Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) endeavors to support and enhance the capacity for research, scholarship, and creative activities of the Channel Islands campus community in a collaborative manner, while providing strong leadership and clear vision in the constant pursuit of faculty scholarship and student success.
Research and Sponsored Programs Newsletter
Our greatest responsibility is protecting the possibility of discovery.
AUGUST 2026: WELCOME BACK!
As we begin the 2026 – 2027 academic year, Research and Sponsored Programs is looking forward to supporting the research, scholarship, and creative activity of the CSUCI community. This year, we are investing in PI development, strengthening our research infrastructure, and creating more opportunities to connect you with the resources you need. Just as importantly, we want to continue building relationships with our campus community and finding ways to make research administration easier to navigate.
Throughout the academic year, I'll use this newsletter to keep you connected to funding opportunities, workshops and events, research resources, important federal and sponsor updates, and the work RSP is doing to support CSUCI's research community.
I am excited about what we can build together this year. Here are a few things to know as we get started.
Warmly,
Sandy Birmingham, M.Ed.
Executive Director
Research & Sponsored Programs
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WELCOME OUR NEW IRB CHAIR
We are pleased to welcome Dr. Joshua Gold, Assistant Professor of Health Science, as the new Chair of CSUCI's Institutional Review Board (IRB). Dr. Gold's research sits at the intersection of social-health psychology and public health, with a focus on health promotion, chronic disease prevention, health equity, and community-based research. He also teaches Bioethics and Health Program Planning and Evaluation at CSUCI. His background in health psychology, public health, bioethics, and community-based research brings a valuable perspective to the IRB's work supporting ethical and responsible human subjects research across our campus.
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JOIN THE IRB
Interested in research ethics and supporting research at CSUCI? The Institutional Review Board is seeking two new faculty members to join the committee beginning this fall. IRB members review human subjects research protocols, participate in scheduled meetings and assigned reviews, and complete required training. No prior IRB experience is required. Faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to express interest, and training and support will be provided.
Interested? Email irb@csuci.edu with a brief statement of interest and your current CV.
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2026–27 RSP WORKSHOP SERIES
One of RSP's priorities this year is expanding opportunities to learn about research and sponsored programs best practices and resources. Here is our Fall 2026 Workshop Series:
September 18 @ 11 am – 12 pm | Cayuse Sponsored Projects
An introduction to CSUCI's new platform for proposal development and routing. Recommended
for faculty and MPPs who may serve as Principal Investigators.
REGISTER HERE for the first webinar.
October 16 @ 11 am – 12 pm | Cayuse Conflict of Interest
Learn how CSUCI's conflict-of-interest disclosure process will work in Cayuse.
November 13 @ 11 am – 12 pm | Cayuse IRB
An introduction to submitting and managing human subjects research protocols in Cayuse.
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INTERNAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Provost's Direct Cost Grant Program (PDCG)
The 2026–27 Provost's Direct Cost Grant Program opens August 28th, 2026 providing direct-cost support for faculty research, scholarly, and creative activities.
Call Opens: August 28, 2026
More information is available at the following link: https://www.csuci.edu/office-departments/rsp/award-cycle/find-funding.html
APPLICATIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT INFOREADY
Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities (RSCA)
The 2026–27 RSCA competition opens September 9th, 2026. RSCA provides faculty with support to advance research, scholarship, and creative activities across disciplines.
Proposal Deadline: November 10, 2026
More information is available at the following link: https://www.csuci.edu/office-departments/rsp/award-cycle/find-funding.html
APPLICATIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT INFOREADY
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FUNDING SPOTLIGHT
NSF Announces $1.5 Billion in New Foundational Research Opportunities
The National Science Foundation has announced 12 new funding opportunities representing more than $1.5 billion in potential investment in foundational research across the BIO, CISE, ENG, GEO, and MPS directorates. The opportunities span a broad range of disciplines, including biological sciences, computing, engineering, geosciences, mathematics, physics, chemistry, materials research, and astronomy.
Many of the new core research opportunities also offer increased flexibility in proposal timing, including opportunities that accept proposals throughout the year.
