Faculty Research Awards Committee (FRAC)

New Policy Update, August 2026 

 Standard Operating Procedure for Combined Fellowship and Off-Campus Duty Assignment Support 

 Program Applications & Deadlines 

 FRAC Applications will only be electronically administered through InfoReady . InfoReady is found in the  PackPortal  and requires Duo sign-in. Login for InfoReady is through Single Sign On (SSO) Banner, which is your network ID and password. 

 When a pplying to FRAC through   InfoReady , which is located within the Tools menu in the   PackPortal ,  you have four options for  applying: 

 

 

 

 

 Provost’s Challenge Research Seed Fund  

 

 

 Faculty Research Fund 

 

 

 RTT Travel Fund s 

 

 

 Off-Campus Duty Assignment (also known as Sabbatical or Compensated Leave ) 

 

 

 

 

 Applications for  all four FRAC funding programs  open annually on  September 1 . Completed proposals must be submitted by  5:00 p.m. (Central Time)  on the  third Friday of October .   

 

 2026-2027 Committee Members  

 

 

 

 

 Beck College of Sciences and Mathematics: Pending  

 

 

 College of Agriculture:  Dr. Jianfeng "Jay" Xu 

 

 

 College of Education & Behavioral Science: Dr. Ibrahim Duyar   

 

 

 College of Engineering & Computer Science: Dr. Rober t  “ Drew ”  Fleming   

 

 

 College of Liberal Arts & Communication: Pending   

 

 

 College of Nursing & Health Professions: Dr. Binol Balachandar   

 

 

 College of Veterinary Medicine: Vacant until Fall 2027   

 

 

 Neil Griffin College of Business: Dr. Pankaj Nagpal   

 

 

 

 

 Ex officio: Travis Marsico, Ph.D. tmarsico@astate.edu   Vice Provost for Research, Innovation, and Discovery