National Science Foundation (NSF)

Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 0

J. Schaibley (Physics) 
I. Djordjevic (Electrical & Computer Engineering)

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 2

Limitations on the number of proposals per organization do not apply to the Letters of Intent.

Lead organizations are limited to submit no more than two (2) Challenge Institute Preliminary Proposals. Lead organizations are limited to submit no more than two (2) invited Challenge Institute Full Proposals. Multi-institutional Challenge Institute proposals must be submitted as a single proposal by a single lead organization; separately submitted collaborative proposals are not permitted.

Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time):

     February 07, 2025

Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time):

     March 07, 2025

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time):

     September 17, 2025

Synopsis of Program:

Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes are large-scale interdisciplinary research projects motivated by major challenges at the frontiers of quantum information science and technology (QIST). Institutes are expected to catalyze breakthroughs on important problems underpinning QIST, for example in the focus areas of quantum computation, quantum communication, quantum simulation and/or quantum sensing. Successful institutes will coordinate a variety of approaches to specific scientific, technological, and educational goals in these fields, including multiple institutions and building upon multiple disciplines, as motivated by the science and engineering challenges. In so doing, Institutes will nurture a culture of discovery, provide education, training, and workforce development opportunities in the context of cutting-edge research, and demonstrate value-added from synergistic coordination within the institute and with the broader community. Partnerships, infrastructure, industry engagement, outreach, international collaboration, and new applications for QIST should be fostered by Institutes in support of their research, education, and coordination goals.

The QLCI program can support awards to continue existing Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes or to establish and operate new Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes. In either case, proposers should follow the same guidance for Challenge Institute proposal preparation described in this solicitation. While this is a crosscutting program, proposals responding to this solicitation must be submitted to the Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) in the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS). They will subsequently be managed by a cross-disciplinary team of NSF Program Directors.

The QLCI program enables NSF multidisciplinary centers for quantum research and education as called for in the National Quantum Initiative (NQI) Act1 and an NQI Advisory Committee report, Renewing the National Quantum Initiative: Recommendations for Sustaining American Leadership in Quantum Information Science2.In alignment with the NQI Act, Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes shall pursue research at the frontiers of quantum information science, engineering, and technology, and explore solutions to important challenges for the development, application, commercialization, and pioneering use of quantum technologies. QLCI Institutes shall also lead education, training, and workforce development activities as may be needed for sustained leadership in QIST and related topics. Coordination both within each Institute and with new partners and the broader ecosystem should also serve to galvanize the community and catalyze the research and education activities in ways that go beyond what smaller projects could accomplish in isolation.

Limit: 5 // Tickets Available: 0

K. Hazeli (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering) 
B. LeRoy (Physics)
V. Yurkiv (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering) 
J. Bredas (Chemistry & Biochemistry)
Z. Mutlu (Materials Science & Engineering) 

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 5 
Each organization is limited to serving as lead on five (5) DMREF proposals. In the event that an organization exceeds this limit, the proposals will be accepted based on their times of submission, whereas the rest of the proposals will be returned without review, without exception. There is no limit on the number of proposals in which an organization may serve in a Collaborative, non-lead role.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 1
No individual may appear as Senior/Key Personnel (PI, Co-PI, Faculty or Other Senior/Key Personnel) on more than one (1) DMREF proposal submitted in response to this solicitation. In the event that an individual exceeds this limit, any DMREF proposal submitted to this solicitation with this individual listed as Senior/Key Personnel after the rst DMREF proposal is received at NSF will be returned without review, without exception. Changes in investigator roles post-submission to meet the eligibility requirements will not be allowed. It is the responsibility of the submitters to con rm that the entire team is within the eligibility guidelines.

