NSF will establish and operate a distributed test bed of remotely accessible “Programmable Cloud Laboratory” (PCL) Nodes—automated labs that run user-programmed workflows (including self-driving lab workflows) and are linked by common data/AI standards and protocols. Emphasis areas include open instrument APIs, standardized metadata/data practices, AI/ML for experiment design and analysis, and rigorous validation/reproducibility. Science drivers should be in materials science, biotechnology, chemistry, or similarly justified areas that benefit immediately from cloud-lab approaches. Awardees must recruit and onboard external users (including from under-resourced institutions) and develop training, community norms, and standards across the network.
Lead eligibility note: Only organizations with pre-existing shared instrument facilities (or labs of similar capabilities) may apply to be a PCL Node. UNO could participate as a non-lead/subawardee on multiple proposals.
Submission limitations: One (1) proposal per institution as lead; first received is considered if more than one is submitted. An institution may be a non-lead on multiple proposals. One proposal per individual (PI/co-PI/Senior Personnel).
Fit for UNO CIST
Roles for CS/ISQA/Si2 in enabling tech: AI/ML for “self-driving” experiments; lab robotics/software; data standards/curation; secure remote access; digital twins and workflow orchestration; HCC-driven usability/training
Award Summary
Anticipated type of award: Cooperative Agreement
Estimated number of awards: 4–6 PCL Nodes
Award size/duration: Up to $5M/year for 4 years per Node (total ≤$20M per Node)
Total program funding: ~$100,000,000 (allocations yearly, contingent on progress/funds)
Proposal deadline: October 10, 2025; October 9, 2026
Supports cross-disciplinary teams to advance the mathematical and theoretical foundations of AI—to understand capabilities/limitations and to create principled design & analysis methods for current/next-gen AI (including foundation/generative models, deep learning, statistical & federated learning). Emphasizes rigorous characterization/validation, provably reliable/transferable algorithms, and explainable, trustworthy AI. Encourages collaborations spanning mathematics/statistics, CS, engineering, and SBE, with relevance to application domains where new math advances unlock capability. Example methods include statistics, logic, topology, complexity, algebraic geometry, representation theory, dynamical systems, PDEs, mean-field theory, approximation, and optimization.
PI limitations: A PI/co-PI may be on no more than one MFAI proposal per deadline.
Submission limitations: One (1) proposal per institution as lead; first received is considered if more than one is submitted. An institution may be a non-lead on multiple proposals. One proposal per individual (PI/co-PI/Senior Personnel).
Fit for UNO CIST (suggestions only
AI & Advanced Computing (CS/Si2): theory of deep/foundation models, generalization/robustness, optimization, sample complexity, causality/uncertainty, trustworthy AI.
ISQA: statistical learning theory, inference, and rigorous evaluation frameworks.
Human-Centered Computing / Social, Behavioral, Economic Sciences (SBE) collaborations: mathematical models of fairness, bias, and socio-technical impacts in AI (paired with SBE partners for theory-informed outcomes).
Award Summary
Estimated number of awards: up to ~15 per competition.
Typical award size/duration: $500,000–$1,500,000 total for ~36 months.
Anticipated total funding: ~$8.5M per year for new awards (subject to availability of funds).
Proposals are accepted anytime, but NSF encourages submission by target dates for panel review cycles: September 11, 2025 (2nd Thursday in September, annually thereafter); February 5, 2026 (1st Thursday in February, annually thereafter)
This solicitation replaces NSF 24-589, NSF 24-581, NSF 25-527
CISE’s Future CoRe covers foundational and use-inspired research across eleven programs: Algorithmic Foundations (AF); Communications & Information Foundations (CIF); Computer Systems Research (CSR); Computing Education Research (CER); Cyber-Physical Systems Foundations & Connected Communities (CPS); Foundations of Emerging Technologies (FET); Human-Centered Computing (HCC); Information Integration & Informatics (III); Networking Technology & Systems (NeTS); Robust Intelligence (RI); and Software & Hardware Foundations (SHF). Interdisciplinary projects spanning multiple programs are welcome. See the individual program pages for more information on what is within scope for each Future CoRe program.
Notes on scope and budget: single project class up to $1,000,000 total for up to 4 years; typical projects are ~$150–$250K/year for 3–4 years, and projects are discouraged from exceeding $300K in any single year.
PI limitations: A PI/co-PI/Senior/Key Personnel may be on no more than two Future CoRe proposals within any consecutive 12-month period across all Future CoRe programs.
