Office of Research and Creative Scholarship Newsletter
From the Office of the VPR
Research Outlook for the Academic Year
UM’s research community has faced substantial upheaval and uncertainty over the past few years. Despite this, we continue to meet the challenges and excel. This fiscal year, new grant awards and proposal volume demonstrate the resilience and drive of our faculty, staff, and students.
In July and August 2026:
UM researchers received $43.5 million in new competitive research awards, an increase of 65% over last year.
Proposal volume exceeded $100 million, an increase of more than 300% over last year.
Proposals and awards are leading indicators of research productivity in the years ahead. Strong numbers in these categories mean that UM’s research funding will continue to support growth, discovery, and impact.
While delays in grant processing last year shifted some awards into the current fiscal year, the largest contributor to this explosive growth is the proactive response from our research community, quickly realigning to our new reality marked by swift change and short deadlines. Faculty have submitted proposals to a wide range of funders, in some cases on very short notice, and their work is finding support.
To increase our faculty’s success, college and center staff build budgets and organize proposal materials. The Office of Research Development supports research teams, identifies funding opportunities, and provides expertise in competitive proposal development. The team in the Office of Sponsored Programs ensures that proposals are submitted successfully and that each award, from cradle to grave, complies with university, state, and federal regulations.
By keeping our university nimble, UM can effectively respond to changes in the research landscape and continue to thrive.
News & Updates
Applying to the NSF? Read This.
Federal funding guidelines continue to evolve, and we're monitoring these changes closely. Please see below for important new information about applying to the National Science Foundation. And read this announcement on their website.
Align proposals with the Golden Age of Science Report. The White House released this report in July, and the best strategy is to ensure your proposal aligns with it. Read and refer to the report as you are preparing grant applications.
The NSF will provide less guidance on writing proposals. Program Officers will be limited in how they can guide proposal development. Connect with UM’s Office of Research Development for proposal development support.
“Foundational science” replaces “basic science.” The NSF is leaning away from the term “basic science” and instead prefers the use of “foundational science.”
NOFO releases may be less predictable. The release of NOFOs will be organized to coincide with events and executive orders, so they are unlikely to follow past patterns.
Submit early, even when the deadline is rolling. In August 2026, the NSF released several NOFOs for foundational science. Some of these have rolling deadlines, but applicants should submit as soon as possible. Funding is awarded (essentially) on a first-come, first-served basis. We have also learned that for many of these NOFOs, the final review of the fiscal year will take place in spring 2027 and that we should submit no later than March 2027.
When possible, apply using Planning,RAPID, EAGER, or RAISE proposal types. We’ve been strongly encouraged to use these mechanisms to support early-stage or time-sensitive work. Review the “NSF Priorities” section of the NOFOs released in August 2026, which encourages the use of these proposal types.
Estimate costs based on the actual needs for your project, not the award averages. The award averages in the August 2026 NOFOs do not accurately represent the funding available. Therefore, it is crucial that you budget for your project with the most reasonable estimates possible, rather than using the award averages as a guide.
GRFP is still accepting social science applications. Until we know more about the fate of the social sciences at the NSF, applying directly to the SBE for large proposals is generally discouraged. However, the NSF is still accepting and awarding GRFP applications, so encourage your students to apply.
We anticipate additional changes in the federal proposal review process. We will keep the research community at UM up to date through this newsletter and ORCS Forums as we learn more.
Biosafety Cabinet Certification
The University of Montana's annual campus-wide biosafety cabinet certification event, conducted by Asepsis, is scheduled for October 14–20, 2026. Current certification of all biosafety cabinets is both an OSHA and institutional requirement. Additional details will be sent by the Biosafety Officer in the coming weeks.
UM Impact Office Hours
Curious about UM Impact? Want to learn how to update, customize, or refine your profile? Simply interested in learning more? We are now hosting UM Impact office hours via Zoom on the third Friday of the month from 10am to 11am. The first office hours will take place 10-11am Friday, September 18. Email us with questions and refer to our website for the recurring Zoom link and additional information.
In Case You Missed It—UM Now Has an ORCID Membership – Help Launch It!
The University of Montana has a new institutional membership with ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) - a free persistent digital identifier that distinguishes you from other researchers and connects your publications, grants, datasets, and other scholarly works across systems throughout your career.
With UM’s new membership to ORCID, we want faculty voices to guide how ORCID is integrated across campus and workflows. We’re recruiting 4-5 faculty members to join an ORCID Working Group, who will help shape outreach and strategy as we roll out ORCID across campus. We’re especially hoping to hear form a mix of faculty across the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences, and at different career stages.
The commitment is light! 1-2 meetings a month for a few months. Interested in joining? Fill out our short interest form by end of day Monday, September 14. Please email Lauren Fritzsche with any questions.
Join Interim Vice President for Research, Paul Lukacs, to learn about plans for the year ahead. Please bring your questions and concerns to this live event. No remote option will be provided.
The Vital Signs research workshop brings together researchers from health, humanities, and curious faculty across disciplines to identify shared questions, explore intellectual overlap, and envision new possibilities for collaborative research.
If you have a project that may be a fit or would like to discuss SBIR/STTR opportunities, please reach out to Harmen Steele.
Limited submissions
When a program announcement limits the number of proposals that we may submit, we have an internal process to ensure that we do not exceed that limit. If you're interested in one of the following opportunities, follow the instructionsto submit a concept by the Internal Deadline indicated below. PIs must confirm eligibility prior to submission.
The NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program is still awaiting a new solicitation. In advance of the anticipated program announcement, the Office of Research Development is running a limited submission competition based on the previous RFP to give researchers time to write and develop a project ahead of a potentially short submission turnaround window. If the new RFP has substantial changes, we may require another round of internal submissions and review. Please contact ORD with any questions.
NEW - If you have an idea for Keck that you would like to discuss before the internal deadline, please reach out to Katherine Swan. We understand that proposals to Keck oftentimes need some workshopping, and we are willing to have a conversation to help you hone your idea in advance of the internal deadline.
Send us feedback about our content and format. We've made some updates to ensure our newsletter is ADA compliant and accessible for those using assistive technology, but if there's more we can do, please let us know.
View our website for access to research communication resources.
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