutive months. NEH funds may support recipients’ compensation, travel, and other costs related to the proposed scholarly research. This is a limited submission; thus, if you are interested in submitting to this program you must notify (working title and a short, two to three sentence synopsis of your project) the Office of Research Development by August 2, 2024 via ordlimitedsubs@ksu.edu. If two or more faculty members notify by this date, an internal competition will be held with preproposals due by August 16, 2024.

This program’s anticipated due date to NEH is September 18, 2024. The new 2024 application should be available on the NEH website by June 18. Typically, NEH hosts a webinar for this program in mid-August, but due to the changes NEH is making to this program the webinar will be July 10 at 1-2 p.m. CT. Again, remember that to apply to this program, you must first go through the internal process outlined above because K-State can only nominate one tenure-track/tenured faculty to apply to this program. However, non-tenure track faculty may apply without nomination and without going through this process, but the Office of Research Development (ord@ksu.edu) would like to know in this case if you will be submitting.

The Office of Research Development will again offer a month-long writing clinic that will use an iterative process to help interested faculty members develop and refine their submissions for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Stipends program. This clinic is based on the approach ORD has successfully offered for the National Science Foundation CAREER opportunity and has used for the last four years for the NEH Summer Stipends program.

The Writing Clinic steps will be as follows:

1. Prewriting Questions – submit by July 8; group meeting week of July 8.
2. Significance and contribution section as well as the Organization and methods section– based on answers to prewriting questions – submit by July 15; group meeting week of July 15
3. Competencies, skills and access; final product and dissemination sections as well as the work plan (1 page) and bibliography – submit by July 22; group meeting week of July 22
4. Full 3-page narrative section, 1 page work plan and resume – submit by July 29; group meeting week of July 29.

We will meet once a week via zoom to review and discuss the writing assignments. Participants agree to take part in all sessions and complete the assignments of the clinic.

If you are interested in participating in this Writing Clinic please send an email stating your interest to ord@ksu.edu by June 26. Please use “Summer Stipends” on the email subject line.

NOTE: You do not have to participate in this writing clinic to notify the Office of Research Development of your interest in being nominated for a submission to the Summer Stipends program and participate in the limited submission process. Please see the Summer Stipends program announcement included above for more information.

The U.S. National Science Foundation has announced a new risk mitigation process, the Trusted Research Using Safeguards and Transparency (TRUST) framework, which will guide the agency in assessing grant proposals for potential national security risks. The revised procedures will help safeguard U.S. taxpayer investments in research and innovation while strengthening international collaboration.

The full news release can be found on the NSF website.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science monthly virtual office hours are opportunities to share information and ask questions about our six research programs and two research and development and production offices. Researchers at all institutions are welcome to attend and learn more about our programs. Topics will vary each month.

Learn more about the programs, dates and times using the links provided below:

• Advanced Scientific Computing Research 
• Basic Energy Sciences 
• Biological and Environmental Research 
• Fusion Energy Sciences 
• High Energy Physics 
• Nuclear Physics 
• Accelerator R&D and Production 
• Isotope R&D and Production 

The office hour will be in the form of a zoom meeting, starting with a brief presentation on the monthly topic, followed by questions. 

Are you interested in serving as a reviewer for the Linguistics Program and/or the NSF Dynamic Language Infrastructure - NEH Documenting Endangered Languages Program?

We want to hear from you! Help us learn more about you and your area of expertise by taking a short survey.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking subject matter experts to serve as peer reviewers to evaluate grant applications for the Fiscal Year 2024 grant cycle. AMS grant peer reviews bring together diverse individuals who provide fair, expert, and unbiased evaluations of grant applications. Reviewing applications will take approximately 6 weeks and non-federal reviewers will be compensated for their reviews.  

Current Programs Seeking Peer Reviewers:

• Acer Access and Development Program (Acer)
• Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP)
• Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP)
• Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP)
• Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP)

Learn more here.

June 13, 2024, 2 p.m.

Join U.S National Science Foundation program directors from the Division of Research, Innovation, Synergies and Education in the Directorate for Geosciences to learn more about the new Focus on Recruiting Emerging Climate and Adaptation Scientists and Transformers (FORECAST) program.

NSF program directors will provide a brief overview of the FORECAST program, which will be followed by discussion and a question-and-answer session. 

Register in advanced for the June 13 session.

Thursday, June 13, 2024, 1 – 2:30 p.m.

Join us for an engaging webinar tailored for researchers and educators to learn about the classroom resources now available for use as part of the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot.

What to Expect:

Discover the latest AI research cyberinfrastructure now accessible through the NAIRR Pilot. This groundbreaking initiative, supported by NSF and numerous federal agency partners, as well as private sector contributors, is revolutionizing access to computational resources, data, algorithms, and more!

Classroom resources:

Learn about the wealth of classroom-focused resources and services that are now available at no cost to educators via an application process. This webinar complements a recent Partner Showcase webinar that highlighted other research focused resources. 

Can’t make it?