Program Description: 
DMREF seeks to foster the design, discovery, and development of materials to accelerate their path to deployment by harnessing the power of data and computational tools in concert with experiment and 3theory. DMREF emphasizes a deep integration of experiments, computation, and theory; the use of accessible digital data across the materials development continuum; and strengthening connections among theorists, computational scientists, data scientists, mathematicians, statisticians, and experimentalists as well as those from academia, industry, and government. DMREF is committed to the education and training of a next-generation materials research and development (R&D) workforce; wellequipped for successful careers as educators and innovators; and able to take full advantage of the materials development continuum and innovation infrastructures that NSF is creating through partnership with other federal and international agencies.

Eligibility: 
Who May Submit Proposals: 
Proposals may only be submitted by the following: Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) - Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of subawards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus. 

Who May Serve as PI: 
By the submission deadline, any PI, co-PI, or other Senior/Key project personnel must hold either: A tenured or tenure-track position, or A primary, full-time, paid appointment in a research or teaching position with exceptions granted for family or medical leave, as determined by the submitting institution. 15An investigator who is a PI or co-PI of a DMREF award based on a proposal submitted in response to the previous DMREF Solicitation ( NSF 23-530) cannot be a PI or co-PI for this DMREF solicitation, but may serve as Senior/Key Personnel. Proposals violating this limitation will be returned without review. 
 

Limit: 1 // Available: 0

M. Krunz (Electrical & Computer Engineering) 

An organization may submit one proposal per submission window. An organization must wait for a determination from NSF (e.g., Award, Decline, or Returned Without Review) on the pending proposal before submitting a new proposal in the next window. Declined proposals require a new invitation to submit (via the Concept Outline process) and significant revision, while proposals Returned Without Review may be submitted using the same invited Concept Outline (assuming that the proposal is received within one year of the original Concept Outline invitation).

The Expanding AI Innovation through Capacity Building and Partnerships (ExpandAI) program is a multi-year program that aims to significantly diversify participation in AI research, education, and workforce development through capacity development and partnerships within the National AI Research Institutes ecosystem.

PROGRAM TRACKS

This program solicitation offers two Tracks corresponding to stages of readiness for partnerships in AI Institutes. These are “ExpandAI Capacity Building Pilots” and “ExpandAI Partnerships” as described below.

Track 1: ExpandAI Capacity Building Pilots

Capacity Building Pilots (CAP) are planning and growth efforts focused on the establishment of AI activities at the funded MSI and the early exploration of future synergistic partnerships that have the potential to be part of prospective ExpandAI Partnerships. Successful pilots will result in establishing new AI research capacity, education/workforce development in AI, and/or AI infrastructure capacity at the proposing institution and, potentially, a basis for future AI partnerships. CAP activities should plan for engaging appropriate communities to test the feasibility of partnerships as well as developing plans for continuing capacity development. Plans should consider required research infrastructure, plans to leverage established groups in related research areas, and inclusion of faculty training and research experiences that emphasize the diversification of investigators.

Proposals must articulate a clear vision motivating the capacity building activities, with a focus on long-term benefits to the MSI such as enhanced faculty capacity for foundational and/or use-inspired AI research or new effective models for increased education and career pathways in AI. Proposals to this track must include a strong Institutional Need and Support Statement (see proposal preparation instructions) containing an assessment of the current AI research and instructional capacity and infrastructure, a demonstration of institutional need for capacity building in AI, and a statement of the commitment of institutional support for the proposed activities. Proposals that substantiate a strong case in this need and support statement are likely to be most compelling for the funding opportunity. Further guidance for this supporting document can be found in Proposal Preparation Instructions.

Successful proposals will feature a Capacity Building Plan that features clear and measurable outcomes/benefits of capacity building. Suitable activities for such a plan are:

• establishment or significant enhancement of foundational or use-inspired AI research, marked by increased faculty research output;
• design of academic pathways or innovative models for teaching and learning in AI, incorporating how students learn effectively in AI activities, and bringing AI disciplinary advances into the undergraduate and graduate experience;
• establishment or significant expansion of AI career pathways for students resulting from new AI activities;
• enhanced AI research infrastructure;
• significant increase in the participation of investigators and students who have been traditionally underserved and underrepresented in AI; and
• a plan for objective process evaluation in support of the proposed efforts.

