Spring 2026 Accelerator and Catalyst Awards
During the Spring semester, proposals are being accepted for both Accelerator (FY26 funding) and Catalyst (FY27 funding) projects. Please review the two tiers carefully, as well as their requirements before applying.
- Accelerator grants of up to $50,000 for 12-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.
- Catalyst grants of $150,000 - $300,000 for up to 24-month projects are awarded to medium or large teams of 3-5 investigators representing three or more distinct disciplinary perspectives that are formed to pursue high-impact research towards an identified national-leadership level or highly strategically significant proposal target.
Applications in any topic area are invited. Space and/or defense-related research topics, which can span nearly every discipline and encompass approaches from fundamental to applied, are encouraged.
Spring 2026 Timelines
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.
- January 16, 2026 – Call for Proposals released (name.# login required) – View RFP
- January 23, 2026, noon - 1 p.m. – Optional PRE Informational Briefing – RSVP
- February 4, 2026, by 5 p.m. – Required Letters of Intent due – Submit
- February 27, 2026, by 5 p.m. – Full proposals due (name.# login required) – View RFP
- April 8, 2026 – Decisions announced
- June 1, 2026 – Accelerator Project period start
- May 31, 2027 – Accelerator Projects end
Teams seeking Accelerator funding must complete a mandatory Letter of Intent (LOI) by Wednesday, February 4, 2026, by 5 p.m. The LOI, submitted online, 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 Office staff for compliance.
Eligible teams can submit a full proposal by Friday, February 27, 2025, by 5 p.m. Full proposals consist of a 3-page narrative, budget request, team member bio sketches and optional references.
Catalyst proposal process, requirements and deadlines
Successful Catalyst 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.
- January 16, 2026 – Call for Proposals released (name.# login required) – View RFP
- January 23, 2026, noon to 1 p.m. – PRE Informational Briefing (Optional) – RSVP
- February 4, 2026, by 5 p.m. – Required Letters of Intent due – Submit
- February 11-18, 2026 – Catalyst pitch sessions
- March 25, 2026, by 5 p.m. – Full proposals due (name.# login required) – View RFP
- April 30, 2026 – Decisions announced
- August 1, 2026 – Catalyst Project period start
- July 31, 2028 – Catalyst projects end (for 24-month projects)
Teams seeking Catalyst funding must complete a mandatory Letter of Intent (LOI) by Wednesday, February 4, 2026, by 5 p.m. The LOI, submitted online, must include the project name, team information, 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.
Teams eligible for Catalyst grant funding will be invited to schedule a mandatory, 15-minute virtual pitch session which will include a slide presentation and time for questions from a panel of reviewers. All members of the PI/Co-PI team should plan to participate.
Following the pitch session, teams will receive brief, written feedback and a statement encouraging or discouraging full proposal submission. Full proposals for Catalyst funding are due by Wednesday, March 25, 2026, by 5 p.m. These proposals will consist of a 10-page narrative, the budget request/justification, team 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