Announcement of UTRGV Limited Submission Internal Competition  
                All PI-eligible UTRGV faculty/staff interested in submitting a proposal to the Limited Submission opportunity must submit the internal pre-proposal via Submittable platform (using single PDF document) by the deadline. Please see OSP Handbook, page 8, for PI eligibility details. Internal pre-proposals must comply with all instructions and address the NSF review criteria referenced in this announcement.
Funding Opportunity Purpose: The National Science Foundation and its partners support the continued growth of a broad and diverse interdisciplinary research community for the advancement of AI and AI-powered innovation, providing a unique opportunity to broadly promote the NSF vision and core values, especially inclusion and collaboration. The Expanding AI Innovation through Capacity Building and Partnerships (ExpandAI) program aims to significantly broaden participation in AI research, education, and workforce development through capacity development projects and through partnerships within the National AI Research Institutes ecosystem.
Opportunity Overview: The Expanding AI Innovation through Capacity Building and Partnerships (ExpandAI) program is a multi-year program that aims to significantly diversify participation in AI research, education, and workforce development through capacity development and partnerships within the National AI Research Institutes ecosystem.

PROGRAM TRACKS

This program solicitation offers two Tracks corresponding to stages of readiness for partnerships in AI Institutes. These are “ExpandAI Capacity Building Pilots” and “ExpandAI Partnerships."

Maximum Number of Applications Allowed Per Organization: An organization may submit one proposal per submission window.

FOA is available online at: https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/expandai-expanding-ai-innovation-through-capacity-building/nsf23-506/solicitation#pgm_desc_txt 

Internal Competition Submission Deadline: January 15, 2025 @ 11:59 p.m. 
Internal Competition Results Announced: February 3, 2025
Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: March 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Documents Needed for the Preproposals: 

Submitters will complete and submit a form providing the following:

• Draft project summary/abstract of up to 2 pages; References do not count toward the 2-page limit.    
• Biographical sketches for the PIs and Co-PIs (any format);       
•  List of collaborators and any other senior/key personnel, if any.

Change in application form: Since the limited submission process does not involve OSP assistance with budget development, we are now using a budget template in the Submittable form. This template is designed to capture a general overview of the budget. Additionally, we have included a budget justification section directly in the form, eliminating the need for applicants to upload separate budget documents with their pre-proposal materials.  

*If assistance is needed, please contact Bernadette Perez at bernadette.perez01@utrgv.edu. 

Review Criteria: Internal review criteria shall mirror the NSF criteria in the FOA.
Internal Review Process: The Research Division in consultation with a review committee, will decide which pre-proposals will continue to the full proposal submission stage. Anonymized reviewer feedback will be provided in a timely fashion to all PIs whose pre-proposals were considered by the review committee, following the announcement of the finalist selection.

Announcement of UTRGV Limited Submission Internal Competition  
                 All PI-eligible UTRGV faculty/staff interested in submitting a proposal to the Limited Submission opportunity must submit the internal pre-proposal via Submittable platform (using single PDF document) by the deadline. Please see OSP Handbook, page 8, for PI eligibility details. Internal pre-proposals must comply with all instructions and address the NSF review criteria referenced in this announcement.
Funding Opportunity Purpose: Challenge America supports projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved  groups/communities. The program welcomes applications from applicants that are primarily small organizations, first-time applicants to the NEA, and/or returning Challenge America  applicants.
Opportunity Overview: Challenge America supports projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved  groups/communities. This program welcomes applications from applicants that are primarily  small organizations, first-time applicants to the NEA, returning Challenge America applicants, or  applicants that have not been recommended for funding in any of the three most recent Fiscal  Years (FY 2023, 2024, or 2025) in Grants for Arts Projects, Our Town, or Research. The program  is rooted in principles that include, but are not limited to, the NEA’s recognition that: 

• Some communities have limited grant funding opportunities, and/or have been  underserved by national arts funding; 
• Some small organizations may face barriers to accessing grant funding; and 
• Some applicants to the NEA may benefit from enhanced technical assistance resources. Challenge America seeks to address these potential barriers for organizations seeking funding for their projects

Maximum Number of Applications Allowed Per Organization: An organization may submit only one application.

FOA is available online at: FY26 CA Grant Program Details

Internal Competition Submission Deadline: January 17, 2025 @ 11:59 p.m. 
Internal Competition Results Announced: February 5, 2025
Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: April 24, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Documents Needed for the Preproposals:
                 · Draft project summary/abstract of up to 2 pages; References do not count toward the 2-page limit.
                 · Budget spreadsheet and budget justification of up to 2 pages;
                 · Biographical sketches for the PIs and Co-PIs (any format);
                 · List of collaborators and any other senior/key personnel, if any.

*All documentation must be uploaded in a single PDF file. If assistance is needed to create the PDF, please contact Bernadette Perez at bernadette.perez01@utrgv.edu. 