Fit for UNO CIST
Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE): Divisions CCF, IIS, and CNS
Award Summary
Estimated number of awards: ~400–600 (subject to availability of funds)
Anticipated total funding: ~$280,000,000 (subject to availability of funds)
Typical size/duration: up to $1M total, up to 4 years; typical $150–$250K/year; avoid >$300K in any single year
One or more collaborative webinar briefings will be held prior to the first submission deadline
Interdisciplinary, high-risk/high-reward research that advances fundamental computer/information science, engineering, mathematics/statistics, and/or behavioral/cognitive science to address compelling biomedical and public health problems. Proposals must make fundamental contributions to at least two disciplines and include collaborators with health-domain expertise. Disease-centric clinical trials, purely biological studies that don’t advance other core sciences, and projects addressing health only indirectly (e.g., general workplace/education settings) are out of scope.
PI limitations: A PI/co-PI/Senior/Key Personnel/Consultant may participate in no more than two proposals per annual SCH deadline; strictly enforced (first two received if over limit)
Fit for UNO CIST
Solicitation Themes include (examples, not exhaustive):
Fairness & Trustworthiness in AI/ML (causality, uncertainty, human–AI decision support)
Transformative Analytics (advanced AI/ML, NLT, knowledge representation, modeling/optimization, secure data systems, text mining, simulation, QIS for biomed)
Next-Gen Multimodal/Reconfigurable Sensing (wearable/implantable, ultra–low-power, integrated signal processing/communications, data fusion)
Cyber-Physical Systems for Health (closed-loop or human-in-the-loop, autonomy, IoT, privacy, real-time, safety, verification)
Robotics for Health (intelligence + embodiment; human–robot interaction)
The purpose of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to inform potential applicants that the National Eye Institute (NEI) is interested in supporting research to develop innovative informatics and data science methods, algorithms, and tools to improve data acquisition, analysis, visualization, annotation, integration, and interpretation. The emphasis will be on innovation and its potential impact on vision research, including discovery biology, population studies, as well as clinical and translational research.
Applications for this initiative must be submitted using one of the following funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) or any reissues of these announcement through the expiration date of this notice.
PA-20-195 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PA-22-176 - PHS 2022-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PA-22-178 - PHS 2022-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Private and Foundation Funding Opportunities
RWJF Evidence for Action (E4A) Rapid Response Research
Optional webinar: August 27, 2025(registration required)
Proposal deadline: October 1, 2025 (brief-proposal phase; decision ~4 months from submission)
RWJF will support timely, actionable health equity research that was interrupted by shifts in federal funding—exclusively for projects that previously received federal support (e.g., NIH/CDC/NSF) and then had that funding rescinded due to administrative actions. Projects should be community-centered, action-oriented, and advance structural, upstream solutions to root causes of inequities (e.g., policy, governance, systems, SDoH like housing, education, employment, food, healthcare). Biomedical/clinical/bench science is out of scope. Research must focus on improving health equity in the United States.
Who should consider: Teams whose U.S. health equity research lost committed federal funds; documentation of termination/stop-work is required.
Fit for UNO CIST
Aligned areas may include: Health Informatics & Biomedical Informatics (Si2) for community-partnered health equity interventions and outcomes; Data Science & Analytics (ISQA) for SDoH and policy analytics/GIS; Human-Centered Computing (CS) for co-design with affected communities; AI/Advanced Computing (CS) for impact evaluation and causal inference; Cybersecurity (Si2) for privacy, governance, and data-sharing with community partners.
Award Summary
Award size: $50,000–$200,000 each (up to the unspent, previously guaranteed federal amount at termination).
Duration: Up to 24 months.
Use of funds: Previously budgeted but unspent research costs (e.g., personnel, community partners, participant incentives, data collection/analysis, dissemination, supplies), plus allowable indirects.
Collaboration Opportunities
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP)
Proposal deadline:Solution briefs due 10:00 AM CST, September 8, 2025. Questions due no later than August 29, 2025.
ERDC/HPCMP seeks innovative, operationally relevant cybersecurity solutions for modern computing environments (AI, edge, cloud-native, distributed systems) to enhance resilience, trustworthiness, and survivability of DoD digital infrastructure. Key interest areas include:
Secure-by-design software frameworks for mission-critical apps.
Secure orchestration for containers/microservices; cloud-native security.
Zero Trust in edge, AI-enabled, and intermittently connected environments.
Post-quantum cryptography for real-time systems.
Autonomous cyber defense (ML/intelligent agents).
SBOM analytics for software supply-chain transparency and threat intel.
Decentralized identity and access control for multi-domain ops.
Real-time behavioral monitoring, threat detection, and adversarial resilience.
Key constraints/notes:Solutions must operate in resource-constrained, contested conditions and minimize reliance on persistent cloud/centralized infrastructure.