The webinar will be recorded, with the recording expected to be available via this page within two weeks of the event. Please join the conversation to learn about the NAIRR Pilot resources available that can support your research community!

Register here.

NAIRR Pilot Partner Showcase

June 13, 2024, 1 – 2:30 p.m.

This public webinar invites researchers and educators to learn about the classroom resources now available for use as part of the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot. The NAIRR was envisioned as a widely accessible AI research cyberinfrastructure that brings together computational resources, data, testbeds, algorithms, software, services, networks, and expertise. 

Register here.

June 13, 2024, 12 - 1 p.m.

The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) extends a warm invitation to our upcoming webinar focusing on the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

At this webinar, we will delve into the wealth of opportunities available through our Dear Colleague Letter: Expanding Geographic and Institutional Diversity in Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, designed to foster geographic and demographic diversity in research. We are committed to promoting SBE-funded activities that drive sustainable growth and competitiveness across all 28 EPSCoR jurisdictions.

Register here.

June 13, 2024, 9 a.m. – June 14, 2024, 3 p.m.

By bringing together experts in cognitive sciences, linguistics, and AI-based NLP, this 2-day, online workshop aims to address fundamental questions regarding the representation of written language knowledge in humans, the cognitive processes involved in human-AI collaboration during text comprehension and composition, and the potential of large language models for enhancing reading and writing skills.

Register here.

The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the U.S. National Science Foundation has issued a Request for Information on Use Cases to Inform a Future National Secure Data Service (NSDS) via its America's DataHub Consortium (ADC). This RFI encourages response from a broad and diverse group of communities, including but not limited to individuals and organizations that conduct work in research, policy, program, and education. The goal is to gather current and anticipated research, policy, program, and education use cases for a National Secure Data Service, and to also identify current and anticipated challenges and barriers that could be addressed through the use of an NSDS.

Responses are due by June 14, 2024.

ExpandAI Virtual Office Hours

June 18, 2024, 2 – 3 p.m.

July 16, 2024, 2 – 3 p.m.

See additional dates and times on nsf.gov.

Representatives from across the division will be available to discuss specific programs and funding opportunities. There will then be an open question and answer period – questions can be on any NSF or DBI topic. Join us remotely and bring your questions!

Register here.

June 18, 2024, 2 – 3 p.m.



The NSF Engineering for Civil Infrastructure (ECI) program is hosting virtual office hours for early career faculty planning to submit proposals to the Faculty Early Career Development Program by the July 24, 2024, deadline. The ECI program is a core, unsolicited research program.

More information and a Zoom link can be found here.

June 19, 2024, 1-2 p.m.

July 17, 2024, 1-2 p.m.

August 14, 2024, 1-2 p.m.

Please join the Decision Risk Management Sciences Program to discuss questions about the program with the program directors.

Office hours take place over Zoom monthly, generally on Wednesdays. Please see date(s) listed below and note that times listed are in the Eastern time zone.

To join, use the Decision Risk Management Sciences office hour Zoom link

• All meetings during office hours are 1-on-1. Guests are seen in the order they join. You may have to wait if others join before you.
• If you need captions or other accommodations, please contact Claudia Gonzalez-Vallejo or Bob O'Connor in advance. 

For more information about the program, visit the Decision Risk Management Sciences program page.

Decision, Risk and Management Sciences Office Hour

June 19, 2024, 1 – 2 p.m.



Please join the Decision Risk Management Sciences office hour to discuss questions about the program with the program directors. 



To join, use the Decision Risk Management Sciences office hour Zoom link

• All meetings during office hours are 1-on-1. Guests are seen in the order they join. You may have to wait if others join before you.
• If you need captions or other accommodations, please contact Claudia Gonzalez-Vallejo or Bob O'Connor in advance. 

For more information about the program, visit the Decision Risk Management Sciences program page.

June 20, 2024, 2 - 4 p.m.

Join us for the culminating event of the "Exploring EPSCoR Research Ecosystems" workshop series, where we'll unveil the innovative solutions and best practices developed by the EPSCoR community to propel EPSCoR jurisdictions into the future of their research ecosystems. 

This series of workshops is designed to allow jurisdictions to connect both individually, and cross sectors and geographies, to work together to identify challenges and opportunities unique to each jurisdiction and then elucidate intersectional best practices to build their respective ecosystems. 

This virtual session will include a discussion on the results from our recent in-person workshop and dissemination of the developed resources available for each jurisdiction.

How to Attend: Advance registration is required. Click here to register. Please use an institutional email address for registration. EPSCoR Live! participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance through the registration form or by sending an email to epscor-live@nsf.gov. 

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is hosting a virtual grant writing webinar series: Debuting Your Research Career: How to Plan for and Write Your First (or Next) NIH Grant Application. This monthly webinar series is free and open to all to pre- and post-doctoral fellows, clinician-scientists, as well as early-stage and mid-career research investigators.

The series will provide information on the funding opportunities for early career researchers at NIAID, navigating the F, K, DP2 and R38/K38 awards, and understanding the peer review process.

