Funding Opportunities

UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute has announced a major new funding opportunity through the Southeastern Health AI Consortium, a partnership between the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and the University of Florida Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UF CTSI). This initiative supports collaborative, AI-driven research designed to accelerate innovation and improve health outcomes across the Southeast.

Key Dates

• January 9, 2026 — One-page concept proposals due (via InfoReady)
• February 1, 2026 — Team collaboration meetings / matchmaking support
• April 13, 2026 — Invited full applications due
• June 1, 2026 — Awards announced
• July 1, 2026 — Earliest project start date (confirmable)

How to Apply

Access the full RFA and submit concept proposals via InfoReady.

The U.S. National Science Foundation has published the NSF Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award program solicitation for 2026. NSF TRAILBLAZER supports individuals pursuing bold, innovative engineering projects that:   

• Address national needs or grand challenges. 
• Advance U.S. leadership. 
• Catalyze the convergence of engineering and science domains.  

Of special interest are current priority areas, including, but not limited to, artificial intelligence, bioengineering, quantum engineering, robotics and nuclear engineering.  

TRAILBLAZER investigators leverage their track record of innovation and creativity to pursue distinct, new research directions. Each project may receive up to $3 million over three years. 

Letters of intent (required) are due Jan. 20, 2026. Read the solicitation for more deadline information.  

Join the TRAILBLAZER webinar on January 13

NSF will host an informational webinar on Jan. 13, 2026, to discuss the TRAILBLAZER program and answer questions about the solicitation. Details on how to join this webinar are posted on the NSF Directorate for Engineering website and the TRAILBLAZER program page. 

Nvidia

Nvidia Academic Grant Program

Deadline: 3/31/26

If you’d like assistance, our team can help you to network with program staff, fine-tune proposals to match a funder’s interests, and gather required application materials, plus other pre-award activities that aim to increase the competitiveness of applications.  Reach out to me or to researchdevelopment@research.ufl.edu with any questions.  

UF Advancement, in partnership with UF Strategic Research Development, promotes non-governmental opportunities.

Check with your local research administrator to determine if the project requires entry into the UFIRST system. In cases where the funder requires a letter of intent, please follow these UF Research guidelines.   Also note that any opportunities for which UF may submit only a limited number must adhere to the published guidelines on InfoReady Review. 

Brandy Woodard

Assistant Director of Development, Corporate and Foundation Relations 352.392.5493 / M: 323.384.6946

A key focus of the design of modern computing systems is performance and scalability, particularly in light of the limits of Moore’s Law and Dennard scaling. To this end, systems are increasingly being implemented by composing heterogeneous computing components and continually changing memory systems as novel, performant hardware surfaces. Applications fueled by rapid strides in machine learning, data analysis, and extreme-scale simulation are becoming more domain-specific and highly distributed. In this scenario, traditional boundaries between hardware-oriented and software-oriented disciplines are increasingly blurred.

Due: Fourth Monday in January annually.

The Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) plan to jointly support foundational mathematical and statistical research on Digital Twins in applied sciences. Recent years have witnessed a significant increase in the demand and interest in applications that involve collaborative teams developing and analyzing Digital Twins to support decision making in various fields, including science, engineering, medicine, urban planning, and more. Both agencies recognize the need to promote research aiming to stimulate an interplay between mathematics/statistics/computation and practical applications in the realm of Digital Twins.  This program encourages new collaborative efforts within the realm of Digital Twins, aiming at stimulating fundamental research innovation, pushing, and expanding the boundaries of knowledge, and exploring new frontiers in mathematics and computation for Digital Twin development, and its applications.  By leveraging this synergy, the program aims to harness science, technology, and innovation to address some of our Society’s most pressing challenges.

Due: March 15th annually

The U.S. National Science Foundation has announced two new Dear Colleague Letters (DCL) and one program solicitation that implement key elements of the Trump administration’s executive order, “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth.” The new opportunities will take decisive steps to expand resources for K-12 AI education, enhance teacher training and harness AI tools and services to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning.

“For decades, NSF has invested in research projects designed to transform STEM teaching and learning to meet emerging needs like AI. Integrating AI into education systems helps to prepare both young and adult learners to contribute to an AI-driven society,” said NSF Assistant Director for STEM Education James L. Moore III. “With these new funding mechanisms, NSF will fast-track its efforts to provide early exposure to AI, scale AI curricula, expand services that support the use of AI in education, advance teacher professional development and improve knowledge sharing in AI education to help sustain the nation’s leadership in technological innovation.”

Website: https://www.nsf.gov/news/nsf-announces-new-funding-opportunities-advance-ai-education

The Department of Energy outlines funding initiatives, including: convergence of AI, HPC, and quantum, data centers, advanced AI hardware, AI-enabled technologies, and other areas of focus for the funding agency.

Under Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the Biomaterial Structural Analyses for Use Recognition and Understanding Synthesis (B-SAURUS) program has now been announced IARPA – B-SAURUS.

This program sits at the intersection of synthetic biology, biomanufacturing, AI/ML, and advanced analytical instrumentation. Its goal is to strengthen the Intelligence Community’s ability to secure supply chains, detect counterfeits, and address illegal activities associated with illicit narcotics. B‑SAURUS seeks to establish new reverse‑engineering capabilities for materials of national security relevance, including energetics, illicit substances, and pharmaceuticals.

Instead of developing new materials and products, B-SAURUS will develop processes and protocols to identify unique features that distinguish a biomanufactured material/molecule from those produced through conventional manufacturing processes, using these insights to better understand their production methods. B-SAURUS will establish new reverse engineering capabilities to address materials aligned with national security including energetics, illicit substances, and pharmaceuticals.

The program is being solicited through DEVCOM AvMC (DEVCOM AvMC) via their OTA ecosystem AMTC (The Aviation & Missile Technology Consortium). 

Enhanced white papers are currently due 21 January 2026.

The Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing is here to help promote the expertise and research excellence of UF’s faculty, and is offering UF’s Research Promotion Initiative, a competitive award designed to connect research with a broad audience. Winners receive $1,000, and SCM writes and distributes a news article and then considers it for an array of media and marketing opportunities. Past participants have been featured in Scientific American, The New York Times, CBS News and Science. The initiative welcomes accepted, pre-publication research from all disciplines.

The technologies collectively known as artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to transform many aspects of social, cultural, and economic life, from the classroom to the arts to the workplace. AI tools are being integrated across society but often in ways that are not community-centered. Future generations must be able to see themselves in a world shaped by AI and have pathways to engage productively and equitably. AI Opportunity seeks to answer this call.

AI Opportunity will focus on the intersection of AI, the economy, and the workforce—with a focus on young people in Chicago; community-centered AI development and use; and nonprofit AI applications. It will also contribute to Humanity AI, a broad philanthropic coalition committed to shaping a more human(e) future with AI.