Note that this list is representative of suitable activities and outcomes for this track. CAP activities need not be limited to this list, and proposals do not have to include every type of outcome represented in that list. Proposers are encouraged to select and integrate the activities most appropriate for their institutional context and their vision for capacity building toward partnerships.

Early partnership development between the proposing MSI and one or more AI Institutes is neither required nor encouraged in a CAP proposal.

Track 2: ExpandAI Partnerships

The ExpandAI Partnership (PARTNER) track is an opportunity for MSIs to scale up already-established AI research and/or education programs and to initiate/leverage new collaborations with AI Institutes. These partnerships will be multi-organization collaborations submitted by an MSI and will include a subaward to an AI Institute. PARTNER projects are centered around shared, complementary goals. Proposals will be submitted as single-organizational collaborative proposals. PARTNER proposals may only be submitted by a qualifying MSI as indicated in Eligible Institutions in this solicitation.

PARTNER proposals should scale up and make fully productive an appropriate existing capacity in AI research, education/workforce development, and/or infrastructure capacity. The proposing MSI in this track is not required to have previously been awarded a CAP project under this program. PARTNER proposals must constitute a significant new partnership that has the clear potential to build on the institution’s current AI capacity as well as leverage the intrinsic strengths and talents of the MSI for mutual benefit in collaborative AI activities.

MSIs applying for this track must demonstrate readiness to leverage external expertise and financial resources to focus on medium- and long-range plans to leverage this funding opportunity and new partnerships to develop AI capacity within the MSI, including but not limited to further development of the MSI’s envisioned methodological thrusts, use cases, educational and/or workforce development activities, and the potential for the MSI to expand and scale these efforts through formal, mutually beneficial partnerships. Proposals should include at least one (and if appropriate, more) established AI Institutes in developing a roadmap for collaborative work in some unifying theme or focus.

PARTNER proposals must feature a compelling Partnership Roadmap for collaborative work in some unifying theme or focus. Roadmaps are the beginning of a joint strategy between organizations for collaborative work. These roadmaps may also include community building activities (e.g., workshops) to further develop common interests, objectives, and goals for the growth of collaborative activities. Effective roadmaps are both depicted visually (e.g., conceptual diagram, logic model, table, etc.) and fully explained by a descriptive narrative. The roadmap should address all proposed projects involving research, education/workforce development, infrastructure, and any other types that are applicable to the collaboration. Roadmaps might address:

• enhancement of existing projects by virtue of new collaboration;
• initiation of new projects made possible by the collaboration;
• community building activities (e.g., workshops) to further develop common interests, objectives, and further growth of the partnership;
• potential and plans for scaling nascent programs;
• an evaluation plan for measuring the growth and mutual benefit of activities in all projects.

Note that this list is representative of suitable features of a Partnership Roadmap. Proposers may adapt this list and depict the roadmap in the way that best suits the unique vision of the PARTNER proposal.

Proposals to this track must include a strong Institutional Need and Support Statement from the proposing MSI (see proposal preparation instructions) containing an assessment of the current AI research and instructional capacity and infrastructure, progress in AI capacity development and how that relates to the outlook for partnership development, and a demonstration of the commitment of institutional support for the proposed activities. In addition, each proposal to this track must include an Institute Integration Plan submitted by the collaborating institute demonstrating thoughtful and well-resourced commitment to coordination mechanisms that will bring together the various participants of the project. Further guidance for these supporting documents can be found in Proposal Preparation Instructions.

