Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology - Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering

Funding Agency:

  • National Science Foundation
RFP# and Website: 
NSF 24-562
Description: 

The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program provides support to enhance the research capabilities of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) as defined in this solicitation’s Eligibility section, through effective integration of education and research. The CREST program, composed of the CREST Centers, the CREST Postdoctoral Research Program, and the projects supported by this CREST-RISE solicitation, promotes the development of new knowledge, enhancements of the research productivity of individual faculty and postdoctoral scholars, and an expanded presence of research doctoral students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, especially those from underrepresented groups.

CREST-RISE is the component of the CREST program that supports the expansion of institutional research capacity by increasing the strength of institutional graduate programs and the successful production of research doctoral students, especially those from groups underrepresented in STEM.

The CREST-RISE component supports STEM research doctoral programs in all NSF supported areas and encourages proposals in areas of national interest, such as artificial intelligence, data science and analytics; advanced materials, manufacturing, robotics; cybersecurity; plant genetics/agricultural technologies; quantum information sciences; nanotechnology, semiconductors/microelectronics technologies; climate change and clean energy.

CREST-RISE projects must have a direct connection to the long-term plans of the host department(s) and the institution’s strategic plan and mission. Project plans should emphasize activities designed to increase the production of research doctoral students, especially those underrepresented in STEM as well as expand institutional research capacity.

The goals of CREST-RISE are to increase: (1 the number of STEM research doctoral programs at MSIs (as defined in the Eligibility section), 2) the number of STEM research doctoral students graduating from MSIs, especially those from groups underrepresented in STEM, and 3) institutional research capacity to increase doctoral students’ graduation rates. To achieve these goals, the CREST-RISE program includes three tracks as follows:

  • CREST-RISE STEM Doctoral Programs Support Initiative (CREST-RISE DPSI)
  • CREST-RISE Research Advancement and Development (CREST-RISE RAD)
  • CREST-RISE Equipment & Instrumentation (CREST-RISE E&I)

Eligibility Information

Who May Submit Proposals:

Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

  • Minority Serving Institutions (see definition below) that are Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs) and offer master’s or research doctoral degrees in NSF-supported STEM fields are eligible to submit. Emerging Research Institutions are those that have less than $50,000,000 in research expenditures per year as reported at https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/profiles/site?method=rankingBySource&ds=herd in three of the last five years.

    For this solicitation, MSIs are defined as institutions, at the time of proposal submission, that have enrollments of 50% or more U.S. resident students (non-international) (based on total student enrollment) who are members of minority groups underrepresented among those holding advanced degrees in science and engineering fields. Proposals are also invited from institutions of higher education that meet the 50% enrollment criterion and primarily serve populations of students with disabilities. Eligibility may be determined by reference to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) of the US Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/).

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

CREST-RISE DPSI: 1

CREST-RISE RAD: 2

CREST-RISE E&I: 1

Awards: 

Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Anticipated Type of Award:

CREST-RISE DPSI: Continuing Grant

CREST-RISE RAD: Continuing Grant

CREST-RISE E&I: Standard Grant

Estimated Number of Awards:

Up to 3 awards CREST-RISE DPSI

Up to 2 awards CREST-RISE RAD

Up to 4 awards CREST-RISE E&I

Anticipated Funding Amount: 

$6,000,000

Letter of Intent: 
Not Required
Full Proposal Submission Deadline: 

August 02, 2024

Contacts: 

  • Sonal Dekhane, Program Director, telephone: (703)405-8977, email: sdekhane@nsf.gov

  • Luis A. Cubano, Lead Program Director, telephone: (703) 292-7941, email: lcubano@nsf.gov

  • Nicole E. Gass, Program Specialist, telephone: (703) 292-8378, email: ngass@nsf.gov