Apply for Funding

AB Nexus Grant Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Key Information

  • Submission Deadline: May 11, 2026
  • Application Decisions Communicated: August 2026
  • Project Start Date: September 1, 2026
  • Questions? Contact abnexus_seedgrants@colorado.edu

Program Description

This year, AB Nexus is requesting proposals for two mechanisms that differ in project scope, budget and award duration, and each have their own application and review processes. These are outlined under 2026 Program Tracks below. You can also refer to the Appendix for a side-by-side comparison to help determine which mechanism is right for your team.

Purpose of Funding

Proposals should address significant research questions through basic, translational, clinical, and/or epidemiological approaches. Applicants are encouraged to consider:

  • Challenges in human health and well-being that require multidisciplinary collaboration
  • Discoveries that could emerge from integrating expertise across campuses
  • Unmet needs in clinical science, clinical systems, health services, or population health
  • Opportunities to translate innovations that improve patient care, practice, or population health

AB Nexus seeks projects with strong potential for scientific impact, innovation, lasting cross-campus collaboration, and likelihood of extramural funding sustainability. The potential to develop the concept into a competitive federal grant application will be considered in the grant evaluation.

2026 Program Tracks

Exploratory/Broad Announcement ($75K, 18 months)

Exploratory/Broad Announcement ($75K, 18 months)

The purpose of the Exploratory/Broad Announcement is to support interdisciplinary research teams consisting of one early-career principal investigator (PI) from each campus to develop novel research concepts that will form the foundation for targeting extramural funding opportunities in the next 1-2 years. While there are no restrictions on biomedical topic areas, projects submitted under this mechanism are encouraged to pursue research directions that strongly align with federal sponsor funding priorities. (e.g., NIH, ARPA-H, NSF, DoD).

Eligibility

Project teams must include one PI from CU Anschutz and one PI from Ҵýƽ. To be eligible:

  • CU Anschutz: PIs must be Tenure-Track Assistant Professors (job code 1103) within the first three years of their appointment at CU Anschutz (prior tenure experience does not count) and meet their school and/or department eligibility for being a PI on R01 or equivalent grants.Research Associates (job code 1306) within the first three years of their appointment are eligible if they hold a doctoral degree or its equivalent as determined by the dean or their designee. Given the May 11, 2026 deadline, appointments must have started no earlier than May 11, 2023.
    • Postdocs in short-term, temporary Research Associate appointments are ineligible. The program is designed to support research with long-term benefits to CU Anschutz and Ҵýƽ.
  • Ҵýƽ: PIs must be Tenure-Track Assistant Professors (job code 1103) or Research Associates (job code 1306) holding a half-time or greater appointment within the first three years of their appointment at Ҵýƽ (prior tenure experience does not count).Given the May 11, 2026 deadline, appointments must have started no earlier than May 11, 2023.
  • The team must be new. The CU Anschutz and Ҵýƽ PIsmust not have previously collaborated on funded research projects or co-authored peer-reviewed publications.
  • Applicants may submit only one AB Nexus proposal in the role of PI but may be listed as an unpaid collaborator on multiple proposals.
  • The PI submitting the proposal must independently satisfy all eligibility requirements for their respective campus, as detailed above.

Application Requirements

New for 2026: Applicants to the Exploratory/Broad Announcement mechanism must submit a brief project abstract (no more than 300 words) providing a high‑level overview of the proposed work.

Proposers to the Exploratory/Broad Announcement must submit the following:

  • Project Abstract (300 word maximum): Submit a high-level project overview that also identifies alignment with federal funding priorities.
  • Research Plan (4 pages maximum): Include a detailed description of the problem to be addressed and why it is important or innovative. Outline the proposed research including:
    • Significance – importance of proposed research, relevance, and potential impact
    • Innovation – novel concepts or approaches that advance the scientific domain
    • Approach – overall scientific strategy and methodologies
    • Research Team – description of collaboration and investigator expertise
    • Extramural Funding Alignment – identify alignment with extramural funding priorities and identify specific federal funding opportunities the team intends to submit to after project period
  • Common Forms Biosketch for both PIs
  • Budget (template provided)

Note: The InfoReady application portal will require each of the required documents to be submitted as PDF (unless otherwise specified) and uploaded separately.