Tickets: 1 / Available: 0

C.K. Chan

The overarching goal of this solicitation is to democratize access to NSF’s advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI) ecosystem and ensure fair and equitable access to resources, services, and expertise by strengthening how Cyberinfrastructure Professionals (CIP) function in this ecosystem. It aims to achieve this by (1) deepening the integration of CIPs into the research enterprise, and (2) fostering innovative and scalable education, training, and development of instructional materials, to address emerging needs and unresolved bottlenecks in CIP workforce development. Specifically, this solicitation seeks to nurture, grow and recognize the national CIP [1] workforce that is essential for creating, utilizing and supporting advanced CI to enable and potentially transform fundamental science and engineering (S&E) research and education and contribute to the Nation's overall economic competitiveness and security. Together, the principal investigators (PIs), technology platforms, tools, and expert CIP workforce supported by this solicitation operate as an interdependent ecosystem wherein S&E research and education thrive. This solicitation will support NSF’s advanced CI ecosystem with a scalable, agile, diverse, and sustainable network of CIPs that can ensure broad adoption of advanced CI resources and expert services including platforms, tools, methods, software, data, and networks for research communities, to catalyze major research advances, and to enhance researchers' abilities to lead the development of new CI. 

Limit: 2 // Available: 1

Micheal Wu (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Vulnerabilities in an open-source product (software and non-software) and/or its continuous development, maintenance, integration, and deployment infrastructure can potentially be exploited to attack any user (human, organization, and/or another product/entity) of the product and/or its derivations. To respond quickly to the growing threats to the safety, security, and privacy of OSEs, NSF is launching the Safety, Security, and Privacy of Open-source Ecosystems (Safe-OSE) program.

This program seeks to fund impactful, mature open-source ecosystems to address important classes of safety, security, and privacy vulnerabilities. In this context, mature signifies that the ecosystem in question has already established a robust community of contributors, an extensive group of users, a managing organization that steers the development of the product, and the essential infrastructure needed to keep the ecosystem running.

This program grows out of the Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (POSE) program which supports new managing organizations to catalyze distributed, community-driven development and growth of new OSEs to address the discerned need to address safety, security, and privacy vulnerabilities in impactful OSEs.

Unlike NSF's Dear Colleague Letter inviting proposals related to open-source software security (NSF 23-149), which focuses on fundamental cybersecurity research, the Safe-OSE program solicits proposals from OSEs, including those not originally funded by POSE, to address safety, security, and/or privacy vulnerabilities proactively in existing, mature OSEs. These vulnerabilities can be technical (e.g., vulnerabilities in code, side-channels potentially disclosing sensitive information) and/or socio-technical (e.g., supply chain issues, insider threats, biases, and social engineering), as long as they are deemed significant in the context of the OSE. The goal of the Safe-OSE program is to catalyze meaningful improvements in the safety, security, and privacy of the targeted OSE that the managing organization does not currently have the resources to undertake. The program especially focuses on efforts in which enhancing the safety, security, and privacy of the OSE will lead to demonstrable improvement in its positive societal and economic impacts.

Proposals to this program should provide clear evidence that OSE team leaders have established a thorough understanding of the threat landscape, vulnerabilities, and/or failure modes for the open-source product(s) managed by the OSE. Proposals should describe, where appropriate, what other products depend upon the safe, secure, and privacy-preserving functions of the OSE. Proposals should situate the OSE's threat landscape in the larger context of known threats and/or vulnerabilities and discuss any significant prior incidents affecting the product(s). A realistic plan for addressing risks related to safety, security, and privacy should address the threat landscape and describe how Safe-OSE funding will meaningfully improve the OSE's capabilities for addressing vulnerabilities as well as for detecting and recovering from incidents.

Funds from this program should not be directed toward fundamental research or at readily resolvable, known bugs/issues, but rather toward strategies, methods, and actions that will fundamentally improve the open-source product's safety, security, and privacy stance. Funds from this program can also be directed at efforts to bolster the OSE's resiliency for recovering from future incidents. Thus, the proposal should articulate how Safe-OSE funding will improve the broader national, societal, and/or economic impacts of the OSE by hardening it against adverse events over the long term.

