Orbit Awards

These awards support the development of large-scale, interdisciplinary teams focused on securing major external research grants, center-level funding, or large one-time federal tranches directed at specific national problems.

Program Design

  • Two awards of $250,000 each will be available each year; $500,000 total.
  • At least one award is available for a proposal submitted by the October 1 deadline and one for a proposal submitted by the March 1 deadline.
  • Any uncommitted funds will roll over to the next RFP cycle.
  • Where merit warrants and funds have rolled over, these funds may be combined into a single $500,000 interdisciplinary project aligned with the university’s strategic plan.
  • Funding duration: 1 year, renewable once for a second year following a competitive progress review by ORD and approval by the Vice President for Research (VPR).
  • Activities may include team building, preliminary data collection, engagement with a consultant or funding agencies, and proposal development.

Submission Guidelines

Proposals should be submitted directly to the ord@k-state.edu.

Applications must include (11 pt Times New Roman, 1-inch margins):

  • Abstract
  • Detailed budget with justification
  • Narrative (5-page max) with plans for external proposal submission
  • Compliance approval letter or plans for submission of compliance materials
  • Two-page CV(s)
  • Funding history
    • For the March ORBIT proposal cycle, the Office of Research Development will use the CoSearch model to support the development of competitive interdisciplinary proposals. The facilitated CoSearch workshop will bring faculty together around priority research opportunities to generate ideas, identify complementary expertise, build interdisciplinary teams, and advance concepts toward proposal development. K-State has successfully used the CoSearch model to catalyze interdisciplinary collaboration on water-related research and will adapt this approach to support the broader goals of the ORBIT program. Teams planning to submit to the ORBIT program in the March cycle MUST participate in the CoSearch process.

Expected Outcome

Submission of a major interdisciplinary proposal (e.g., center-level, multi-investigator, or multi-institutional) within 24 months.