Review Process

Proposals will undergo an administrative review to confirm the project’s relevance to the RFP and alignment with federal funding priorities. The AB Nexus Scientific Review Panel will be convened and will complete a study section review of all applications, which will be evaluated against the review criteria.

Special Topic Announcement: AI and Brain Health / Neurological Disease ($150K/year for up to two years)

This mechanism is open to new and existing teams as well as those with a history of collaboration. The goal of this mechanism is to drive innovation and collaboration in research areas aligned with evolving federal funding priorities. Proposals can be funded up to $300,000 total over two years ($150,000 per year), contingent on timely submission of annual progress reports.

Proposals submitted via the Special Topics Announcementmust align with the following biomedical topic. Projects outside of this topic area will be considered non-responsive and administratively withdrawn.

  • AI & Brain Health/Neurological Disease: This mechanism seeks proposals that use AI and computational approaches to advance neurological research and clinical care, with the goal of improving brain health, accelerating discovery, and enhancing prediction, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery across the lifespan. Responsive applications will include novel development and methodology of systems and/or platforms to answer a novel question related to gaps in neurological/brain health research. Proposals must focus on developing new AI approaches, rather than relying on general‑purpose tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Copilot) as the primary innovation.

Eligibility

Project teams must include one principal investigator (PI) from CU Anschutz and one PI from Ҵýƽ.

To be eligible:

  • CU Anschutz: PIs must be Tenured or Tenure-Track Faculty and meet their school and/or department eligibility for being a PI on R01 or equivalent grants.Contactabnexus_seedgrants@colorado.eduif you have questions about CU Anschutz eligibility.
  • Ҵýƽ: PIs from Ҵýƽ must be Tenured or Tenure-Track Facultywho hold an appointment of half-time or greater.
  • Applicants may submit only one AB Nexus proposal in the role of PI but may be listed as a collaborator on multiple proposals.

Special Topic Application Requirements

New for 2026: Applicants to the Special Topic mechanism must submit a brief project abstract providing a high‑level overview of the proposed work.

Proposers to the Special Topic mechanism must submit the following:

  • Project Abstract (300 word maximum): Submit a high-level project overview that identifies alignment with the special topic area.
  • Research Plan (6 pages maximum): Include a detailed description of the problem to be addressed and why it is important or innovative. Outline the proposed research program including:
    • Fit with Special Topic – AI & Brain Health/Neurological Disease – detailed description of how the project addresses the special topic area and what makes the team’s approach distinct and competitive.
    • Significance – importance of proposed research, relevance, and potential impact
    • Innovation – novel concepts or approaches that advance the research field
    • Approach – overall scientific strategy and methodologies
    • Research Team – description of collaboration and investigator expertise
    • Extramural Funding Alignment – identify alignment with extramural funding priorities and identify specific federal funding opportunities the team intends to submit to after project period.
  • Common Forms Biosketch for both PIs
  • Budget (template provided)

Note: The InfoReady application portal will require each of the required documents to be submitted as PDF (unless otherwise specified) and uploaded separately.

Review Process

Special Topic Applications will be reviewed in two phases:

  • Phase I: Administrative and Scientific Review –All proposals will undergo an administrative review to confirm the project’s relevance to the RFP and alignment with the special topic. The AB Nexus Scientific Review Panel will be convened and will complete a study section review of all applications, which will be evaluated against the review criteria described on page 5. Applications that are found to be meritorious and responsive to the RFP will be invited to submit a virtual pitch to the AB Nexus Scientific Review Panel.
  • Phase II: Virtual Pitch -Teams advancing to Phase II will receive reviewer comments and questions from their proposal review that can be used to help develop a slide deck that will be presented during the pitch. The pitch will include a 20-minute presentation, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A with reviewers. The timeline for the pitch is as follows:
    • Reviewer feedback received: June 8
    • Pitch slide decks due: June 19
    • Virtual Pitches: Week of June 22

Budgetary Guidance

Unallowable Costs

Proposals including the following expenses in the budget are not eligible:

  • Projects with a primary focus on curriculum development
  • Faculty course or teaching buy-out
  • Payment to collaborators from other institutions

Proposals for projects that could be supported with existing funds, such as funding from other internal or external sources, are discouraged.

