Funder: National Science Foundation
Due Dates: November 20, 2024 (Preliminary Proposal) | June 2, 2025 (Full Proposal, by invitation)
Funding Amounts: Up to $6,000,000 per year for up to 5 years, with possible renewal for 5 additional years; up to 5 awards anticipated
Summary: Supports large-scale, long-term, interdisciplinary research and education centers that advance transformative science, foster broad participation, and facilitate knowledge transfer.
Key Information: Preliminary proposals are required; only doctoral degree-granting U.S. institutions may apply as lead; limited submission rules apply.
Description
The National Science Foundation's Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program funds exceptionally innovative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term support. The program aims to create new scientific paradigms, establish new disciplines, and develop transformative technologies with broad scientific or societal impact. STCs are expected to conduct world-class research through partnerships among higher education institutions, national laboratories, industry, and other organizations, including international collaborations where appropriate.
Centers are designed to:
- Enable groundbreaking, interdisciplinary research that cannot be accomplished by individual investigators or smaller teams.
- Integrate research, education, and knowledge transfer activities.
- Foster broad participation, including underrepresented and underserved groups in STEM.
- Facilitate the transfer of knowledge to multiple sectors, such as industry, policy, and education.
STCs are expected to be leaders in broadening participation in STEM and to demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels.
Due Dates
- Preliminary Proposal (required): November 20, 2024 (by 5 p.m. local time of submitting organization)
- Full Proposal (by invitation only): June 2, 2025 (by 5 p.m. local time of submitting organization)
Only those invited after review of the preliminary proposal may submit a full proposal.
Funding Amount
- Award Size: Up to $6,000,000 per year per center
- Duration: Initial commitment of 5 years, with the possibility of renewal for an additional 5 years (maximum 10 years total)
- Number of Awards: Up to 5 centers anticipated, subject to availability of funds
No cost sharing is required or allowed. Awards are made as cooperative agreements.
Eligibility
- Lead Institution: Only U.S. institutions of higher education with doctoral degree-granting research and education programs in NSF-supported fields may submit proposals as the lead.
- PI Requirements: The Principal Investigator must be a full-time faculty member at the lead institution with an established record of leading research teams.
- Partnerships: The lead institution is expected to develop partnerships with other universities, colleges, national laboratories, research museums, private sector research labs, state/local government labs, and/or international organizations as appropriate.
- Submission Limits:
- Each organization may submit up to three preliminary proposals as lead.
- A PI or co-PI may participate in only one proposal per competition.
- Only one center per lead institution may be funded in this competition.
- Past STC Directors: May participate only if the proposed research and education topics are substantially different from prior STC support.
Application Process
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Preliminary Proposal (required):
- Must be submitted via Research.gov.
- Includes project summary, project description (12 pages), team description, integration strategies, and institutional commitment to broadening participation.
- Supplementary documents: list of project personnel and partner organizations.
- No letters of intent required.
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Full Proposal (by invitation only):
- May be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov.
- Must address feedback from the preliminary proposal review.
- Project description (up to 25 pages) must detail research, education, broadening participation, knowledge transfer, and management plans.
- Additional required documents: ethics plan, data management plan, facilities/resources, and updated lists of personnel and partners.
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Review Process:
- Proposals are reviewed for intellectual merit and broader impacts, with additional STC-specific criteria.
- Site visits and additional review stages for finalists.
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Award Administration:
- Awards are made as cooperative agreements.
- Annual progress reviews are required; continuation beyond year 5 is contingent on a successful review.
Additional Information
- Limited Submission: Strict limits on the number of proposals per institution and per PI/co-PI.
- Broadening Participation: Centers must demonstrate leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and are encouraged to partner with minority-serving and under-resourced institutions.
- Knowledge Transfer: Centers must have robust plans for disseminating research outcomes to industry, policy, and other sectors.
- No Cost Sharing: Voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.
- Award Conditions: Special award and reporting conditions apply; see solicitation for details.
External Links
Contact Information
For full details and updates, consult the NSF program page.