Office of Research and Creative Scholarship Newsletter
News and Updates
Congressional Funding Support 🏛️💵
Each year the University of Montana submits research projects to be considered for congressional funding support. These projects are typically 1-2 years in duration and can range in cost from $1.5 to 8M. In recent years we’ve had projects funded by the Department of Defense and the Department of Agriculture. If you have a project idea, please send a paragraph or two describing the problem, your approach, and the cost of the project to Drew Reinert by October 2nd. Drew is also available to answer your questions about this process.
Research and Creative Scholarship Stories
UM Student’s Path to Public Health Grows from Science, Service and Community
After moving between several states and attending about 12 schools by the time she reached high school, Ava Heintzelman thought she knew one thing was for certain when she graduated from Big Sky High School: She did not want to stay in Missoula for college.
That perception changed after she toured the University of Montana with her brother, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at UM. When Heintzelman returned for her own tour while college shopping, she began to see the University differently.
“The sense of community I felt that I could make for myself here was unmatched,” Heintzelman said. “I went from being a no to thinking, ‘My gosh, there’s something so unique here.’” Read the entire story by Skylar Rispens on UM News.
Events
UM Developmental, Adversity, Resilience and Transformation Lab (DART)
Tuesday, September 29, 2026, 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM, University of Montana, Todd rooms 203 & 204
Please attend a special community event sponsored by DART, the UM College of Health, Providence Montana Health Foundation, the UM Office of Research and Creative Scholarship, and RESOLVE: A Providence/University of Montana Rural Health Collaborative.
The program will include:
The Adapting Brain: How Early Adversity Shapes Development and What Comes Next for Montana, featuring Martin Teicher, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program at McLean Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
MT CAN: A Telehealth Delivery Tool to Support Rural Frontline Professionals and Providers in the Accurate Identification of Physical Child Abuse, featuring Laurie Carter, M.D., Providence Health pediatric hospitalist, UM faculty affiliate and inaugural RESOLVE project funding awardee.
The Office of Research and Creative Scholarship is bringing coffee and treats to departments across campus, and in October you'll find us at the Department of Chemistry! Our goal is to share information about UM’s research sector and build community with faculty, students, and staff who work every day to make research and creative scholarship thrive at UM. Colleagues from across disciplines are welcome.
Griz and Cats Writing in the Wild: A Joint UM-MSU Proposal Writing Retreat 🐻🐱📝⛰️
The Office of Research Development (ORD) at the University of Montana has teamed up with Montana State University’s ORD for an exclusive three-day retreat designed to help you make significant progress on your grant proposal.
The retreat will take place from January 5-8, 2027. To be eligible, participants must be full-time UM faculty or staff and have identified a funding opportunity to pursue. Submit your application by 5 p.m. on October 15, 2026 by following the instructions in the Request for Applications.
Collaboration Workshops: Research Synergies in AI
In the coming academic year, the Office of Research Development (ORD) is focusing on supporting researchers and scholars as they navigate changing federal priorities and processes. As part of a wholesale effort, we are hosting interactive workshops to generate multi-disciplinary, funding-friendly project ideas. Additional details available via the GrizHub links below.
Now accepting applications, all applications must be submitted by October 15, 2026, 11:59 PM ET. The Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program offers in-resident opportunities for independent research or study related to Smithsonian collections, facilities, and/or research interests of the Institution and its staff. Fellowships are offered to graduate students, predoctoral students, and postdoctoral and senior researchers to conduct independent research and to utilize the resources of the Institution with members of the Smithsonian professional research staff serving as advisors and hosts.
Now accepting applications, all applications must be submitted by October 15, 2026, 11:59 PM ET. The Smithsonian Institution (SI) Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biodiversity Genomics promotes collaborative research in these fields involving comparative genomic approaches such as phylogenomics, population genomics, metagenomics or transcriptomics, and have a component that involves significant bioinformatics analysis.
Theme for 2027: Regeneration. The 2027 James Smithson Fellowship invites proposals that explore how societies, environments, and cultural traditions renew and adapt over time. From ecological adaptation to the conservation of cultural heritage, this theme emphasizes processes of renewal while preserving continuity. It encourages interdisciplinary research examining restoration, resilience, adaptation, and continuity.
For questions about these programs, assistance with applications or inquiries about mentorship at UM, please contact Andy Boyce, Research Ecologist of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
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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