Engineering Research Initiation | 24 590

Opportunity Information: Apply for 24 590

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering (ENG) is offering the Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) grant to help build stronger engineering research capacity across the United States by investing in early-stage academic investigators who have not yet had substantial federal research support. The central idea is to help newer faculty launch or solidify independent research programs and, in the process, support their longer-term development as researchers, educators, and innovators. ERI is also meant to broaden participation in NSF-funded engineering research by expanding the pool of institutions and investigators that are meaningfully engaged in federally supported engineering R and D.

A defining feature of ERI is that it is restricted to non-R1 institutions. Only Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) that are not classified as "Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity" (R1) under the 2021 Carnegie Classification may submit proposals. Eligible institutions include accredited two-year and four-year colleges and universities (including community colleges) with a campus located in the United States, submitting on behalf of their faculty. Institutional eligibility is determined by the Carnegie classification status as of the proposal submission deadline date. NSF explicitly encourages participation from the full range of non-R1 institutions, with particular emphasis on broadening access and opportunity for historically underrepresented or underserved communities in STEM. This includes strong encouragement for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), and two-year colleges. Proposals from EPSCoR jurisdictions are especially encouraged, reflecting NSF's interest in strengthening research competitiveness and capacity in states and territories that historically receive a smaller share of federal research funding.

The principal investigator (PI) eligibility rules are intentionally narrow because the program is designed for researchers who are still establishing their federal funding track record. The PI must hold a doctoral degree in a field supported by NSF and must have an appointment at an ERI-eligible (non-R1) institution. Postdoctoral researchers are not eligible to serve as PI. In addition, by the proposal submission deadline, the PI must not have previously been a PI or co-PI on any current or prior awarded NSF research grant, including situations where they were supported through a subaward. The PI also must not have received research support from any other federal agency (whether within the United States or abroad) totaling $200,000 or more within the past five calendar years measured from the proposal deadline. This threshold is meant to ensure ERI remains focused on investigators who have not yet reached a level of federal research funding that would place them beyond the program's intended audience.

At the same time, ERI recognizes that some forms of federal support do not represent the kind of research-track funding the program is trying to exclude. Several exceptions are explicitly allowed. Awards that are not directly for research purposes, such as workshops, conferences, travel funding, and certain instrumentation and equipment programs (including NSF Major Research Instrumentation, MRI) do not disqualify a PI. Likewise, awards that exclusively support pre-tenure-track activities, such as postdoctoral fellowships and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) support, are not considered disqualifying. Participation in NSF I-Corps and receipt of Phase I SBIR or STTR awards also do not count against eligibility. In addition, some federally sourced funds that are distributed locally without naming the PI in the original federal proposal (for example, certain NASA Space Grant activities or other similar pass-through arrangements, and some NSF EPSCoR infrastructure-related mechanisms) are listed as allowable and do not automatically make the PI ineligible.

A required administrative component is verification of eligibility by institutional leadership. The Department Chair or Dean must provide a letter that explicitly confirms each PI eligibility criterion, including the non-R1 institutional status (as applicable), the PI's appointment and doctoral qualification, and the PI's lack of disqualifying NSF or other federal research funding under the stated rules. This letter is not a formality; it functions as a clear certification that the proposal meets the program's gatekeeping requirements, and applicants are directed to the solicitation's instructions (referenced as Section V.A.) for the specific expectations.

Key opportunity details provided in the notice include that ERI is an NSF discretionary grant opportunity under the Engineering directorate, listed under CFDA number 47.041, with an original closing date of October 9, 2024. The funding opportunity is identified as Engineering Research Initiation with opportunity number 24-590, and it falls under the category of science and technology and other research and development. While the notice excerpt does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the provided fields, the overall purpose is clear: to provide a meaningful early boost to investigators at non-R1 institutions who are poised to develop competitive engineering research programs but have not yet had access to significant federal research support.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Engineering Research Initiation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-09. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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