Office of Research announces internal funding opportunities for Purdue faculty

The Purdue University Office of Research is announcing internal funding opportunities for the 2026-27 fiscal year designed to help faculty strengthen competitive proposals for external research support, build interdisciplinary collaborations and advance Purdue’s research portfolio.

These programs provide targeted investments at critical stages of proposal development, supporting faculty as they gather preliminary data, refine research strategies, and position promising projects for future success with federal and other external sponsors.

Re-SPARK Program

The Office of Research is launching Re-SPARK, an update to the Supporting Partnering for Advanced Research Teamwork internal funding initiative designed to help Purdue research teams strengthen and pursue large-scale external funding opportunities. Re-SPARK reflects a strategic investment in teams positioned to compete for major center-scale awards.

Building on Purdue’s long-standing SPARK Program, Re-SPARK places greater emphasis on proposal refinement, resubmission strategy and team development for major funding opportunities.

For the 2026 cycle, Re-SPARK will provide up to three internal awards of $150,000 each. Priority will be given to teams seeking to resubmit a proposal for an external award of $7 million or more that was previously reviewed but not funded. These teams must include the reviewer feedback received from the sponsor as part of the Re-SPARK application. Teams pursuing a center-scale opportunity for the first time are also eligible if they can demonstrate a compelling case for readiness and competitiveness. Public-private partnerships are encouraged when they strengthen a team’s overall funding strategy.

The goal of Re-SPARK is to help teams refine their scientific vision, strengthen team composition and project strategy, address identified gaps, and improve competitiveness for a successful external submission. For teams with prior reviews, the program provides a structured pathway for incorporating sponsor feedback into a more competitive proposal.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. ET Sept. 28.

Re-SPARK is managed by Strategic Interdisciplinary Research within the Office of Research. Program guidance, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available on the Re-SPARK program webpage.

NIH incentive programs

The Office of Research will also offer two National Institutes of Health (NIH)-focused internal funding opportunities for the 2026-27 fiscal year: the NIH New R01 Program and the NIH Competing Renewal R01 Program.

For both NIH incentive programs, proposals are due by 5 p.m. ET Oct. 1. There will be one review cycle for the 2026-27 fiscal year, with funding anticipated to be available by Jan. 1, 2027. Requests are limited to $50,000, and cost sharing or matched funding is not required.

Faculty encouraged to prepare early

Purdue faculty members are encouraged to begin reviewing relevant opportunities early and to consider how these internal programs may support proposal development, team formation, preliminary data collection and strategic positioning for future external funding submissions.

Additional details, including Re-SPARK program information and application materials for the NIH incentive programs, will be available through the Office of Research internal funding webpage.