2026 BER News and Events
Last Update: February 23, 2026
News
NSF Operational Insights from the 1/22/26 CISE Directorate Office Hour:
Proposal review panels are being scheduled to make up for the fall shutdown.
Funding decisions are taking longer.
Reorganization aims to streamline but support merit review and sustain key research areas.
Cross disciplinary, cross-directorate programs increase. Education-related programs are active in multiple directorates: SBE (CAMEL) and CISE (Computing Education Research Program under CISE Future CoRe), and TIP.
AI tools are being used by program officers to speed proposal intake and processing, but are NOT a permitted part of review panel operations.
Research Events
- CSBS Emerging Investigators Lunch: Pivoting or Retooling Your Research. For early- and mid-career social and behavioral science researchers who are considering—or actively pursuing—changes in their research programs. Panel of three campus faculty researchers who have successfully redirected their work into major new areas, including our own Stephanie Sanders-Smith. Register to attend. Monday, 3/2/26, 12-1pm.
- Mellon Sawyer Seminar Event: At Risk U: Why Scientists & Scholars Should Communicate Through the Media Despite the Risks, Laura Helmuth. 3/24/26, Spurlock Museum, 5:30PM
Training Opportunities and Resources
- CITL Data Analytics Group Statistics, Survey & Data Consulting Services. These include guidance on statistical analysis and the use of major statistical software packages such as SPSS, R, Python, SAS, and STATA; survey construction, design, and implementation, using Qualtrics and other popular platforms.
- HARF (Humanities, Arts, & Related Fields) within OVCRI supports: (1) Developing applications for campus and external proposals; (2) Gateway Meetings, on-demand, to discuss projects and plans - and strategize about next steps.
- AI Literacy Framework from US Department of Labor. With many Department of Education priorities transferred to the Department of Labor, this new framework is intended to define both workplace and workforce pipeline priorities. Stakeholders interested in participating in a training webinar about this framework should email aiworkforce@dol.gov
- Cost Sharing Checklist from OVCRI Office of Proposal Development outlines best practices to meet cost share expectations mentioned in some external grant program materials.
Research Funding
- Campus Research Board Research Support Awards: Research projects critical to full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty scholarship; research in new and/or interdisciplinary directions; preliminary studies to attract external research support; research in fields for which external support is either quite limited or unavailable. Award up to $30K. Due (last one this academic year): 3/11/26, 3:00pm.
- OVCRI Jozef and Huguette Cohen Humanities and Arts Innovation Awards. Provides research support for tenure-system assistant and associate professors whose vision for the future of the arts and humanities requires incubation through opportunities of their own invention or initiation, such as acquisition of new skills, residence at an archive or field site, convening with collaborators, or the staging of forums and strategy sessions. Due 4/27/26.
- NSF Grants for Transformative Education Proposals Aimed at Developing a Pipeline for AI and Cybersecurity Experts. Part of the CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service program. Part of the CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service program. Innovation track projects enhance preparation of AI and/or cybersecurity professionals. Due 4/3/26.
- USArmy Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) Broad Agency Announcement for Basic, Applied, and Advanced Scientific Research. A continuous solicitation. Current request: White Paper: Assessing and Developing Technological Fluency for the Future Force: “Informational Management Assessment for Personnel (IMAP)”. Due 7/3/2026.
- Huo Family Foundation. Grants for Early Career Researchers of the Effects of Digital Technology on Brain Development, Social Behaviours and Mental Health in Children and Young People. $229,000/year for 3 years. Deadline: 5/1/2026.
- Campus-Community Compact: Building Beyond the Barriers. Supports evidence-based engagement and collaborative implementation, rather than research. Projects organized by campus-community teams working on place-based projects in Champaign County to address documented needs of low-income households and create lasting impact in one or more of six focus areas: Accessible Technology; Community Health, Wellness, and Resilience; Community Relations; Economic Development; Inclusive Education; Workforce Development. Awards of $10-30K. Due 4/9/26, 4pm.
- BRIDGE Seed Fund: 2026 Call for Proposals. Collaborative projects between University of Birmingham and Illinois: Implementation Grants: Strengthen existing faculty relationships. Initiation Grants: Develop new research partnerships.Teaching and Learning Grants - educational collaborations. Due 3/13/2026.