EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement: EPSCoR Research Fellows Grant

EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII): EPSCoR Research Fellows

Agency: U.S. National Science Foundation

Assistance Listings: 47.083 -- Integrative Activities

47.075 -- Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences

47.079 -- Office of International Science and Engineering

47.041 -- Engineering

47.074 -- Biological Sciences

47.049 -- Mathematical and Physical Sciences

47.076 -- STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources)

47.084 -- NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships

47.070 -- Computer and Information Science and Engineering

47.050 -- Geosciences

Last Updated: June 10, 2025 View version history on Grants.gov

Description

The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research is designed to fulfill the mandate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to promote scientific progress nationwide. NSF EPSCoR facilitates the establishment of partnerships among academic institutions, government, industry, and non-profit sectors that are designed to promote sustainable improvements in a jurisdiction's research infrastructure, Research and Development (R&D) capacity, and R&D competitiveness of EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions (i.e., states, territories, and commonwealths). Eligibility to participate in the EPSCoR... funding opportunities, including the EPSCoR RII: EPSCoR Research Fellows program, is described on the NSF EPSCoR website.

EPSCoR RII: EPSCoR Research Fellows directly aligns with the NSF EPSCoR strategic goal of establishing sustainable Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professional development pathways that advance workforce development and effects engagement in STEM at national and global levels. EPSCoR RII: EPSCoR Research Fellows provides awards to build researchcapacityin institutions and transform the career trajectories of investigators and further develop their individual research potential through collaborations with investigators from the nation’s premier private, governmental, or academic research institutions and/or centers. The fellowship provides opportunities to establish strong collaborations through extended or periodic collaborative visits to a selected host site.Through collaborative research activities with the host site, Fellows will be able to learn new techniques, develop new collaborations, advance existing partnerships, benefit from access to unique equipment and facilities, and/or shift their research toward potentially transformative new directions. The experiences gained through the fellowships are intended to have lasting impacts that will enhance the Fellows’ research trajectories well beyond the award period. The benefits to the Fellows are also expected to improve the research capacity of their institutions and jurisdictions more broadly.

EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII): EPSCoR Research Fellows offers the following two tracks:

1)EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF; and

2) EPSCoR Research Fellows: @NASA 

While the two tracks have similar goals, EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF is open to a broad community and EPSCoR Research Fellows: @NASA supports faculty from eligible institutions (See Section"IV. Eligibility Information" for more details) to collaborate with researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) research centers. PIs who are eligible for both tracks may apply for only one track per competition cycle.

Proposals from both tracks are submitted to and merit reviewed by NSF. Awards in the EPSCoR Research Fellows: @NASA track are referred to NASA EPSCoR for distribution of additional NASA funds and other needed NASA coordination required for the award.

In both tracks, the EPSCoR RII: EPSCoR Research Fellows program provides opportunities for the participation of one trainee, who must be an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled full-time in an accredited degree program, or a postdoctoral researcher from an EPSCoR jurisdiction. Staff members, such as technicians or lab assistants could be considered as trainees when properly justified. Show full description

Eligibility

Eligible applicants

Miscellaneous

• Other

Additional information

*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following:
-
EPSCoR jurisdictions that are RII-eligible for the FY2024 competition are listed in the RII Eligibility table, which can be found here.

Proposals may only be submitted by organizations located in RII-eligible jurisdictions, as follows:
- Institutions of higher education (Ph.D.-granting and non-Ph.D.-granting), acting on behalf of their faculty members, that are accredited in and have a campus in the United States, its territories or possessions. Distinct academic campuses (e.g., that award their own degrees, have independent administrative structures, admissions policies, alumni associations, etc.) within multi-campus systems qualify as separate submission-eligible institutions.
- Not-for-profit, non-degree-granting domestic U.S. organizations, acting on behalf of their employees, that include (but are not limited to) independent museums and science centers, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar organizations that are directly associated with the Nation's research or educational activities. These organizations must have an independent, permanent administrative organization (e.g., an Office of Sponsored Projects) located in the United States, its territories, or possessions, and have 501(c)(3) tax status.
In addition, for the EPSCoR Research Fellows: @NASA opportunity, PIs must be employed by an institution that is from at least one of the following categories:
- Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), including two-year colleges, that award associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees, and/or master's degrees in NSF-supported fields, but have awarded 20 or fewer Ph.D./D.Sci. degrees in all NSF-supported fields during the combined previous two academic years;
- Institutions of higher education that are dedicated to serve students with disabilities, as listed in Table 1, page 5, of NSF’s 2008 Broadening Participation report (https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2022-03/nsfframeworkforaction0808.pdf); and
- Minority-serving institutions as in42 §USC 18901
*Who May Serve as PI:

Principal Investigatorsmust either:
- Be in an early-career, or mid-career-track position at an eligible non-degree-granting organization or
- Hold a non-tenured or tenured faculty position at the Lecturer, Research Faculty, Assistant or Associate Professor rank (or in an equivalent position)at an institution of higher education.
Additional guidance on eligibility for both tracks:
- For the faculty category of the PI, the faculty ranking should be determined by the faculty rank at the proposal's deadline date.
- The PI must be positioned to build sustainable research capacity at the home institution during and beyond the fellowship, which generally takes three years or more.
- Non-tenured research assistant professors or lecturers are eligible to apply for this opportunity if they have a long-term appointment.
- A letter from an administrative manager at the home institution is required to verify PI eligibility.
- Only single-PI proposals will be considered. No co-PIs should be included in the proposal.
- Persons who hold transitional fixed-term postdoctoral appointments are not eligible to apply as PI, even if their organizations classify such appointments as ‘faculty’ for administrative purposes.
- Prev

Grantor contact information

Description

NSF grants.gov support
grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov

Email

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grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov

Documents

No documents are currently available.

Link to additional information

NSF Publication 24-528

Closing: April 14, 2026

Application process

This site is a work in progress. Go to www.grants.gov to apply, track application status, and subscribe to updates. View on Grants.gov

Award

$15,000,000

Program Funding

--

Expected awards

$--

Award Minimum

$--

Award Maximum

Funding opportunity number:

24-528

Cost sharing or matching requirement:

No Funding instrument type:

Grant

Opportunity Category:

Discretionary

Opportunity Category Explanation:

-- Category of Funding Activity:

Science technology and other research and development

Category Explanation:

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History

Version:

7

Posted date:

January 23, 2024

Archive date:

May 13, 2027