Who May Submit Proposals:

Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

• Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities.
• For-profit organizations: U.S.-based commercial organizations, including small businesses, with strong capabilities in scientific or engineering research or education and a passion for innovation.
• State and Local Governments
• Tribal Nations: An American Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges as a federally recognized tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. §§ 5130-5131.
• Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) - Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members.

Who May Serve as PI:

For Institutions of Higher Education:

By the submission deadline, any PI, co-PI, or other Senior/Key Personnel must hold either:

• a tenured or tenure-track position, or
• a primary, full-time, paid appointment in a research or teaching position, or
• a staff leadership role in an Open-Source Program Office or equivalent position

at a U.S.-based campus of an Institution of Higher Education (see above), with exceptions granted for family or medical leave, as determined by the submitting institution.

Individuals with primary appointments at overseas branch campuses of U.S. institutions of higher education are not eligible. Researchers from foreign academic institutions who contribute essential expertise to the project may participate as Senior/Key Personnel or collaborators but may not receive NSF support.

For all other eligible proposing organizations:

The PI must be an employee of the proposing organization who is normally resident in the US and must be acting as an employee of the proposing organization while performing PI responsibilities. The PI may perform the PI responsibilities while temporarily out of the U.S.

Individuals with primary appointments at non-U.S. based non-profit or non-U.S. based for-profit organizations are not eligible.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 2

Up to two (2) preliminary proposals per lead organization are allowed. NSF will review the preliminary proposals and provide a binding "Invite" or "Do Not Invite" response for each preliminary proposal. Invited organizations will be allowed to submit a full proposal on the project described in the preliminary proposal by the full proposal submission deadline.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

U of A may submit one proposal.

NSF seeks proposals to create an NSF National Resource Coordination Center on Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) (IUSE Center) that will be an intellectual partner to the IUSE: EDU community and NSF. Working in concert with the IUSE: EDU program, the goal of the IUSE Center is to serve as a focal point and intellectual partner for the IUSE: EDU community. The objectives of the IUSE Center are to:

• Enhance the reach and influence of IUSE investments by facilitating communication, engagement, and networking among IUSE: EDU award recipients, prospective recipients, and other stakeholders; and
• Provide support and resources for development and maintenance of IUSE: EDU projects, especially for prospective recipients and those underrepresented in the IUSE: EDU award recipient community.

The IUSE Center will be expected to work collaboratively with NSF and the IUSE: EDU community to design, implement, and execute its activities and ensure the inclusion of diverse educators and education researchers representing the full range of the nation's talent pool, of eligible institutions and organizations, and of STEM education efforts funded through the IUSE: EDU Program.

Limit: 3 // Available: 0

C. Walker (Astronomy)
J. Thangavelautham (Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering) 
D. Lauretta (Planetary Sciences)

U of A may submit three pre-proposals.

Each STC must:

• Be focused on exceptionally innovative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term funding;
• Be based at an institution of higher education which assumes responsibility for oversight of sub-awards to all other partner institutions;
• Be directed by a faculty member with experience in leading research teams;
• Demonstrate institutional commitment to achieving strategic goals that are shared by the lead and other partnering institutions;
• Establish multi-institutional collaborations or linkages with other universities/colleges, national laboratories, research museums, private sector research laboratories, state and local government organizations, and international collaborations, as appropriate;
• Develop a management plan that integrates the research, education, broadening participation, and knowledge transfer activities across all partners and affiliates;
• Incorporate teams at all organizational levels of the Center that represent the full spectrum of diverse talent that society has to offer and include members of groups underrepresented in STEM;
• Provide research and education opportunities for U.S. graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty that will result in outcomes consonant with the Center's goals;
• Facilitate knowledge transfer through significant intellectual exchange between the Center and various types of institutions and organizations (e.g., nonprofit organizations; national laboratories; industry; Federal, state, and local governments); and,
• Establish and convene at least annually an External Advisory Committee to provide guidance, advice, and oversight.

