Research continues to grow at Fresno State, allowing students, faculty and staff to advance scholarly and creative work that can benefit the campus and the greater community. The university’s R2 research designation, first earned in 2022, has been renewed by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

“The continued R2 designation shows that we are competitive and it recognizes the quality of the research work that is being done at our university,” said Dr. Jason Bush, Interim Associate Vice President, Research and Sponsored Programs. “The prestige of being an R2 institution also helps with recruitment of faculty and students and lets our community of potential donors know that we are a research university.”

We're also excited for our upcoming celebration of research on campus during Research Week, set for April 21-25. We look forward to this week-long showcase of guest speakers, workshops, student presentations and more.

The 2025-26 Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity (RSCA) award cycle is now open! Funding is provided by both the Office of the Chancellor and Fresno State’s Provost’s Office.

The Chancellor's Office Transdisciplinary Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Awards provide five awards up to $25,000 for interdisciplinary research, scholarship, and creative activities. Projects should directly address the Evaluation Rubric criteria, though proposals with exceptional merit that do not meet every criterion may still be considered.

The Provost-RSCA Awards provide multiple award options, including:

• Impact Grants: 10-12 awards of up to $15,000 each
• WTU/Stipend Grants: 40-50 awards offering either 3 WTUs of assigned time (academic year, full backfill valued at $7,465, with justification) OR a $5,000 summer stipend
• Micro-Grants: 20 small awards of up to $2,500 each

Faculty are encouraged to use the activities and results from these awards to pursue external funding and broaden the scope of their research, scholarship and creative activities. Applications close at 5 p.m. on Thurs., March 14. Contact your department for more information. 

• Nkenna Onwuzuruoha (Africana Studies) received a $58,793 grant from the Mellon Foundation for her project, "Placemaking: Expanding Black Queer and Feminist Perspectives in Africana Studies."'

• Carol Fry Bohlin (C&I) received a $75,000 grant from the CSU System for her project, "Enhancing the Mathematics Content Knowledge of PreK-5 Teachers in the Central San Joaquin Valley."

• Tania Pacheco-Werner (CVHPI) received a $24,000 grant from the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools for her project, "C2C CalAim Community-Based Supports Project."

• Gurreet Brar (Plant Science) received a $16,000 grant from Valent USA Corporation for his project, "Studying Light and Temperature Interaction with ACC Application for Peach Blossom Thinning."

• Yuanyuan Xie (Mechanical Engineering) received an $8,288 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for his project, "Enhancing Fresno State contract readiness and capacity building."

• Join your Fresno State colleagues in a half-day Creative Thinking Workshop on Fri., Feb. 28, from 8:30 am - 2 pm in RSU 207. Explore innovative research approaches, foster team science, challenge assumptions, and build connections with colleagues. Only the first 55 faculty will be accepted. Register online. Questions: jgoto@mail.fresnostate.edu

• Are you thinking about applying to the NSF CAREER funding program? Register for a live webcast that will provide expert strategies for crafting a competitive proposal. Register now for the free webcast, Fri., Feb. 28, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The webcast will provide a unique opportunity to learn directly from NSF experts and CSU faculty.

• Claude C. Laval Jr. Award for Innovative Technology and Research: Applications for this $5,000 award will be evaluated for creativity, innovation, practical application, and general merit. All currently enrolled full-time Fresno State students are eligible to apply. Each student applicant must list a faculty mentor in their application. Award will be made to the student applicant; faculty are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant.

• Claude C. Laval III Award for Commercialization of Research, Innovation and Creativity: Applications are invited from full-time faculty and students at Fresno State who have an interest in pursuing the next steps towards technology transfer, commercialization and entrepreneurship. Proposed budgets cannot exceed $10,000. Apply starting March 10 via InfoReady for both opportunities.

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