This presentation offers a practical guide to developing and managing funded research and development (R&D) projects in academic and applied research contexts, grounded in experience generating more than $10 million in grant and project funding, both individually and in collaboration with interdisciplinary partners. It examines motivations for seeking external funding and outlines what sponsors value, including alignment with mission, demonstrated expertise, institutional capacity, and potential impact. The session walks through the full grant development lifecycle. Key proposal components, review processes, and submission requirements are also discussed, equipping early career researchers with actionable strategies to improve funding success and manage sponsored projects effectively.

About the Presenter:

Dr. Deepak Khazanchi is the Mutual of Omaha Distinguished Chair of Information Science & Technology (IS&T) and Professor in the College of Information Science & Technology (IS&T) at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). Between 2002 and 2021, he served the College of IS&T as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Community Engagement & Internationalization Officer, and Chair of the Department of ISQA. He has affiliate appointments in UNO’s International Studies & Programs & the Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Center for Human Rights. Deepak has served as an invited scholar at the University of Agder (Norway), UIBE (China), Mahindra University (India), Chiba University of Commerce (Japan), and Management Center Innsbruck (Austria). Deepak is a Fulbright alum having received a core grant for Austria (2022) and specialist grants for Norway (2014) & Japan (2023). His recent research publications include areas such as ethics & perceived fairness of AI/ML systems, Metaverse Technology Capabilities, Decent work in IT, applied AI/ML for Structural Health Monitoring, & B2B Assurance. He has been engaged in the Omaha community for more than two decades in a variety of ways including as a part of several nonprofit boards and with community passion projects such as CodeCrush and iSTEM after school. Deepak is Fellow of the IAITQM (International Academy of Information Technology and Quantitative Management). He has been recognized by the Nebraska Tech Collaborative as one of their 2024 PIONEERS. Deepak has received the 2025 Omaha STEM Ecosystem Transforming Communities Award, and the 2024
AIM Institute’s Higher Education Technology Leader Award. His undergraduate alma mater, IIT Kharagpur, honored him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award (DAA) in its commencement held on December 30th 2024. Dr. Khazanchi’s detailed bio including all his publications and community projects are available at https://dkhazanchi.com and his twitter (X) handle is @khazanchi. He is living his dream as an academic and enjoys any free time he has with his family and traveling.