ICAST New Principal Investigator Award

ICAST is pleased to announce an incentive program to encourage ICAST faculty affiliates from OU Norman campus programs to serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) on externally funded research projects. ICAST Faculty Affiliates at any rank who are awarded external funding for the first time as PI will receive $1,000 of discretionary funding for project awards greater than or equal to $50,000 for a peer reviewed proposal. Applications will be reviewed based on the criteria below. Recipients are encouraged to seek additional external funding support for their research.

Evaluation Criteria

• Overall qualtiy of the research
• Potential societal impact
• How the research addresses the gap in existing research
• Research topics must alight with ICAST's thematic areas of interest

How to Appy for the ICAST Funding Opportunity

• New PIs must provide a copy of the award letter or email from the funding sponsor
• Provide a brief statement of what the funds will be used for
• Provide most current CV

• Peer reviewed grants, contracts, and foundation project awards greater than or equal to $50K are eligible
• Funds can be used for equipment, travel, research support, graduate student travel or other non-salary purpose
• Visiting faculty/scholar fellowships are NOT eligible

Application Deadlines

ICAST will be offering this funding opportunity throughout the Spring 2026 semester. Please reference the below dates for upcoming submission deadlines. 

• January 20, 2026
• April 6, 2026
• May 11, 2026
• June 8, 2026

Please contact Kelly Peters, ICAST Administrative Coordinator, at kelly.peters@ou.edu for more information.

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