Fit for UNO CIST
Cybersecurity (CYBR): Zero Trust at the edge; autonomous cyber defense; post-quantum protections; SBOM/supply-chain analytics.
This innovative investment in UNO will provide funding to priorities that benefit from catalytic investments. These funds aim to inspire faculty and staff to consider new and innovative ideas that will help move UNO from good to great. Potential projects are not exclusively for academic endeavors and all projects that enhance the university’s top priorities and strategic areas are welcome. Partnerships across colleges and/or units are encouraged.
Strategic Priorities: applications must align with at least one of these three pillars of the UNO Core's four pillars:
Pillar 1 Educating All Learners
Pillar 3 Community Engagement, Development, and Partnerships
Pillar 4 Workforce and Economic Development
PI limitations: All faculty and staff are eligible to submit applications through NuRamp. Principal Investigators (PIs) may apply for no more than one grant; there is no limit on their participation as Co-PIs.
Award Summary
Funding will be available at up to $500,000, $250,000, and $100,000 levels.
The intent is for funding to support an idea or project that could be spent over a number of years. For example, someone may request $100,000 to spend $50,000 of the funds over two years to fulfill the project.
All awards are subject to funding availability and determinations of application suitability.
The 2025-2026 UNO Research and Creative Activity High School Internship Program aims to provide pathways to research and creative activity for high school students. The program funds high school interns to work on faculty members’ research and/or creative endeavors and rewards faculty for the mentoring they provide to their interns.
Students are expected to complete a total of 5-20 hours per week onsite during the week (Monday-Friday) between 8:00am and 5:00pm. (If the student will be working during the academic year, they may not be scheduled for more than 10 hours/week onsite [Monday-Friday]). Total hours for the internship may not exceed 80 hours. Internships are expected to last from 4 to 8 weeks in the Summer, or 8 to 12 weeks during the academic year.
During the internship, faculty must:
Require interns to check in and check out every day,
Ensure that a supervisor is always in the building with the intern,
Maintain regular notes on the work completed.
CC the intern’s parent or legal guardian in all email correspondence.
Not schedule the intern for more than 20 hours of work each week in the summer, or 10 hours each week during the academic year.
Process In coordination with the applicant’s home department, ORCA will assist faculty members in posting and promoting the internship positions. Ultimate responsibility for screening, interviewing, and selecting students rests with each awarded faculty member (in partnership with their department).
Award Summary
Awards of up to $1,700 will be made:
$1,200 will be allocated to intern pay (50% payment at the midpoint AND 50% at the end of the internship) and
$500 in professional development funds for faculty incentive (released after the final report is submitted).
This amount is the same for both summer and academic year projects.
The 2025-2026 UNO Work-Study Research and Creative Activity Program aims to expand student opportunities in research and creative activity by providing incentives to faculty who hire work-study eligible students to assist in and/or contribute to their research and/or creative endeavors. The program rewards faculty for the mentoring they provide to their work-study student employees as these students support the faculty members’ research and/or creative activity.
The student worker hired must be Federal Work-Study eligible and enrolled at UNO during the term in which the research and/or creative activity will be conducted.
During the internship, faculty must:
Require interns to check in and check out every day,
Ensure that a supervisor is always in the building with the intern,
Maintain regular notes on the work completed.
CC the intern’s parent or legal guardian in all email correspondence.
Not schedule the intern for more than 20 hours of work each week in the summer, or 10 hours each week during the academic year.
Process Faculty must work with their home department to post the student positions, disseminate them to students who qualify for Federal Work-Study, and ensure student work-study eligibility. ORCA will assist with promoting the positions. However, the ultimate responsibility for screening, interviewing, and selecting students rests with each awarded faculty member (in partnership with their department).
Award Summary
Awards of $1,700 per applicant will be made.
$1,200 is intended to supplement FWS student worker wages. The intended student researcher must be Federal Work-Study eligible and enrolled at UNO during the term in which the award will be used.
$500 is intended for professional development funds for the faculty mentor.
Faculty are eligible for up to $1,000 per year. Examples of how these funds may be used are:
Conference travel.
Supplies related to research and/or creative activity.
Memberships to professional societies.
Awards will be dispersed when the final report has been completed.
Faculty must work with their department administrators to gain access to these funds. They must be used by the end of the fiscal year.
JSYK: Just So You Know!
ORCA to Host NuRamp Virtual Office Hour
Have a question about NuRamp? The Office of Research and Creative Activity (ORCA) is offering a virtual office hour on Zoom to provide assistance; Sept. 3.
The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity.
