Fall 2026 PRE Accelerator Awards
During the Fall semester, proposals are being accepted for Accelerator (FY27 funding) projects.
- Accelerator grants of up to $75,000 for 18-month projects are awarded to small teams of 2-3 investigators from two or more distinct disciplinary perspectives that are formed to pursue curiosity-driven, high-risk, high-reward, pilot-scale research towards an identified proposal target.
Applications in any topic area are invited.
Fall 2026 Timeline
Accelerator proposal process, requirements and deadlines
Successful Accelerator teams will make a compelling case for the merit of the proposed research in terms of anticipated scientific, technological or societal impacts that will result. All PRE proposals will be reviewed and scored using four criteria: merit; impact; team; and budget.
- Friday, August 21, 2026 - Call for Proposals released (name.# login required) – Full RFP
- Wednesday, September 9, 2026 by 5 p.m. (EDT) – Required Letters of Intent due – LOI Submission Link
- Friday, October 23, 2026 by 5 p.m. (EDT) - Full proposals due (name.# login required) – Full RFP and Submission Page
- Friday, December 11, 2026 – Decisions announced
- January 1, 2027 – Accelerator Project period start
There have been a number of changes made to the program and application process this round, including the review criteria. Please read the RFP carefully to ensure the proposed project meets all requirements.
Teams seeking Accelerator funding must complete a mandatory Letter of Intent (LOI) by Wednesday, September 9, 2026, by 5 p.m. (EDT). Submitted online, the LOI must include the project name, team and a 250-word or less abstract summarizing the proposed research challenge and its significance along with expected research deliverables. Letters of Intent will be reviewed by Research Development staff for compliance. Eligible teams will receive an email confirmation to submit a full proposal.
Eligible teams can submit a full proposal by Friday, October 23, 2026, by 5 p.m. (EDT). Full proposals consist of a 3-page narrative, budget request, team member bio sketches and optional references.
General project requirements for Accelerator and Catalyst grants
- The lead PI must be an Ohio State faculty member. Co-PIs can be faculty, research staff or post-docs from intellectually distinct disciplines. External collaborators are permitted, but do not count towards team composition requirements and cannot be supported with project funds.
- PI or Co-PI may only be named on one PRE Accelerator or Catalyst active project and proposal at a time. Those already serving on another PRE project can be a team member on another project but not a PI or Co-PI. Review the list of those currently on an active project before submitting.
- Funded projects are required to submit an external funding proposal by the end of the grant period or the closest, next deadline for the opportunity(ies) identified in the proposal.
- An interim progress report is required for Catalyst awards; a final report and a copy of the submitted external funding proposal are required at the conclusion of Accelerator and Catalyst projects.
Budget Information
PRE funding may be requested to support project-specific expenses including:
- Project-specific consumable research materials and supplies
- Project-specific facility user or service center fees, subject payments (with approved IRB), or other contractual costs
- Project-specific personnel support, not to exceed 60% of total requested funds*, to support student stipends and required tuition/fees and/or salary and benefits for staff scientist(s) and/or post doc(s)
- If the proposed work is highly theoretical or computational in nature, with little to no need for experimental costs, consumable research materials/supplies, acquisition of datasets, testing or service lab fees, or human subject/animal care costs, teams may request an exception to increase this cap to 75% of total requested funds. This request must be detailed and fully justified in the budget request section of the proposal.
- Project-specific travel to meet with external collaborators, sponsors, or to host collaborator meetings on campus (campus costs only; no travel support for non-Ohio State personnel)
- No cost extensions are NOT permitted
Funds cannot be used to support or supplement:
- Faculty salaries
- For travel to conventional academic meetings or conferences
- For publication costs
- Support of external collaborators on the project