October 2026 | View Online | Subscribe

Photograph of Simon Atkinson wearing black suit

Simon J. Atkinson

Vice Chancellor for Research

Behind Every Research Award Lies an Opportunity to Improve Lives

Earlier this week, we announced that UC Davis received $953 million in external research awards in fiscal year 2025-26 to advance health care, food security, energy solutions, education and more.

Amid significant funding uncertainty and regulatory change, total awards remained close to the previous year’s level — a testament to the ingenuity and passion of our faculty and staff.

These investments reflect confidence in our researchers’ deep expertise, unique collaborations and record of delivering meaningful insights and solutions.

Our newly released annual report brings this impact to life and highlights key initiatives that expand our research capabilities.

Together, we are advancing discoveries and innovations that improve lives, strengthen communities, fuel the economy and build a more sustainable future.

View Research Impact Report

Research vessels on lake. Text overlay says Research Impact Report fiscal year 2025-26

Agency Updates

Foreign Collaborations and Research Security FAQ

Changes to policies regarding foreign collaboration and research security have sparked many questions among investigators applying for federal funding. The Office of Research's Proposal Development team provides guidance to help you navigate the changes.

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How to Demonstrate Gold Standard Science in Your Next Grant Proposal

In a 2025 executive order, the federal government announced expectations of Gold Standard Science (GSS) for all federally supported research. As federal agencies integrate GSS principles into the grants process, we recommend that investigators include clear statements in their proposals to any federal agency describing how their proposed work aligns with GSS.

NIH Linked Discoveries Pilot Launched

The NIH has launched Linked Discoveries, a new tool for visualizing connections between publications, conditions, genes and chemicals from entries in the PubMed database.

Announcements

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Research Cores Central Investment Program: Request for Applications

The Research Cores Central Investment Program will provide $1 million in FY2028 to support strategic investments in UC Davis research cores and shared research facilities. Applicants should submit a letter of intent to apply by October 23.

Learn More

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New Grant Search Database Now Effective

UC Davis has transitioned to GrantForward as our new institutional grant database service provider effective August 1st, 2026. Access to Pivot, the previous service provider, will no longer be available. Register to attend a training on November 5th, 2026.

Learn More

New ECC workflow diagram showing 5 step process

Modernizing Salary Certification: Moving from ERS to ECC

UC Davis is transitioning to the Employee Compensation Compliance platform in November 2026 as part of a UC-wide initiative to modernize salary certification for sponsored projects.

Learn More

Funding Opportunities

Humanity AI: Communities Leading on AI

Deadline: October 21
Supports community-led efforts in education, labor and economy, and humanities, arts and culture that strengthen communities' collective power to shape how AI is built, governed and used. Grants range from $75,000 to $1,000,000 for work where those most affected by technological change are defining the goals, shaping the approach and driving the work.
Contact Amy Skehan, UC Davis Foundation and Corporate Engagement

NSF X-Labs Initiative: AI for Physical Systems Topic Announcement - Limited Submission

Deadline: October 23
The program will support full-time research and development (R&D) teams focused on intelligent, adaptive and scalable AI systems operating in or interfacing with the physical world, including robotics, embodied systems, human robot interfaces, advanced sensing and cyber physical systems.

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase I

Deadline: October 28
Supports highly innovative early stage concepts with the potential to improve future space or aeronautic missions. Example topics include robotics, computing, sensing, materials, propulsion, biotechnology, human health and more.

NSF Unlocking Dataset Value for AI-Enabled Scientific Discovery

Deadline: November 4
Supports unlocking the value of existing scientific datasets by making them more accessible, easier to integrate and ready for automated AI-driven analysis.

AFOSR FY2027 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)

Deadline: November 6
Provides funding to U.S. universities for major research equipment and instrumentation that will strengthen research and research-based education in areas relevant to the Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research or Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

NATO Science for Peace and Security Call for Proposals

Deadline: November 15
Funds collaborative research with a partner investigator from a NATO country to conduct research advancing peace and security and addressing SPS Key Priorities.

ASCEND Research Grant Program Competition - Limited Submission

Deadline: November 16
Through targeted research funding, faculty across HSRU Alliance institutions will lead projects that address real-world defense challenges while engaging graduate students in meaningful research experiences. The program supports the development of innovative solutions in key technical areas and fosters deeper collaboration between academic researchers and the defense enterprise.

For More Funding Opportunities

Subscribe to our funding newsletters for weekly updates on new opportunities or contact our Strategic Initiatives & Research Funding team to customize a plan aligned with your goals.

Events

Feminist Research Institute Open House

Food and Agriculture Security Workshop

Healthy Aging in a Digital World Research Collaboration Forum

Innovative Technologies Seminar: Biosolids and Resource Recovery

Research Administration Community Forum

Rural Health Summit

2026 Sympossium on Intraprocedural Biophotonics

Understanding Bias in Data

New Grants

UC Davis Researchers Selected for Landmark DOE Genesis Mission Awards

NIH Awards $23 million Grant to Continue UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Research Center's Mission

ARPA-H Awards Up to $36 Million to Fund 'Cyborg' Cell Project to Help Life-Saving Cell Therapies Travel Farther

NIH Awards $14 Million Grant to Uncover How Wildfire Smoke Affects Heart and Lung Health and Identify New Prevention Strategies

New Research Center

New UC Davis Center Unites Human and Veterinary Medicine to Advance Brain Tumor Care

Some of the most difficult cancers to treat occur in the brain. Despite decades of research, outcomes for many children, adults and companion animals with aggressive brain tumors have improved little. UC Davis is bringing together experts from human and veterinary medicine to help change that trajectory.

Strategic Communications is inviting our community to nominate beneficiaries of UC Davis research to share their story on how it has impacted their life. These stories will be used to increase the impact of the From Labs to Lives campaign.