Review Criteria: Internal review criteria shall mirror the NSF criteria in the FOA.
Internal Review Process: The Research Division in consultation with a review committee, will decide which pre-proposals will continue to the full proposal submission stage. Anonymized reviewer feedback will be provided in a timely fashion to all PIs whose pre-proposals were considered by the review committee, following the announcement of the finalist selection.

Announcement of UTRGV Limited Submission Internal Competition  
                  All PI-eligible UTRGV faculty/staff interested in submitting a proposal to the Limited Submission opportunity must submit the internal pre-proposal via Submittable platform (using single PDF document) by the deadline. Please see OSP Handbook, page 8, for PI eligibility details. Internal pre-proposals must comply with all instructions and address the NSF review criteria referenced in this announcement.
Funding Opportunity Purpose: MRSECs support multidisciplinary materials research and education of the highest quality while addressing fundamental problems in materials science of a scope and complexity requiring the scale and synergy provided by a campus-based research center. MRSECs require outstanding research quality, intellectual and disciplinary breadth, flexibility in responding to new research opportunities, support for research infrastructure, and are strengthened by interdisciplinary approaches. MRSECs additionally foster the integration of research and education in the materials field, while implementing best practices for broadening participation by encouraging input and participation from the full spectrum of diverse talent that society has to offer which includes underrepresented and underserved communities. MRSECs are expected to have strong links to industry and other sectors, as appropriate, and to contribute to the development of a national network of university-based Centers in materials research.
Opportunity Overview: A MRSEC may encompass two to three interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs). Each IRG involves typically on the order of 6-12 faculty members addressing a major topic or area, in which sustained support for the interactive effort by the several participants of complementary backgrounds, skills, and knowledge is critical to progress. The IRGs in a Center may be thematically related, or they may address different aspects of materials research typically supported by DMR. The MRSEC in its entirety is holistic, its rationale conditioned on the connection of all its parts, with synergy arising from common infrastructure, shared facilities, education and outreach activities, and other Center-spanning initiatives.
Maximum Number of Applications Allowed Per Organization: Only one MRSEC preliminary proposal may be submitted by any one organization as the lead institution in this competition.

FOA is available online at: NSF 25-532: Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) | NSF - National Science Foundation

Internal Competition Submission Deadline: January 17, 2025 @ 11:59 p.m.                                                                             Internal Competition Results Announced: February 5, 2025
Preliminary Proposal Due Date: June 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM                                                                                                         Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: November 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Documents Needed for the Preproposals: 

Submitters will complete and submit a form providing the following:

• Draft project summary/abstract of up to 2 pages; References do not count toward the 2-page limit.    
• Biographical sketches for the PIs and Co-PIs (any format);       
•  List of collaborators and any other senior/key personnel, if any.

Change in application form: Since the limited submission process does not involve OSP assistance with budget development, we are now using a budget template in the Submittable form. This template is designed to capture a general overview of the budget. Additionally, we have included a budget justification section directly in the form, eliminating the need for applicants to upload separate budget documents with their pre-proposal materials.  

*If assistance is needed, please contact Bernadette Perez at bernadette.perez01@utrgv.edu. 

Review Criteria: Internal review criteria shall mirror the NSF criteria in the FOA.
Internal Review Process: The Research Division in consultation with a review committee, will decide which pre-proposals will continue to the full proposal submission stage. Anonymized reviewer feedback will be provided in a timely fashion to all PIs whose pre-proposals were considered by the review committee, following the announcement of the finalist selection.

Announcement of UTRGV Limited Submission Internal Competition  
                       All PI-eligible UTRGV faculty/staff interested in submitting a proposal to the Limited Submission opportunity must submit the internal pre-proposal via Submittable platform (using single PDF document) by the deadline. Please see OSP Handbook, page 8, for PI eligibility details. Internal pre-proposals must comply with all instructions and address the NIH review criteria referenced in this announcement.
Funding Opportunity Purpose: The main objective of the BIG Program is to make available modern scientific instruments that are needed by NIH-funded investigators and other groups of biomedical scientists to advance their research and to broaden access to modern technologies at academic and research institutions nationwide. Typically, state-of-the-art technologies that are indispensable for today’s research are too costly for a single investigator to purchase or operate. Their acquisitions can only be justified on a shared-use basis.
Opportunity Overview: The BIG Program provides funds to purchase a single piece of new, costly, specialized, commercially available instrument or an integrated instrumentation system. 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 supported include, but are not limited to, basic cell sorters, confocal microscopes, ultramicrotomes, gel imagers, or computer systems. Applications for standalone computer systems (supercomputers, computer clusters, and data storage systems) will only be considered if the system is solely dedicated to biomedical research. All instruments, integrated systems, and computer systems must be dedicated to research only.
Maximum Number of Applications Allowed Per Organization: Only one BIG application per institution as identified by the UEI number, is allowed per due date.

