Summer Updates 2025 Inside the Institute Newsletter
Virginia Tech Faculty Activity Support Team (VT FAST)
If you haven’t visited the Virginia Tech Faculty Activity Support Team (VT-FAST) website in a bit, you are in for a bit of a surprise! We have added several new resources, and this progress is just the beginning.
Here are just some of the new features:
- Request Help Form. Now you can fill out some or all your information and we will be in touch to connect you with the right team member to get all the help you need.
- Speaking of team members, we have over a dozen with expertise in proposal editing, graphic arts, budgeting, education & outreach programs and more. Our team member page is ready for you to check it out!!
- Our biggest improvement is the addition of an information summary and links to documents, templates, and resources for National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and the United States Department of Agriculture funding applications. It is a one-stop shop to find all that you will need while developing and writing your proposals. We will soon be adding Department of Defense and Department of Energy resources too.
- Last but not least, the Additional Resources page gives you a list of the Virginia Tech resources, including the Office of Research and Innovation and Foundation Relations There is also a link to the Hanover Grants Learning Center, which has self-paced training and tutorials. These resources are made possible by a partnership between the Office of Research and Innovation, the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, and the FLSI.
We are ready and here to help, just give us a shout to get started!
Federal Agency Update: National Institutes of Health
The NIH recently released a proposed Fiscal Year 2026 (FY'26) budget in response to the President's Budget Request, with proposed changes including a reduction in funding, a reorganization of the Institutes within NIH, a cap on indirect costs, cuts to NIH positions, and grant cancellations.
Please note that these changes are only proposed changes. There are several more steps that would have to happen in order for these proposed changes to move forward, which you can read about in further detail at the link below. As more updates come to light, and in coordination with the Office of Research and Innovation, further updates will be provided on this and other federal agencies.
SAVE-THE-DATE: FRALIN FALL FEST | OCTOBER 8, 2025
We hope you can join us for this inaugural event. More details to come.