Research Program Presentations
"How to Succeed in Sponsored Research: BEFORE You Write" workshop offered in 2017. You can find the presentation slides here (you must access from a Binghamton email address).
CAREER Proposal Bootcamp
In collaboration with the Office of Strategic Research Initiatives, in the winter and spring, we will also be providing a more intense preparation experience specifically targeted at NSF CAREER proposals. This will be a multi-part, university-wide activity that will include specific guidance on CAREER proposals, the participation of senior mentors, tailored feedback, and mock panel reviews. Watch this space for further details!
Listed on this page are some general and some specific pointers to research opportunities available to Watson faculty. Many of these resources can be customized to search via keywords, geographic location, granting agencies, or other applicant qualifications.
Strategic Plans
The federal government and some of the federal agencies issue strategic technology plans from time to time. The most recent plans issued by the White House are listed here. Consider these for long-term guidance: where might the federal funding resources be in one, two, or three years from now?
- 2019 National Nanotechnology Initiative Supplement
- Federal Big Data Research and Development Strategic Plan
- Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan
- For the Department of Defense, there is a large number of such documents here.
Broad Databases
- The Division of Research maintains a Funding Opportunities page that provides links to numerous opportunity resources across the University.
- One of the most widely useful resources found on the Funding Opportunities page will be the InfoEd SPIN searchable database. You can customize your searches to suit your own interests.
- For basic research opportunities from numerous federal agencies, grants.gov is available to all.
- FedBizOpps is a similar site, but it lists all federal "business" opportunities, which includes available grants, contracts, and other procurements. Such opportunities include, but are not limited to, basic research programs, and so may contain information on applied research, technology development programs, demonstration programs, and announcements for briefings to industry, requests for information, and "source sought". Like the other sites, FedBizOpps can be customized with savable searches.
Agency-Specific Information
Many funding agencies provide resources of their own.
- NSPIRES is the NASA research search and opportunities web page.
- The National Science Foundation provides a means not only to search for opportunities, but also to search for past NSF awards. This can be helpful finding proposals similar to yours that have been funded in the past.
- The Department of Energy supports research through its Office of Science. Note that this site is distinct from the site for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
- The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) maintains a "Where to Search for Funding" site. It contains many of the same sources as above, but also has additional tips and instruction on proposal-writing.
- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) page has an opportunities site that can be informative, but its opportunities are also listed on FedBizOpps (see above). Also, like the National Science Foundation, DARPA past work (recent) is cataloged on its site, the DARPA Open Catalog.
- The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency (IARPA) is not just for classified research! They have many open programs of interest to university researchers.
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has emerged as a major funding agent for security-related science and technology in the last decade. Their primary site has a link to "business opportunities" (including research topics). Like the Department of Energy (above), the DHS also has a distinct advanced research agency, HSARPA, with different opportunities.
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a grants information page with additional information on grant-writing, policy, and administration.
- The Defense Innovation Marketplace is a unique site maintained by the Department of Defense. It has links to business and funding opportunities through the DoD, but is also a repository for valuable information such as strategic studies, technical meetings, and the defense organizations and communities of interest in the DoD. this is a good place to learn about the DoD if you are unfamiliar with defense funding. It is a good place to go to get evidence that your idea is important to the DoD.
Check the Latest Opportunities
As specific opportunities arise that are especially well suited to Watson faculty research interests, these will be posted on the Recent Solicitations page. Check back frequently to find new opportunities.
Not finding opportunities that interest you? Tell me what to look for!
Research Funding Sources
Federal Agencies
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Federal Highway Administration (FHA)
- Fulbright Program
- National Academy of Sciences
- National Aeronautical & Space Administration (NASA)
- NASA Glen Research Center
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- National Institute of Science & Technology (NIST)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- National Research Council (NRC)
- National Security Agency (NSA)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Naval Research Laboratory
- Office of Naval Research (ONR)
- U.S. Agency for International Development
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Army Research Office
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
- U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
- U.S. Department of Education (DoEd)
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
State Agencies
- New York State Foundation for Science, Technology & Innovation (NYSTAR)
- New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
General Research Databases
Community of Science Database
Binghamton University belongs to the Community of Science (COS).
COS is the leading Internet site for the global R&D community. COS brings together the world's most prominent scientists and researchers at more than 1,300 universities, corporations and government agencies worldwide. COS provides tools and services that enable these professionals to communicate, exchange information and find the people and technologies that are important to their work.
These services are accessed through the COS Workbench, a customized workspace for the individual member.
With a COS account, you can search more than 22,000 records, representing over 400,000 funding opportunities, worth over $33 billion -- updated daily. You can also sign up to receive weekly email alerts for research announcements in your specific research areas.
The Watson School's Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies offers travel funds of up to $500 for Watson College faculty visiting potential program sponsors for discussions related to future funding opportunities.