Third Frontier Research Incentive Grant Program

The Ohio Department of Higher Education administers this state funding opportunity under the Third Frontier Research Incentive authority established in Section 381.670 of Amended Substitute House Bill 96 of the 136th Ohio General Assembly. The program is designed to advance collaborative research at institutions of higher education and to support specific programs and initiatives identified in state law. For this solicitation, the eligible initiative is translational research in the application of the Science of Reading through Structured Literacy pedagogy and programming. The RFP frames this work as part of Ohio's larger policy and workforce agenda, stating that stronger literacy outcomes are essential to meeting current and future workforce needs because literacy supports technical learning, communication, adaptation to new technologies, and long-term productivity. The core purpose of the opportunity is to support Centers of Excellence that can strengthen both the adoption and the effectiveness of Science of Reading research and implementation through Structured Literacy pedagogy. The RFP expects applicants to focus on educator preparation and research translation. Specifically, a Center of Excellence should research methods for training professional educators in the fundamentals and effective application of the Science of Reading, produce accessible technical resources for educators, create professional development training materials that translate research into practical reading instruction strategies, assess the effectiveness of those training materials, and build the capacity to translate new research into usable products and materials for educators. The research program is also expected to collaborate with local districts to evaluate the effectiveness of Structured Literacy pedagogy, cultivate expertise on the application and effectiveness of structured literacy on student performance, and identify processes, professional development tools, equipment, and other products that can advance application of the Science of Reading across the education sector. The funding scope is centered on creating up to three Structured Literacy Centers of Excellence. Each center has a projected budget between $750,000 and $1,000,000. The RFP states that the proposed budget should cover the full award period across both fiscal years unless the applicant is specifically applying for only one year of funding, which indicates a two-fiscal-year structure for the solicitation even though no precise performance period dates are stated. The notice also gives important spending rules and restrictions. Indirect costs are capped at a maximum of 8 percent. Direct training costs are not permitted. The budget narrative must explain activities and expenses in each line, prioritize activities by importance to project success, explain how costs were calculated, and clearly label any matching funds that will be leveraged. The RFP does not state that matching funds are required, so match appears optional rather than mandatory. Eligibility is limited to Ohio institutions of higher education defined in state law. Eligible applicants include state universities, community colleges, state community colleges, technical colleges, and nonprofit private institutions of higher education holding a Certificate of Authorization under Ohio law. While the applicant pool is limited to Ohio higher education entities, the RFP strongly encourages collaborative partnerships in order to leverage collective capabilities and increase statewide impact. Proposal content must also reflect collaboration expectations. Applicants are told to build upon existing work in Ohio that has advanced the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy and to take into account Ohio's unique challenges and characteristics. In addition, proposals should describe collaborations that will be part of the research or initiative, define each collaborator's role and responsibilities, and include letters of commitment from anticipated collaborators as attachments. Submission mechanics are straightforward but detailed. Proposals may be submitted beginning March 31, 2026 and are due no later than April 27, 2026. Submission requires one electronic PDF file uploaded to the Ohio Department of Higher Education RFP portal. There is no pre-application, concept paper, or letter of intent requirement stated in the RFP, and the notice expressly says there will be no opportunity to discuss alignment of interest with ODHE prior to submission. Questions about the proposal process must be submitted in writing by email, with respondent questions due April 13, 2026. Required proposal components include a one-page cover letter; a one-page executive summary; a project narrative of up to six pages addressing the Section II criteria in order; a budget narrative and budget table of up to two pages; a partnerships and collaborations section; a support of Ohio industry section; a sustainability section; a project plan with staffing roles, biographies, and a GANTT chart; a project evaluation section; and attachments such as letters of commitment and agreements from collaborative partners. The proposal must be formatted in Arial 11-point font or larger, with limited exceptions for tables and images. Evaluation and award decision-making are also addressed directly in the RFP. Accepted proposals will be reviewed by an independent review team selected by the Chancellor, but final award decisions rest with the Chancellor after considering reviewer recommendations. The Chancellor is not obligated to fund any proposal, may fund applications in full or in part, may request additional information, may require new applications, and may revise the schedule if needed. The notice states that proposals become property of ODHE and are subject to Ohio public records law, with respondents discouraged from including trade secrets. ODHE will monitor funded projects for fiscal accountability, operating progress, and achievement of intended outcomes, and regular reporting will be required. All expenditures must be documented in compliance with the Ohio Revised Code and administrative rules. Funds become available only after execution of a Memorandum of Understanding with ODHE. The key timeline points are clear. The request for proposals was released on March 30, 2026. The proposal submission window runs from March 31 through April 27, 2026. Questions from respondents are due April 13, 2026. Notification of awarded proposals is expected by May 18, 2026. The RFP does not describe this program as annual or recurring, so there is no confirmed future cycle or recurrence schedule in the source. For applicant support, the notice provides proposal-process contacts at csee@highered.ohio.gov and mdunn@highered.ohio.gov, and the department's general phone number appears as 614.466.6000. Overall, this is a competitive state research solicitation focused on strengthening literacy outcomes in Ohio by funding higher education-led, collaborative, research-driven Centers of Excellence that can turn Science of Reading evidence into practical educator resources, training approaches, and statewide implementation support.

Build the proposal around the Section II criteria in the same order used by the RFP; show how the project builds on existing Ohio work and addresses Ohio-specific challenges; define collaborator roles clearly and include commitment letters; connect research outputs to Ohio industry workforce and commerce impact; make the evaluation plan concrete with formative and summative measures; keep the budget compliant by capping indirect costs at 8 percent and excluding direct training costs.