Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC)

NSF 23-625

The purpose of this solicitation is to broaden participation in innovation ecosystems that advance key technologies (e.g., advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum information science, semiconductors, novel materials, and microelectronics) by supporting capacity-building efforts at institutions of higher education (IHEs) interested in growing external partnerships. Creation of this program is motivated by the commitment of the National Science Foundation (NSF), including the newly established NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP), to accelerate scientific and technological innovation nationwide and empower all Americans to participate in the U.S. research and innovation enterprise. Establishing more inclusive innovation ecosystems will require broad networks of partners working together in support of use-inspired research; the translation of such research to practice or commercial application; and the development of a skilled workforce. The NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program, housed within the TIP Directorate, seeks to grow inclusive innovation ecosystems around the country. Growing such ecosystems will only be successful if all interested IHEs within a region are able to participate and contribute their unique set of skills and expertise. However, NSF appreciates many Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), and two-year institutions lack the infrastructure and resources needed to grow external partnerships and effectively contribute to innovation ecosystems, and thus are currently unable to effectively engage with the NSF Engines program.

This solicitation aims to provide MSIs, PUIs, and two-year institutions with limited or no research capacity (see Section IV for details) with the support necessary to become equitable partners with teams competing under the current and subsequent NSF Engines program funding opportunities. Importantly, participation in this solicitation is not predicated on an existing partnership with organizations submitting an NSF Engines proposal. Rather, it is expected that the capacity-building efforts funded under this solicitation will provide significant innovation partnership opportunities irrespective of future participation in an NSF Engine.

Standard Grant

$20,000,000

Not required

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1

Internal Institutional Review: If you plan to submit a proposal, please send a concept paper to Shawn Chester, Associate Vice Provost for Research at shawn.chester@njit.edu by October 24 for institutional internal review. The concept paper should include title, project summary, intellectual merit, boarder impact, investigator team, budget summary and any specific institutional resources or cost-sharing needed. In case the number of concept papers exceeds the institutional limit requirement, the internal review will provide selection recommendations for institutional submission.   

Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time): December 15, 2023

May 16, 2024

Rebecca Shearman, telephone: (703) 292-7403, email: engines@nsf.gov

Geoffrey Brown, telephone: (703) 292-4979, email: engines@nsf.gov