The new opportunities provide an important signal about emerging federal research priorities, including foundational science, AI and AI-enabled science, quantum information science, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, critical materials, semiconductors, and other emerging technologies.
EXPLORE NSF'S 12 NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Have research that may align with one of these opportunities? Submit an INTENT TO APPLY to start the process! We can help you review the opportunity and think through next steps.
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CAYUSE IS COMING
CSUCI's rollout of Cayuse begins this year, creating a more streamlined and transparent process for research administration. RSP will provide training and guidance throughout the year. Our goal isn't simply to introduce new software. It's to make research administration easier to navigate.
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FEDERAL POLICY UPDATE
Proposed Changes to 2 CFR Part 200
This summer, the Office of Management and Budget proposed significant revisions to 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance), which governs federal grants. In response, RSP convened a cross-campus working group to review the proposed changes and identify potential impacts to CSUCI's research, students, federally funded programs, and grant administration. The group's feedback was provided to the Chancellor's Office and helped inform the CSU's systemwide response to OMB.
RSP will continue monitoring the rulemaking process and keep investigators informed of changes affecting proposals and active awards.
Learn more at: AAU–COGR–APLU UNIFORM GUIDANCE EXECUTIVE BRIEF
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LOOKING FOR FUNDING?
Upcoming Funding Opportunities
- NIH: NIGMS Institutional Biomedical Undergraduate Research Training (Sept. 25)
- Genesis Mission: Transforming Science and Energy with AI (Dec. 17)
- USDA/AFRI: Education and Workforce Development (Varies)
- Upcoming USDE grant deadlines (Various)
- MELLON FOUNDATION (Rolling)
- ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION (Rolling)
Find Your Next Opportunity with Pivot-RP
CSUCI faculty have access to Pivot-RP, a searchable database of external funding opportunities. Create customized searches, receive funding alerts, track opportunities, and identify potential sponsors.
Have an idea but aren't sure where it fits? Submit an INTENT TO APPLY to start the process!
SEARCH FOR FUNDING WITH PIVOT-RP
Research & Sponsored Programs
Division of Academic Affairs | California State University Channel Islands
https://www.csuci.edu/office-departments/rsp/
Our greatest responsibility is protecting the possibility of discovery.
Below are more funding opportunities broken down by subject area:
Grant Funding Opportunities
Looking for your next project? Below are selected upcoming and ongoing funding opportunities across disciplines. Contact RSP early if you are interested in applying so we can help review the opportunity, develop a timeline, and support proposal preparation.
ARTS, MEDIA & COMMUNICATION
Arts and Culture — Mellon Foundation
Deadline: Continuous
Supports exceptional creative practice, scholarship, conservation, and a robust arts
and culture ecosystem.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
Science of Organizations — National Science Foundation
Deadline: Continuous
Supports rigorous research examining how organizations develop, operate, coordinate,
and govern.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Energy & Environment — Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Deadline: Continuous
Supports research examining the economic, environmental, technological, and distributional
dimensions of the transition toward low-carbon energy systems.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Economics — Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Deadline: Continuous
Supports fundamental research and technical advances that strengthen and accelerate
U.S. economic progress.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
EDUCATION
Higher Education Challenge Grants — U.S. Department of Agriculture
Deadline: October 15, 2026
Supports projects that strengthen higher education capacity in the food and agricultural
sciences, including curriculum, faculty development, scientific instrumentation, student
recruitment, and retention.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Higher Learning — Mellon Foundation
Deadline: Continuous
Supports higher education and other organizations advancing humanistic inquiry, scholarship,
and academic leadership.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
ENGINEERING & COMPUTER SCIENCE
Future Computing Research — National Science Foundation
Deadline: September 10, 2026
Supports new knowledge across computing, communications, information science, and
engineering.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation: Wave-Based Computing — NSF
Deadline: February 11, 2027
Supports foundational and transformative research exploring computing approaches that
harness wave dynamics.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Engineering: Electrical, Communications & Computing Systems — NSF
Deadline: Continuous
Supports foundational research in electrical, communications, computing systems, AI,
sensing, control, power, and energy systems.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Civil, Mechanical & Manufacturing Innovation — NSF
Deadline: Continuous
Supports foundational research in civil, mechanical, and manufacturing engineering.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Chemical, Bioengineering, Energy & Transport Systems — NSF
Deadline: Continuous
Supports foundational engineering research involving chemical processes, biological
