Spark Your CAREER with TXST: NSF CAREER Training Series

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is one of NSF’s most prestigious awards for early-career faculty across all Directorates and Offices. The CAREER program is designed to support early-career faculty to become leaders in the integration of research and education in their field. 

The Office of Research Development is pleased to offer Spark Your CAREER with TXST: NSF CAREER Training Series, a training series focused on the 2026 NSF-CAREER Program. By the end of this series, participants will be able to:

• Understand the core components of a competitive NSF proposal and how they align across solicitations
• Identify the requirements unique to the NSF CAREER program and how to address them effectively
• Draft, refine, and/or strengthen key proposal elements through guided instruction and examples
• Navigate common NSF proposal “must-haves,” including both narrative and non-narrative documents

The Spark Your CAREER with TXST: NSF CAREER Training Series will consist of two components: webinar sessions and the Research Development Career Cohort Program. Please see below for details. 

While this webinar series is focused on the CAREER program, much of the content is broadly applicable to other NSF proposals. Participants are welcome to attend the entire series or select individual sessions based on their interests and needs. Attendees will be added to a CAREER Canvas Course to access resources and templates referenced during the webinars. The webinar series is open to all, regardless of intent to apply to the NSF CAREER.

Session 1: CAREER Program Overview 

• Program overview with an NSF CAREER Program Officer: Dr. Carole Read.
• Date: January 22^nd, 2026 at 12pm CT
• Registration for this session: Registration Link

Session 2: Drafting the 1-page Project Summary 

• Learning the importance of contacting the program officer 
• Strategies to present your CAREER idea using the NSF Project summary structure
• February 12^th, 2026 at 12pm CT
• Registration for this session: Registration Link

Session 3: Developing the Project Narrative / Project Description 

• Understanding the core elements of a CAREER Project Narrative
• Integrating your research and education plans
• February 24^th, 2026 at 12pm CT
• Registration for this session: Registration Link

Session 4: Budget + Budget Justification (NSF style) 

• Developing a budget and a budget justification for an NSF proposal
• March 10^th, 2026 at 12pm CT
• Registration for this session: Registration Link

Session 5: Broader Impacts: Strategy, Partnerships, and Evaluation Thinking 

• Importance of Broader Impacts in the NSF merit review process
• March 24^th, 2026 at 12pm CT
• Registration for this session: Registration Link

Session 6: Non-narrative documents: Data Management Plan, Mentoring Plan, Facilities/Resources 

• Understanding the critical elements of these documents
• Learning to use these documents to demonstrate the capacity to carry out the proposal
• April 14^th, 2026 at 12pm CT
• Registration for this session: Registration Link

Session 7: Senior/Key Personnel documents: Senior and Key Personnel Biographical Sketch, Current and Pending (other) Support, Collaborators & Other Affiliations, and Synergistic Activities

• Understanding the critical elements of these documents
• Learning to use these documents to demonstrate the capacity to carry out the proposal
• May 5^th, 2026 at 12pm CT
• Registration for this session: Registration Link

The Research Development CAREER Cohort Program is a limited-enrollment opportunity designed to provide individualized, one-on-one proposal development support for faculty planning to submit a competitive NSF CAREER proposal. This cohort is intended to complement the Spark Your CAREER with TXST: NSF CAREER Training Series by offering hands-on, individualized support aligned to each participant’s research trajectory, disciplinary context, and target NSF program. Through structured one-on-one meetings, cohort participants will receive consultative, developmental, and editorial support for their proposal, helping faculty move from concept to competitive draft while staying aligned with NSF CAREER expectations. The CAREER cohort program will run from March through submission in July. 

Participation Requirements

• Space in the CAREER Cohort Program is limited
• Participants must attend at least 5 of the 7 CAREER webinar sessions to remain eligible for cohort participation
• Cohort participants are expected to engage actively in one-on-one sessions and complete agreed-upon action items between meetings
• One-on-one support is intensive and individualized and is reserved for faculty who are committed to the significant time and energy to submit an NSF CAREER proposal for the 2026 submission cycle. 

Application & Selection Process

• Application process: Application will open in February
• Selection process: Application-based
• Notification timeline: Beginning of March

Note: Participation in the cohort does not guarantee proposal submission or funding, but is designed to significantly strengthen proposal readiness and competitiveness

For questions regarding the CAREER webinar and/or cohort program, please reach out to us at researchdev@txst.edu