EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement-Focused EPSCoR Collaborations Program (RII-FEC)

NSF 24-573

The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is designed to fulfill the mandate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to promote scientific progress nationwide. EPSCoR eligibility status is yearly updated and reported in the EPSCoR website (see EPSCoR eligibility).

Through this program, NSF establishes partnerships with government, higher education, and industry that are designed to affect sustainable improvements in a jurisdiction's research infrastructure, Research and Development (R&D) capacity, and hence, its R&D competitiveness.

The RII-FEC program (formerly known as "EPSCoR Track-2 program") builds inter-jurisdictional collaborative teams of EPSCoR investigators in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) focus areas consistent with the current National Science Foundation Strategic Plan. Projects are investigator-driven and must include researchers from at least two EPSCoR eligible jurisdictions with complementary expertise and resources necessary to address challenges, which neither party could address as well or as rapidly independently. RII-FEC projects have a comprehensive and integrated vision to drive discovery and build sustainable STEM capacity that exemplifies individual, institutional, geographic, and disciplinary diversity. The projects' STEM research and education activities seek to broaden participation through the strategic inclusion and integration of all individuals, institutions, and sectors. Additionally, EPSCoR recognizes that the development of early-career faculty from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields is critical to sustaining and advancing research capacity. The integration and inclusion of Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), women's colleges, Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), and two-year colleges is a critical component of this sustainable STEM capacity.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1

An organization may only submit one proposal to the RII-FEC competition as lead. However, an organization may serve as a non-lead in a collaborative submission or as subawardee on any number of additional proposals.

Cooperative Agreement

$12,000,000 to $18,000,000

1; An organization may only submit one proposal to the RII-FEC competition as lead.

Internal Review for Limited Submission Opportunity:  If you are interested  in submitting a proposal to this limited submission funding opportunity, please submit a letter of intent with title, project summary, Intellectual  Merit, Broader Impact, List of Key Investigators with affiliations and budget outline to Shawn Chester at shawn.chester@njit.edu by July 1, 2024 for internal review for the election of institutional submission as needed. 

December 17, 2024

• Jose Colom-Ustariz, Program Director, NSF, telephone: (703) 292-7088, email: jcolom@nsf.gov
• Lisa C. Cliggett, Program Director, NSF, telephone: (703) 292-2759, email: lcligget@nsf.gov
• Hongmei Luo, Program Director, NSF, telephone: (703) 292-8867, email: hluo@nsf.gov