NSF Translation to Practice Workshop Series
The College of Engineering is launching a new workshop series to help faculty, their graduate students, and postdocs turn cutting‑edge research into real-world applications. The workshop series will focus on preparing a grant application for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Translation to Practice (TTP) Award. Building on Purdue’s long tradition of moving ideas from the lab to the field, this effort highlights the university’s ongoing commitment to research that doesn’t just advance knowledge but changes the way the world works.
Organized by the Graduate Education Office in partnership with Purdue Innovates, the workshop is designed to guide participant teams toward submitting competitive proposals by the May 19, 2026, NSF deadline. The workshop will meet every other Tuesday (January 19 – May 19) from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., giving faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers a forum to develop proposals. Sessions will combine focused lectures with interactive Q&A to walk teams through the major components of the TTP application.
The series begins January 13 with an overview of the funding opportunity, followed by a session on research motivation and partnerships, a key emphasis of the use'inspired TTP program. These early sessions will push teams to articulate why their work matters, who it will benefit, and how partnerships with industry, agencies, or community stakeholders can speed translation and adoption. Subsequent lectures will cover the “Development of Solutions” and “Broader Impacts” sections with Q&A sessions following to support teams as they draft and refine their project descriptions.
Teams will not only draft their own project descriptions, but also peer'review counterparts drafted by other workshop teams, mirroring the collaborative, iterative processes that underpin successful technology translation efforts. This structure helps participants think critically about clarity, feasibility, and impact—the same dimensions reviewers weigh when deciding which projects are most likely to succeed in practice.
The workshop also explicitly aims to build grant writing skills among graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to create a pipeline of scholars who are fluent in both fundamental research and practical implementation. Thus, faculty members from across the College are encouraged to participate, provided they engage at least one graduate student or postdoc as part of their team.
Instruction will feature Dr. Ginger Bolen, Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Graduate Education, Dr. Luna Lu, Vice President for Industry Partnerships and Indiana ACPA Professor in Concrete Paving and Materials Science, and Dr. Matt Dressler, fund manager with Purdue Innovates, along with previous NSF award recipients and reviewers.
Faculty must register by January 9, 2026, and provide contact information for the graduate student or postdoc who will join them in the workshop. Registration is available online (https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b7Tacx825pqe5pA), and questions can be directed to Dr. Bolen at gbolen@purdue.edu.