Research Updates for Spring 2026
Happy New Year MSU Research Community
We completed Quarter 2 of FY2026 on December 31st, and what follows is a summary of the state of our research expenditures and budget related plans for this spring semester.
State of MSU Research
Compared to last year at this time, our expenditures are up 19%! Congratulations to you all for keeping research strong during a year of uncertainty.
We realize that there have been some centers and departments that have instead seen decreases in expenditures and funding opportunities and the RED team is here to support sustaining your good work in a variety of ways. Please reach out if you need help. Collection of indirect costs has not kept up with expenditures, so we are still being very careful with budget allocations. However, we are confident enough to re-start some of the programs faculty have come to appreciate.
- As of January 1, 2026, we have re-started the Institutional Research & Development (IRD) Program: Procedures for RED Institutional Research and Development (IRD) Fund/Index Management - Office of Sponsored Programs | Montana State University
- We are offering an opportunity to apply for Scholarship and Creativity Grants (S&Cs) this semester: Scholarship & Creativity Grants Program - Office of Research & Economic Development | Montana State University
- We are providing support in a variety of ways for faculty who started in the AY2025-26 without start-up resources from the VPRED office. This support will assist with purchasing key equipment and hiring graduate student researchers to ensure they have the resources to accelerate their research programs. Please contact Carl Yeoman if you have questions carl.yeoman@montana.edu
Spring Events
Introducing the MSU Certified Green Labs Initiative
Montana State University is excited to launch the Certified Green Lab Initiative, a program designed to recognize and support laboratories committed to sustainable practices across campus.
Participating is simple: complete the MSU Green Laboratories Checklist, available on the Research Integrity and Compliance, Sustainability webpage. This comprehensive checklist will help your lab identify opportunities to reduce environmental impact while maintaining excellent research standards. Once the survey has been completed, we will arrange a short Green Labs audit of your lab and assign you a score.
Labs can achieve graded levels of Certified Green Lab:
- Green: Awarded to labs that achieve 100% lab assessment scores
- Gold: Awarded to labs that achieve ≥95% lab assessment scores
- Silver: Awarded to labs that achieve ≥90% lab assessment scores
Join us in building a more sustainable research community at MSU. Whether you're just beginning your sustainability journey or already implementing green practices, the Certified Green Lab program provides a framework to track your progress and earn recognition for your efforts. Ready to get started? Visit the Research Integrity and Compliance Sustainability webpage to access the checklist and begin your lab's certification process today.
For questions about the program, please contact Mark DeWald mark.dewald@montana.edu or Mary Gauvin mary.gauvin@montana.edu.
Let's work together to make MSU laboratories leaders in environmental stewardship!
Research Security Training
Certain federal sponsors are now requiring Research Security Training be completed prior to submission of proposals. Please see our MSU Research Security Training webpage for more information and instructions how to complete the required training: Research Security at MSU - Office of Research & Economic Development | Montana State University
Questions or concerns regarding Research Security Training may be directed to Quinton King (quinton.king@montana.edu) or John Harrison (john.harrison1@montana.edu)
New Requirements for Institutional Support
Effective immediately, Research and Economic Development (RED) will require MSU principal investigators (PIs) to work with the Office of Research Development (ORD) during application development in the following cases:
- When planning to submit requests for RED cost-share or other institutional support for external funding proposals;
- When leading major institutional-level proposals, such as for large research centers or research trainee programs;
- When approved to move forward for a competitive limited submission funding opportunity following an internal competition.
Partnership with ORD is intended to ensure RED supports the most competitive and institutionally advantageous proposals possible while facilitating communication and coordination of commitments. Partnering with ORD outside of these scenarios remains at the discretion of the PI.
PIs approved for limited submission opportunities will receive guidance from ORD at time of decision. Limited submission approval will remain conditional on the basis of sufficient ORD involvement. Outside of limited submissions, PIs can request proposal development support from ORD directly from their website. Support should be requested as soon as possible, but no later than 6 weeks out from the sponsor’s deadline.
Any requests for RED institutional support made without ORD’s involvement in the application will be returned. Moreover, requests made outside of RED’s official request channels will also be returned and redirected to InfoReady (request RED cost-share here and other institutional support here). PIs are reminded to discuss potential requests of RED with their respective Deans and/or Associate Deans of Research prior to initiating these processes.
NIH Common Forms
NIH now requires the use of new Common Forms for Biosketches and Other Support for due dates on or after January 25, 2026. You will need to submit a biosketch form, generated and certified in SciENcv. Please carefully review the steps below to comply with the transition. You can view the full notice here: NOT-OD-26-018.
- Set up ORCID iD: This is required for all senior/key personnel. Check the ORCID registry or create your ID: https://orcid.org/
- If you complete your ORCID profile, you will be able to use the data to populate your SciENcv forms.
- Link accounts:
- Link your ORCID iD to your eRA Commons Personal Profile.
- Associate both your ORCID iD and eRA Commons account with SciENcv.
- Add a Delegate (Strongly Recommended): Assign a delegate in My NCBI (e.g., admin or other staff) who can edit your biosketch and bibliography if needed.
Support. The Office of Research Development hosted an NIH Common Forms workshop January 9. Contact ORD for workshop slides or for one-on-one assistance.
An MSU librarian is also available to assist you with ORCID: https://guides.lib.montana.edu/orcid