2026 BER News and Events
Last Update: January 20, 2026
Happy January and Welcome Back!
News
Both NSF and Spencer Foundation have recently communicated changes to their proposal review processes.
Spencer posts two items of interest:
- 10/1/25 Updates to Our Review Process
- Large Grants: Now a single yearly cycle, requiring a pre-proposal.
- Small Grants: Proposals accepted twice yearly, only a subset advancing to full peer review.
- Only light feedback will be given to Large Grants not invited for full proposals and Small Grants not advanced to full review.
- 12/1/25 Together We Are Strong
- Research grant programs that will continue, covering all programs for which COE researchers have currently active or recent grants, or pending proposals.
- Research grant programs that will continue, covering all programs for which COE researchers have currently active or recent grants, or pending proposals.
NSF news is less specific, and not yet posted online.
- Groupings will Replace Divisions, being dissolved. Reorganization effects are unclear.
- CISE will hold an Updates Office hour discussing its internal reorganization and updates to the Merit Review process (See below to register and attend.
- SBE is conducting several new programs with educational ties.
- EDU New Funding Opportunities. Similar to its STEM K-12 program announcement, EDU plans to post more “broad funding opportunities that will accept proposals at any time” in the coming months.
- Proposal Review processes are being streamlined.
- Reducing required reviewers from 3 to 2.
- Empowering program officers to quickly return non-viable proposals without review, and incorporating AI tools for viability screening.
- Streamlining reports on proposal reviews.
- NSF intends for these changes to streamline and expedite their work, recently slowed because of staff reductions, new executive orders and the recent government shutdown.
Research Events
- IHSI's NIH Grant Writing Series,The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) will host a 6-session designed to prepare early-career faculty and research scientists to submit strong R01 or other individual investigator proposals to the NIH. Campus faculty are invited to attend any or all Thursday sessions, starting 1/29/26, 12-1:30pm.
- NSF CISE Directorate Office Hour will discuss changes related to CISE’s internal reorganization and updates to NSF’s Merit Review process. Thursday, 1/22/26, 12-1:30pm CT. NSF promises to post an event recording in early February.
Training Opportunities and Resources
- Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) Community-Academic Scholars (CAS) Program. Campus researchers and community partners submit a summer research project and are then matched with an undergrad scholar who receives training, guidance, and a stipend to support their success. Researchers are also invited to engage with IHSI to continue developing their projects. The program seeks to address the multiple dimensions, determinants, and expanse of areas that affect human health and well-being, including with schools. Consult Emily Stone, COE Public Engagement, for details. Applications due 1/28/26.
- The Gold Standard Science Recommendations Infographic from the Illinois Research Data Service is a useful tool for those seeking to make sense of, and incorporate references to new federal policy now expected by NSF and other federal funders.
- Partnerships for Evidence-based Public Policy (PEPP) 2026-2027 fellowship program sponsored by CSBS and Institute of Government and Public Affairs. PEPP creates a bridge between research experts and the public by enabling mid-career faculty across the Illinois System to conduct year-long policy research projects with Illinois government partners; it welcomes policy research across all domains. Research PEPP fellows form a cohort, participating in trainings on topics such as the policy research lifecycle and policy communication, as well as networking and collaborative work. Applications Due: 3/15/26. Virtual Information Session 1/28/26, 1:00pm.
- Volunteer as an NSF Reviewer for any NSF Directorate. Those wishing to review for EDU should complete the EDU Reviewers and Panelists Survey.
Research Funding
- Charter School Research Collaborative. Nonpartisan research that investigates pressing questions in the charter school space that inform policy and practice in defined geographic areas (none in IL). LOI Due 2/5/26.
- Spencer Foundation Large Grants. Field-Initiated education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education, broadly conceived. Effective 2026, responding to the large number of proposals received, the Large Grants program is changed to a single yearly cycle, but an increased number of awards in that cycle. Pre-Proposals are now required. Due: 2/24/26; Full Proposals (by invitation) Due: 6/23/26.
- WT Grant Foundation Scholars Program. Career development for promising early-career researchers. It funds five-year research and mentoring plans that significantly expand researchers’ expertise in new disciplines, methods, and content areas. Program guidelines are now available. Online applications open 3/27: Applications Due 6/3/26.
- NSF Articulating Research Translation (ART). Projects that demonstrate strong basic research but have room to build, grow and sustain their capacity for research translation, to benefit the public. Next Due: 3/12/26.
- NSF Collaborations in Artificial Intelligence and Geosciences (CAIG). Interdisciplinary projects that leverage AI to address geoscience challenges, fostering collaboration between experts to advance Earth system understanding and workforce development. Due: 2/4/2026.
- NSF Computer & Information Science and Engineering: Future Computing Research (FCR). Transformative projects that develop a robust, well-prepared CISE workforce. Inform our understanding of the effective teaching and learning of computing and artificial intelligence at all levels. Proposals accepted anytime. Submit by 2/5/26 & 12/10/26 for quicker consideration.
- NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for STEM Education (IUSE: EDU). Projects to improve STEM teaching and learning for undergraduates, including studying what works and for whom and how to transform institutions to adopt successful practices in STEM education. The IUSE: EDU program features two tracks: (1) Engaged Student Learning and (2) Institutional and Community Transformation. Due: 1/21/26.
- NSF Mid-Career Advancement (MCA). Supports mid-career researchers (associate professor or equivalent), to substantively enhance and advance their research program through synergistic partnerships. Funds protected time, mentored partnership(s) - perhaps at an outside institution, and resources. Consultation with a MCA program officer is highly encouraged. Due 2/1-3/1/26.
- NSF Perception, Action & Cognition (PAC). Theoretically motivated research aimed at increasing understanding of human perception, action and cognition and their interactions. Due: 2/6/2026.
- NSF Science of Learning and Augmented Intelligence (SL). Supports research to develop fundamental knowledge about principles, processes and mechanisms of learning and about augmented intelligence — how human cognitive function can be augmented through interactions with others and technology. Due: 2/11/26.