CR2C2 Fiscal Year 2027 Research and Education Exploratory Grants 

The Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities (CR2C2) has earmarked $400,000 in FY 2026 to fund projects under its Research and Education Exploratory (REE) Grants program, subject to the approval of the Center's budget by the USDOT. The purpose of this program is to fund short-term projects that investigate emerging concepts and novel approaches for addressing transportation challenges in rural communities.

Researchers can now submit project ideas for the FY 2027 cycle of CR2C2’s REE Grants program. Submissions close on February 16, 2026. Proposed projects should last no more than one year. Funding requests should not exceed $50,000 – $75,000. If a research team is invited to submit a full proposal, they must demonstrate a 100% cost-share commitment in their proposal.

Any faculty member, researcher, or professional located at a CR2C2 member university can apply for a REE Grant (see restrictions below). Work completed under a REE Grant may lead to new, larger-scale projects conducted under one of CR2C2’s Major Research Initiatives (MRIs).

If a PI submits multiple ideas and more than one proposal is eligible to proceed to the full proposal stage, CR2C2 will select only one to advance—the most relevant and highest ranked idea.

Guidelines and Requirements:

• CR2C2 encourages submissions involving collaborations among multiple universities.

• One or more project ideas can be submitted from each PI; however, no more than one idea per PI will be invited to submit a full proposal.

• A single person cannot lead more than two active projects (MRI or REE Grant) as the Principal Investigator (PI).

FY 2026 REE Grant Awards Timeline:

• Feb 15, 2026: Deadline for submitting research ideas

• April 15, 2026: CR2C2 notifies researchers invited to submit full proposals

• June 1, 2026: Deadline to submit full proposals

• July 15, 2026: Announcement of winning proposals subject to the USDOT approval

• Aug 1, 2026: Project start date

Submission Guidelines:
Idea write-ups should contain the following information:

1. Project title

2. Names, affiliations, phone numbers, and email addresses of the PI and all team members

3. Project duration

4. Anticipated funding request

5. Project summary (max 400 words): 

• Describe the problem(s) the project will address 

• Describe proposed methods/activities and anticipated outcomes

6. Potential deliverables (max 200 words)

7. Indicate which CR2C2 MRI, or other CR2C2 objectives on EWD or T2C, the project aligns with

8. Up to five (5) keywords

Submit your application as a single Microsoft Word file (< 100 MB) via the Submission Form by Feb 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM.

Note: Proposals will NOT be accepted via email. Please submit via Google Form: https://forms.gle/DtMJtS14KK2sfTfY8

For questions, contact:

• Doug Kreis, CR2C2 Research Director at dougkreis@uky.edu

• Ed Walsh, Program Manager at elwalsh@ncat.edu

Evaluation Criteria:

Proposals should align with:

• CR2C2 objectives (MRIs, EWD, or T2C)

• CR2C2 Research Roadmap

Evaluation will be based on:

• Relevance to CR2C2 objectives  (40%)

• Potential for innovation and technical merit (40%)

• Potential for technology transfer and educational outreach (20%)

All projects are expected to include clear, tangible deliverables that can be transferred to stakeholders and advanced into practice. Please note that while we do not expect the product to be fully advanced into practice within this REEG cycle, we do expect that it will be ready for transfer to stakeholders and positioned for future advancement. Ideas that are only based on interviews and surveys may not be considered.

Research teams whose ideas score highly will be invited to submit a full proposal. Instructions for the full proposal, conduct of research, and other requirements will be provided at that time.