systems, energy, resource management, and transport.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Interventions to Reduce Sleep Health Disparities — NIH
Deadline: October 5, 2026
Supports non-pharmacological interventions designed to promote sleep health and reduce
health disparities.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Ethical, Legal and Social Implications Small Research Grant — NIH
Deadline: October 16, 2026
Supports small research projects examining the ethical, legal, and social implications
of human genetic and genomic research.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Ethical, Legal and Social Implications Research — NIH
Deadline: October 20, 2026
Supports larger research projects addressing ethical, legal, and social implications
of human genetic and genomic research.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
HUMANITIES
Humanities in Place — Mellon Foundation
Deadline: Continuous
Supports projects that deepen and broaden how American histories and lived experiences
are represented in public spaces.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Humanities Program — Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation
Deadline: Continuous
Supports higher education institutions and other humanistic enterprises, including
interdisciplinary humanities projects.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
SCIENCE & MATH
Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence — NSF
Deadline: October 9, 2026
Supports interdisciplinary collaborations exploring the mathematical and theoretical
foundations of artificial intelligence.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Astronomical Sciences Research Programs — NSF
Deadline: November 16, 2026
Supports foundational astronomical sciences research and instrumentation.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Mathematical Sciences Research Programs — NSF
Deadline: Continuous
Supports research at the frontiers of theoretical and applied mathematical sciences.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Materials Research Programs — NSF
Deadline: Continuous
Supports foundational research advancing understanding of materials, properties, and
potential applications.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Physics Research Programs — NSF
Deadline: Continuous
Supports foundational physics research across scales ranging from quantum phenomena
to the structure of the universe.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Chemistry Research Programs — NSF
Deadline: Continuous
Supports foundational research across the chemical sciences.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Geosciences Research — NSF
Deadline: Continuous
Supports foundational research involving Earth's atmosphere, near-Earth space, solid
Earth, surface processes, and oceans.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Core Research in Biological Sciences — NSF
Deadline: Continuous
Supports foundational and interdisciplinary research advancing understanding of biology
from molecules and cells through ecosystems and biomes.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Law & Science — National Science Foundation
Deadline: Continuous
Supports interdisciplinary research examining law, legal institutions, human behavior,
science, and technology.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Sociology — National Science Foundation
Deadline: Continuous
Supports theoretically grounded research examining social organization, institutions,
populations, social change, networks, stratification, and related areas.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
MULTIDISCIPLINARY
A Science of Science Approach to Analyzing and Innovating the Biomedical Research
Enterprise — NSF/NIH
Deadline: September 9, 2026
Supports research applying science-of-science approaches to better understand and
strengthen the biomedical research enterprise.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Award — NIH
Deadline: September 28, 2026
Supports investigator-initiated research at resource-limited institutions while expanding
high-quality student research experiences and strengthening institutional research
culture.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Support for Research Excellence – First Independent Research (SuRE-First) — NIH
Deadline: September 28, 2026
Supports faculty at resource-limited institutions who have not previously received
an independent, peer-reviewed external research award.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
EDU Core Research — NSF
Deadline: October 1, 2026
Supports fundamental research on STEM learning, broadening participation in STEM,
and STEM workforce development.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Unlocking Dataset Value for AI-Enabled Scientific Discovery — NSF
Deadline: November 4, 2026
Supports efforts to make existing scientific datasets more accessible, interoperable,
and ready for AI-enabled analysis.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Mid-Career Advancement — NSF
Deadline: February 1–March 1, 2027
Supports mid-career researchers seeking to significantly advance their research programs
through new partnerships.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) — NSF
Deadline: July 28, 2027
Supports early-career faculty who have the potential to become academic leaders integrating
research and education.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY
Facilitating Research at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (RUI/ROA) — NSF
Deadline: Continuous
Supports faculty research at primarily undergraduate institutions while building institutional
research capacity and integrating research with undergraduate education.
>> VIEW OPPORTUNITY