NCESR, in collaboration with Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), provide major funding for two-year research projects to University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) faculty. The NCESR funds enable UNL faculty to conduct innovative research to develop or enhance energy science and technologies and educate undergraduate and graduate students on various energy-related aspects. Faculty are expected to use NCESR’s funding as a seed to pursue major external funding. NPPD provides several letters of support for UNL faculty each year as they bid on federal grants (e.g., Department of Energy, Department of Defense, etc.).
The NCESR released its annual Request for Preproposals (RFP) on March 17, 2025. The RFP requested innovative energy sciences research and collaboration ideas from the UNL faculty. This is the twentieth annual cycle in which UNL faculty can compete in this internal competition for energy research grants. The preproposals were due May 15, 2025.
The preproposals will be reviewed by the NCESR Executive Council (EC) on June 13, 2025. A select number will be invited to submit full proposals that will be due on July 31, 2025.
Full proposals will be reviewed by external reviewers. Principal Investigators (PIs) will present their full proposals to the EC in the fall. The EC will evaluate the external reviews and the presentations by the PIs to determine which projects to recommend to the NCESR External Advisory Committee (EAC). The EAC will make the final decision regarding the projects that will be funded, and funding will start January 1, 2026.