Dates and Topics:

• June 20, 2024: Navigating NIH to prepare your grant application – DP2/R38/K38 awards
• July 18, 2024: Understanding the Peer Review process

Register here.

June 20, 2024, 12 – 1 p.m.

Join us for this month’s IOS Virtual Office Hour. This month we’ll be visited by personnel from the Division of Grants and Agreements (DGA) who will talk about DGA and address questions.

Register here.

Office Hours: Preparing your Phase I Proposal for America’s Seed Fund at NSF 

June 20, 2024, 1 - 2 p.m.

See additional dates and times on nsf.gov

Join this open-ended session to ask questions about what’s needed when creating a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) proposal. A SBIR/STTR program director will answer questions and point you to resources.

Register here.

June 27, 2024, 12 – 1 p.m.

July 10, 2024, 3 – 4 p.m.

See additional dates and times on nsf.gov

Staff from the National STEM Teachers Corps program will be hosting a series of webinars.

Register here.

NASA invites applications for the 5th annual course of the Spaceflight Technology, Applications, and Research (STAR) virtual training focused on the science and technology behind biological experiments in space. STAR is designed to encourage networking and collaborations in spaceflight technologies, applications, and research across all areas interested in space and biological sciences.

This course aims to facilitate the entry of researchers into space biology and preparation for spaceflight experiments using NASA and commercial platforms. The STAR course will cover both fundamental and applied aspects of the field of space biology, as well as practical aspects of preparing for, conducting, and analyzing the results of spaceflight experiments. See the STAR Program website for more information.

Responses must be submitted electronically using the NSPIRES web site before June 28, 2024. STAR-5 is open to all eligible individuals based on eligibility as outlined in Section III in the RFI.

Submitting a STAR application does not guarantee course acceptance. The course will take place virtually from September 2024 – February 2025 with sessions held weekly for two hours each.

STAR-5 questions will be accepted by email only and must be addressed to the STAR Management Team (Egle Cekanaviciute at NASA Ames and Ursula Koniges at NASA Headquarters) HQ-STAR-Management@mail.nasa.gov using a subject line that states “STAR-5 Application”.

July 9, 2024, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

See additional dates and times on nsf.gov

Please join this Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Q&A webinar to learn about the PFI program. During the webinar, you will have the opportunity to ask questions about the PFI program and what to expect for the submission deadline.

July 9, 2024, 2 – 3 p.m.

August 9, 2024, 2 – 3 p.m.

See additional dates and times on nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation will share information and answer questions about the Engineering of Biomedical Systems program (EBMS). The goal of the EBMS program is to provide opportunities for fundamental and transformative research projects that integrate engineering and life sciences to solve biomedical problems and serve humanity in the long term.

More information can be found here.

The National Endowment for the Humanities will hold a Summer Stipends webinar on July 10 at 1 - 2 p.m. CT. This webinar will be important to attend if you are interested in applying to this program because NEH has made several substantial changes to the program including to eligibility, increasing the stipends from $6,000 to $8,000 and reducing the number of nominations an institution can make from two to only one. If you are unable to attend this webinar, NEH typically includes a YouTube video of its annual webinar on its Summer Stipends website.

July 25, 2024, 6 – 7 p.m.

See additional dates and times on nsf.gov



Join this question-and-answer session to learn more about America’s Seed Fund powered by the National Science Foundation. A Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer program director will answer questions about how to get started, the basics of eligibility and what they look for when they review project pitches.

Register here.

Criminal justice researchers, practitioners, policymakers, advocates, and those interested in promoting safety, equity, and justice for all are encouraged to join us in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 16-18, 2024. 

During the three-day research conference, we will cover current and emerging challenges and present strategies for applying research findings into practice, including guidance on equitable and community-engaged research designs.

Plenaries include: 

• Ten Years of Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science 
• Violence Against Women Act 30-Year Anniversary 
• Advancing Justice for the Missing and Unidentified Through Research 

Let’s come together to advance justice through science. 

NIH releases H5N1 influenza research agenda

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has released its plan for advancing H5N1 influenza basic research and translating those findings into strategies and interventions that can benefit people. NIH

'Cells to Galaxies' unites astronomers, medical imaging experts to advance both fields

In May 2024, experts from the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) and the medical imaging field presented at the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine conference on the surprising similarities between radio astronomy and MRI techniques. Their collaboration grew from the Cells to Galaxies initiative led by NSF NRAO, which has convened a series of events starting in 2019 exploring challenges shared by the two fields - and possible solutions. NSF

New clinical assessment tool improves dementia care actions in primary care patients

A five-minute cognitive assessment coupled with a decision tree embedded in electronic medical records, known as 5-Cog, improved dementia diagnosis and care, based on a clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted in an urban primary care setting. Researchers evaluated the system among 1,200 predominantly Black and Hispanic American older adults who presented to primary care with cognitive concerns. NIH

Alzheimer’s drug with modest benefits wins backing of FDA advisers

A drug for Alzheimer’s disease has won unanimous approval from independent scientists advising the US Food and Drug Administration, bringing the treatment closer to use in the clinic. nature

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