Allowable Costs

In addition to costs for supplies and materials, the use of core services, etc., some salary support can be requested based on role/campus:

  • The CU Anschutz PI may request the equivalent of 0.04 FTE. Salary support for faculty collaborators/co-investigators is not allowed.
  • The Ҵýƽ PI may request up to two weeks of summer salary. Salary support for faculty collaborators/co-investigators is not allowed.
  • Project personnel (e.g., postdocs, students) from both campuses may request an amount fitting to the work proposed.
  • Special Topic Announcement only: Third party contractor support may be requested if needs cannot be met by CU Anschutz or Ҵýƽ campuses. Teams must receive prior approval from AB Nexus program staff no later than two weeks prior to submission deadline. Requests must include justification that identifies the third-party contractor as a crucial and integral part of the project, as well as an estimated budget for that portion of the award. Requests are due no later than April 27, 2026, and should be sent to abnexus_seedgrants@colorado.edu.

Review Criteria

Projects submitted via both the Exploratory/Broad Announcement and the Special Topic Announcement will be evaluated against the criteria described below. Consideration of review criteria will acknowledge the distinct definitions of merit, impact and success that exist across various disciplines.

  • Fit withSpecial Topic(special topic proposals only):Proposal clearly and compellingly articulates how the project addresses the AI & Brain Health/Neurological Diseasetopic area. Strong proposals will explicitly describe the relevance of the research to AI and brain health/neurological disorders and will demonstrate a distinct, competitive, and well‑justified approach that advances the field. Proposal focuses on novel AI approaches, rather than relying on publicly available, general-purpose tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Copilot) as the primary innovation.
  • Significance: Proposal assesses the importance of the proposed research, its relevance to the field and its potential for meaningful scientific or societal impact.
  • Innovation: Proposal clearly articulates what is novel and unique, how the innovation improves upon existing work, and why the proposed approach has the potential to meaningfully shift current scientific, technological, or clinical paradigms.
  • Approach: Proposal provides a well‑justified research plan, appropriate and robust methodology, and a logical sequence of activities that clearly support the project’s aims.
  • Research Team: Proposal clearly states the integration of the collaborative team and articulates how the investigators’ expertise, roles, and contributions collectively enhance the project’s feasibility, innovation, and potential for impact.
  • Extramural Funding Alignment: Proposal presents a well‑justified pathway to external funding, including targeted mechanisms and a realistic plan for submission. The potential to develop the concept into a competitive federal grant proposal will be considered in the grant evaluation.

Terms, Conditions and Other Guidelines

Upon accepting an award, recipients agree to fulfill several requirements. If a recipient fails to fulfill any of these, AB Nexus reserves the right to suspend funds.