Required U of A pre-proposal elements

The UA pre-proposal contains the following required sections and will be entered into text boxes on the application. Only text is accepted (no images, figures, tables, etc.):

1. Summary
   250-word limit. Provide a summary of your proposed activities. This should be a self-contained description of the proposed work and outcomes that would result if funded. This should be understandable to a scientifically or technically literate lay reader.
2. Significance
   250-word limit. Describe the compelling reasons for the proposal. How will the work be an original contribution or what problem will your proposal address?
3. Fit with Funder
   250-word limit. How does the proposed work fit the stated goals of the sponsor and the intentions of the funding program?
4. Approach
   500-word limit. Describe the proposed activities, procedures and methodology to be used. Note any potential problems or limitations that might arise.
5. Expected Outcomes
   250-word limit. What changes, impacts, results, or contributions to knowledge do you expect as an outcome of the proposed project?

Uploaded as a PDF:

1. NSF Project Summary page
   1-page limit; ensure that you address NSF's goals of broadening participation and impact clearly and distinctly
2. PDF List of all Project Personnel and List of all Institutions and Organizations
   Attempt to fit this on one-page, a table is preferred
3. PI NSF BioSketch
   NSF format BioSketch. There is a 3-page limit on BioSketches

Program Description

Full sponsor guidelines https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/science-technology-centers-in…

The Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program supports exceptionally innovative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term awards. STCs focus on creating new scientific paradigms, establishing entirely new scientific disciplines, and developing transformative technologies which have the potential for broad scientific or societal impact. STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships among institutions of higher education, national laboratories, industrial organizations, other public or private entities, and via international collaborations, as appropriate. They provide a means to undertake potentially groundbreaking investigations at the interfaces of disciplines and/or highly innovative approaches within disciplines. STCs may involve any area of science and engineering that NSF supports. STC investments support the NSF vision of creating and exploiting new concepts in science and engineering and providing global leadership in research and education.

Centers provide a rich environment for encouraging scientists, engineers, and educators to take risks in pursuing discoveries and new knowledge. STCs foster excellence in education by integrating education and research, and by creating connections between learning and inquiry so that discovery and creativity fully support the learning process.

Institutionally Coordinated // Please contact the Office of HSI Initiatives for more information.

 HSI Initiatives would coordinate the submission for the Institutional Transformation Track (ITT) and HSI Program Resource Hubs (Hubs).
UArizona does not have any active Institutional Transformation Track (ITT), so there should not be any limit on the Departmental/Division Transformation Track (DDTT) track proposals.
UArizona is not eligible for the Emerging Faculty Research Track (EFRT).

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) are an important component of the nation’s higher education ecosystem and play a critical role in realizing the National Science Board Vision Report for a more diverse and capable science and engineering workforce. Aligned with this vision and the NSF Strategic Plan 2022 -2026 the goals of the NSF HSI Program are to:

1. Enhance the quality of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at HSIs.

2. Increase the recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of students pursuing associate’s or baccalaureate degrees in STEM at HSIs.

Meeting these goals requires institutions to understand and embrace their students’ strengths, challenges, identities and lived experiences. This can happen in many ways and across many areas of an institution. As such, the IUSE: HSI program provides multiple opportunities to support an institution’s goal to become more student centered, including the Equitable Transformation in STEM Education (ETSE) competition. This competition includes the following tracks:

• Departmental/Division Transformation Track (DDTT) - New

• Institutional Transformation Track (ITT)

• Emerging Faculty Research Track (EFRT) - New

• HSI Program Resource Hubs (Hubs)

This solicitation will also accept conference proposals and planning proposals, as defined by the PAPPG.

The ETSE competition focuses on (1) institutional transformation projects that support HSIs in their effort to achieve equity in STEM education, and (2) the infrastructure—the HSI-Net network of resource hubs—which supports the overall program goals.

