Letter from the Vice Chancellor, Sept. 8, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome back to campus for the fall 2026 semester! I hope the summer months gave you opportunities for rest, renewal and meaningful time with family, friends and colleagues. I am excited to begin a new academic year filled with possibility, growth and achievement. As researchers, scholars and creators, you play a vital role in advancing our university’s mission and the impact we have across Nebraska and beyond.

Over the summer, we celebrated some noteworthy accomplishments that demonstrate the excellence and competitiveness of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s research enterprise on the national level. I would like to highlight a few of these accomplishments.

• A Husker team received a six-year, $18 million grant to establish a National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, which will drive the next generation of materials research.
• UNL is a core partner with Iowa State University and 70 public and private partners in the NSF-funded RuralSTAMINA initiative, bringing $15 million to the region to support growth in biomanufacturing.
• An interdisciplinary team received $800,000 in additional support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for a research, curricular and collaboration hub focused on populations pursuing justice through the law.
• Nebraska is ranked in the top 9% of agriculture and natural resources programs among nearly 500 institutions worldwide, moving from 46th to 40th over the past year.
• Edgar Cahoon became the sixth Husker faculty member elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
• The university is a powerful catalyst for culture, as evidenced by a new mural at the Lincoln Indian Center that features Otoe-Missouria history, and the University of Nebraska Press earning Indie Publisher of the Year honors from Foreword Reviews.
• Nebraska Research stimulates economic growth, with recent examples including Grasshopper Health, the NIMBUS Lab and private company PTx Trimble. In addition, NUtech Ventures recently launched the Innovation Advancement Fund to help move promising university research from the laboratory toward commercialization. 

Federal updates

The federal research environment continues to evolve rapidly, with changes in funding priorities, agency guidance and sponsor expectations creating uncertainty across higher education. Although these changes present new challenges, I am confident that our research community is prepared to respond with resilience, creativity and collaboration — all qualities that Nebraska researchers have continually demonstrated.

I would like to highlight a bright spot in how universities have responded to these developments. Recently, the U.S. Senate approved a continuing resolution (CR) that would block the proposed Office of Management and Budget changes to the Uniform Guidance through at least Dec. 11, 2026. The resolution has now been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed by President Trump. The inclusion in the CR of a delay in finalizing the OMB proposal reflects the extraordinary collective efforts of researchers, universities, scientific societies, health care organizations and industry partners across the country who raised concerns about the potential consequences for the nation’s research enterprise.

UNL submitted comments about the proposed OMB changes and remains actively involved in monitoring developments across the federal agencies. We are partnering with colleagues throughout the Big Ten Conference, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the University of Nebraska System’s government relations team to understand emerging policy changes, advocate for research and position faculty to succeed in a rapidly evolving environment.

Research has always required persistence. While today’s funding environment may look different, new opportunities continue to emerge. They may require new approaches, partnerships and ways of communicating the impact of our work, but the need for discovery, innovation, scholarship and creative endeavors has never been greater.

Looking ahead

The Office of Research and Innovation is committed to helping faculty navigate the current environment and position their work for success. We will continue to offer programs and resources designed to support Nebraska researchers at every career stage.

In alignment with “Our Bold Path Forward,” R&I will continue investing in the people, partnerships and structures that demonstrate the university’s commitment to research and creative endeavors and support future success. We are building the foundation for a stronger, more connected and more impactful research enterprise through a few mechanisms: new research interest groups, strategic growth planning, faculty recognition, expanded support for scholarship and creative activity, coordinated resource mobilization and deeper collaborations across the University of Nebraska System.

Our team is identifying emerging opportunities at the federal level and working with researchers to position their proposals more effectively. Whether you are exploring a new research direction, building a large collaborative effort, strengthening relationships with sponsors or preparing your first proposal, R&I can be a partner in that work.

This moment calls for creativity, adaptability and bold thinking. Researchers who can connect discovery to societal needs, build partnerships across disciplines and sectors, and articulate the value of their work will find success. These are strengths I see on our campus every day.

A key theme of the university’s strategic plan is that every person and every interaction matters. This is especially true in research, where individual efforts create collective impact. I encourage you to continue doing what you do best: submitting proposals, mentoring students, producing scholarly work and sharing discoveries.

Keep pursuing ambitious ideas, building new collaborations and sharing the value of your work with the communities that UNL serves. Your research, scholarship and creative endeavors play critical roles in improving lives across Nebraska while advancing knowledge for the benefit of society.

Thank you for all you do to advance the university’s research mission. We’re beginning this academic year with momentum, opportunity and a shared purpose. I look forward to our continued partnership and all we will accomplish together.

There truly is no place like Nebraska.

Warm regards,

Jennifer Mize Nelson
Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation

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