  • Regulatory Compliance. All approvals from the relevant regulatory compliance governing bodies (IRB, IACUC, EHS, biohazardous materials, etc.) must be granted before work may be initiated.
  • Project Reporting. PIs must submit progress reports. The progress reporting process will be initiated by AB Nexus program staff and completed through the online InfoReady platform. Exploratory/Broad Announcement projects must submit progress reports at the 18-month mark (project end date) and 12 months after the grant ends. Special Topic Announcement projects must submit progress reports at the 12- and 24-month mark (project end date) and 12 months after the grant ends. Annual Reports are required following project close-out for the length of time that scientific activity and/or collaborations continue.
  • Post-Award Reporting Policy. Failure to comply with required Annual Reports will result in consequences including ineligibility to apply for future AB Nexus funding opportunities and limited submission funding opportunities coordinated through the Office of Research Development and Strategy, and the project being reported with no documented activity in programmatic updates provided to the CU President’s Office and campus leadership.
  • PI Change. If there is a change or absence (60 days or greater) in PI, recipients will immediately contact and provide a justification toabnexus_seedgrants@colorado.edu.
  • Funding Access. Awards will be made available through the financial office in recipients’ respective college/school/institute on the first day of September following award notification. The budget office at the PI’s respective college/school/institute will set up the speedtype (account) number for the award and will transfer the funds to the speedtype. Recipients should contact their respective budget office for the speedtype following award notification.
  • Project Duration and No-Cost Extensions.Exploratory/Broad Announcement projects: up to 18 months (through February 29, 2028). Special Topic Announcement projects: up to 24 months (through August 31, 2028).No more than two no-cost extensions (3–6 months) may be requested and must be approved by AB Nexus before the end date. Requests must be sent to abnexus_seedgrants@colorado.edu and include justification, plan for remaining funds, and extension length. Unused funds will be returned to the program.
  • AB Nexus Reviewer.Recipients agree to review and score AB Nexus proposals for the following two review cycles. Recipients on sabbatical or family leave during the review period will serve as reviewers in the subsequent cycle. If a recipient fails to serve as a reviewer during the next cycle, funds may be suspended.
  • Pursuit of External Funding. PIs agree to identify and pursue external funding to achieve sustainability for their project. Research development staff will be available to assist in this activity through funding opportunity searches and proposal development support.
  • Suspension of Funds. If a recipient fails to fulfill any of the aforementioned conditions, AB Nexus reserves the right to suspend funds.

Applicants are not eligible to submit a 2026 AB Nexus proposal in the role of PI if they are the PI of an active AB Nexus project. Current AB Nexus awardees are not eligible to submit a new proposal until their project is completed, and the award is closed out. Once all award and reporting requirements have been fulfilled, past awardees are eligible to submit a new proposal. Decisions about additional awards to previously funded applicants will be at the discretion of AB Nexus program staff.

Submission Instructions

InfoReady Online Portal

Proposals for both the Exploratory/Broad Announcement and the Special Topic Announcement must be submitted via InfoReady by the deadline. All teams will submit through and be asked to identify which mechanism they are applying for. Late submissions will not be accepted for any reason.

Only one submission is required per team. PIs from both campuses may use the portal to submit, but please note that your email domain will dictate how you should log in to the system:

  • PIs from CU Anschutz (if your email ends in @cuanschutz.edu) should select “Login for University of Colorado Users” and proceed with their university credentials/single sign-on.
  • PIs from Ҵýƽ (if your email ends in @colorado.edu) should select “Login for Other Users” and register for an InfoReady account if you do not have one or log in with your existing account.

Style and Formatting

Proposals should use clear writing appropriate for non-experts and make a strong case for the importance of the project to reviewers outside the discipline(s). Please adhere to the following formatting guidelines for any proposal documents:

  • 0.5” margins minimum
  • 11 pt Arial type, single spaced
  • PDF format, unless template provided.

Appendix

Side-by-side Mechanism Comparison

Exploratory / Broad Announcement

Special Topic Announcement (AI & Brain Health / Neuro Disease)

Anticipated No. of Awards42
GoalSeed new cross-campus research collaborationsDrive innovation and collaboration in defined topic areas identified as federal priorities (based on shifting funding trends) and target growth areas of both campuses
Team TypesNew collaborations onlyNew or existing collaborations
Project Period18 months24 months
Max. Budget$75,000$300,000 ($150,000 per year)
Application TypeResearch PlanVirtual Pitch Presentation (by invitation)
Application Components

300-word project abstract

4-pg. research plan

PI Biosketches

Rough order of magnitude budget

300-word project abstract

6-pg. research plan

PI Biosketches

Rough order of magnitude budget

Application DeadlineMay 11, 2026

May 11, 2026

Note: All application components must be submitted by this date. Presentations will be scheduled and take place after the submission deadline.

Virtual Pitchesn/a

June 22-26

Note: Virtual pitches will be by invitation only and require a 10-12 slide deck to accompany the 20-minute pitch presentation. Reviewer feedback will be provided to selected teams on June 8, 2026. Pitch slide decks must be submitted to the AB Nexus Scientific Review Panel by June 19, 2026.