Institutions are encouraged to consider how their HSI designation, and their organizational mission align to better support STEM success of all students. The ETSE competition welcomes proposals that look to implement and evaluate promising practices and/or conduct research related to broadening participation or improving recruitment, retention, graduation, and other successful outcomes in STEM undergraduate education.

The ETSE solicitation supports projects designed to catalyze change and help HSIs meet students where they are, accounting for their assets and the challenges they may face. Identities and experiences are not determined solely by membership in a single monolithic population of students (e.g., Hispanic, first-generation, commuter, etc.). Consequently, institutions are expected to use institutional data to identify equity gaps, identify areas of need, and unpack the factors that shape students’ individual identities and shared experiences. The perspectives gained from this data should be central to the design of the proposed project.

Please see below for specific information about each track. While proposals are focused on mechanisms for transforming undergraduate STEM education, projects should also consider student voices and include mechanisms to aggregate and analyze existing student feedback and collect quantitative and qualitative student data throughout the life of the proposed project.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

DDTT proposals: Eligible institutions with an active Track 3: Institutional Transformation project (ITP) award from NSF 22-611, NSF 22-545, or NSF 20-599 or an active ITT award from this solicitation must describe how the proposed DDTT project is compatible with the efforts being undertaken by the active award.

ITT proposals: Eligible institutions may submit one proposal and may not have an active Track 3 Institutional Transformation Project (ITP) award from, NSF 22-611, NSF 22-545, or NSF 20-599. Institutions with an active DDTT award from this solicitation must describe how the proposed ITT project is compatible with the departmental/divisional transformation effort being undertaken by the active award.

EFRT and Hub proposals: No Restrictions

Limit: 1// I. Reyes ( Collge of Education -  Borderlands Education Center (BEC))

Planning Grant (these require approval from the NSF Program Officer): J. Watkins (Math)

In response to the CHIPS Act of 2022 (Pub.L. 117-167), NSF is establishing the National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program. The purpose of this program is to elevate the profession of STEM teaching by establishing a National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program to recognize outstanding STEM teachers in our Nation’s classrooms, reward them for their accomplishments, elevate their public profile, and create rewarding career paths to which all STEM teachers can aspire, both to prepare future STEM researchers and to create a scientifically literate public.

With this solicitation, NSF is inviting proposals to establish an initial set of Regional Alliances responsible for (a) recruiting eligible applicants to become members of the National STEM Teacher Corps (see definitions in section II.A.); (b) screening, interviewing, and selecting members; and (c) supporting other activities detailed in the Program Description and the law (136 STAT. 1515).

Each Alliance will be awarded as a cooperative agreement that represents the breadth of activities important to National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program and serves to elevate the public profile of STEM teachers within the region. Collectively these Alliances are expected to have a national impact. 

The National STEM Teacher Corps also welcomes planning proposals submitted at any time during the year. See Section II.E for additional information about the preparation and submission of planning proposals.

Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 0

M. Franco (HSI Initiatives) 
N. Hennessey (ENGineering Access, Greater Equity and Diversity)
 

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 2

An eligible organization may participate in two Innovations in Graduate Education proposals per annual competition. Participation includes serving as a lead organization on a non-collaborative proposal or as a lead organization, non-lead organization, or subawardee on a collaborative proposal. Organizations participating solely as evaluators on projects are excluded from this limitation.

The Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) Program is designed to encourage development and implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative approaches to STEM graduate education training. The program seeks proposals that a) explore ways for graduate students in STEM master's and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers, or b) support research on the graduate education system and outcomes of systemic interventions and policies.

IGE projects are intended to generate the knowledge required for the customization, implementation, and broader adoption of potentially transformative approaches to graduate education. The program supports piloting, testing, and validating novel models or activities and examining systemic innovations with high potential to enrich and extend the knowledge base on effective graduate education approaches.

The program addresses both workforce development, emphasizing broad participation, and institutional capacity-building needs in graduate education. Strategic collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science organizations, and academic partners are encouraged.