FOA is available online at: PAR-24-326: Limited Competition: Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Internal Competition Submission Deadline: January 24, 2025 @ 11:59 p.m. 
Internal Competition Results Announced: February 12, 2025                                                                                                                              
Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: June 2, 2025, at 5:00 PM
Documents Needed for the Preproposals:
       Submitters will complete and submit a form providing the following:

• Draft project summary/abstract of up to 2 pages; References do not count toward the 2-page limit.    
• Biographical sketches for the PIs and Co-PIs (any format);       
•  List of collaborators and any other senior/key personnel, if any.

Change in application form: Since the limited submission process does not involve OSP assistance with budget development, we are now using a budget template in the Submittable form. This template is designed to capture a general overview of the budget. Additionally, we have included a budget justification section directly in the form, eliminating the need for applicants to upload separate budget documents with their pre-proposal materials.
 

*If assistance is needed, please contact Bernadette Perez at bernadette.perez01@utrgv.edu. 

Review Criteria: Internal review criteria shall mirror the NIH criteria in the FOA.
Internal Review Process: The Research Division in consultation with a review committee, will decide which pre-proposals will continue to the full proposal submission stage. Anonymized reviewer feedback will be provided in a timely fashion to all PIs whose pre-proposals were considered by the review committee, following the announcement of the finalist selection.

Announcement of UTRGV Limited Submission Internal Competition  
                All PI-eligible UTRGV faculty/staff interested in submitting a proposal to the Limited Submission opportunity must submit the internal pre-proposal via Submittable platform (using single PDF document) by the deadline. Please see OSP Handbook, page 8, for PI eligibility details. Internal pre-proposals must comply with all instructions and address the NSF review criteria referenced in this announcement.
Funding Opportunity Purpose: Materials Innovation Platforms (MIP) is a mid-scale infrastructure program in the Division of Materials Research (DMR) designed to accelerate advances in materials research. MIPs respond to the increasing complexity of materials research that requires close collaboration of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams and access to cutting edge tools. These tools in a user facility benefit both a user program and in-house research, which focus on addressing grand challenges of fundamental science and meet national needs. MIPs embrace the paradigm set forth by the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), which strives to "discover, manufacture, and deploy advanced materials twice as fast, at a fraction of the cost," and conduct research through iterative "closed-loop" efforts among the areas of materials synthesis/processing, materials characterization, and theory/modeling/simulation. In addition, they are expected to engage the emerging field of data science in materials research. Each MIP is a scientific ecosystem, which includes in-house research scientists, external users and other scientists who, collectively, form a community of practitioners and share tools, codes, samples, data and know-how. The knowledge sharing is designed to strengthen collaborations among scientists and enable them to work in new ways, fostering new modalities of research and training, for the purpose of accelerating discovery and development of new materials and novel materials phenomena/properties, as well as fostering their eventual deployment.
Opportunity Overview: As highlighted in the Closing the Loop: Materials Instrumentation report, advancing the field of materials synthesis represents a unique opportunity to reclaim US leadership in this domain which could lead to the next generation of breakthroughs in materials science and engineering. As an example, the report states, "Complexity offers a second ripe direction for both soft and hard materials synthesis. The best understood materials are the simplest, where structure, composition and purity can be controlled reliably to produce targeted science or technology outcomes. Increased complexity, however, is a basic requirement for increased functionality."

Studying materials, as well combinations of materials, with increasing functionalities dovetails with MGI Challenges: 1) Protecting and improving human health, 2) Delivering sustainable and resilient energy, 3) Thriving in extreme environments, 4) Enhancing structural performance, 5) Protecting the environment, 6) Propelling the information and communications technology revolution, and 7) Advancing Critical and Emerging Technology.
Maximum Number of Applications Allowed Per Organization: One (1) per organization as lead institution.

The institutions that were awarded a MIP in the 2019 competition as the lead institution are not eligible to submit a MIP proposal as a lead institution in the 2025 competition.

FOA is available online at: https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/mip-materials-innovation-platforms/nsf25-521/solicitation#elig

Internal Competition Submission Deadline: January 31, 2025 @ 11:59 p.m. 
Internal Competition Results Announced: February 19, 2025
Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: May 15, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Documents Needed for the Preproposals: 

Submitters will complete and submit a form providing the following:

• Draft project summary/abstract of up to 2 pages; References do not count toward the 2-page limit.    
• Biographical sketches for the PIs and Co-PIs (any format);       
•  List of collaborators and any other senior/key personnel, if any.

Change in application form: Since the limited submission process does not involve OSP assistance with budget development, we are now using a budget template in the Submittable form. This template is designed to capture a general overview of the budget. Additionally, we have included a budget justification section directly in the form, eliminating the need for applicants to upload separate budget documents with their pre-proposal materials.  

*If assistance is needed, please contact Bernadette Perez at bernadette.perez01@utrgv.edu. 

Review Criteria: Internal review criteria shall mirror the NSF criteria in the FOA.
Internal Review Process: The Research Division in consultation with a review committee, will decide which pre-proposals will continue to the full proposal submission stage. Anonymized reviewer feedback will be provided in a timely fashion to all PIs whose pre-proposals were considered by the review committee, following the announcement of the finalist selection.