Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: August 12, 2025 (Full Proposal) | Second Tuesday in August, annually thereafter
Funding Amounts: Up to $8,000,000 total per award for four years; potential renewal up to $4,500,000 for an additional three years; approximately $31.5M total program funding annually.
Summary: Supports multi-institutional, jurisdiction-wide incubators to build sustainable STEM research capacity and competitiveness in eligible EPSCoR jurisdictions.
Key Information: Only organizations in eligible EPSCoR jurisdictions may apply; one proposal per lead organization; multi-institutional collaborations required.
Description
The NSF EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence (E-RISE) program aims to enhance the research competitiveness of eligible jurisdictions (states, territories, or commonwealths) by supporting the development of sustainable, jurisdiction-wide research infrastructure and networks in a chosen STEM area. E-RISE funds collaborative, hypothesis- or problem-driven research projects that align with a jurisdiction’s strategic science and technology priorities, foster workforce development, and promote broad participation and partnerships across academic, governmental, industrial, and non-profit sectors.
Projects must articulate a clear research goal, build a broad and sustainable research network, develop a skilled STEM workforce, and integrate research with societal impacts. The program especially encourages innovative proposals in emerging or interdisciplinary STEM areas with high potential impact.
Due Dates
- Full Proposal Deadline: August 12, 2025 (by 5 p.m. local time of submitting organization)
- Recurring Deadline: Second Tuesday in August, annually thereafter
Funding Amount
- Award Size: Up to $8,000,000 total per award for a four-year period.
- Renewal: Eligible projects may apply for a three-year renewal award of up to $4,500,000.
- Total Program Funding: Approximately $31,500,000 annually is available to fund up to 15 new awards per year.
- No cost-sharing required for initial award; 20% cost-share is required for renewal awards.
Eligibility
- Eligible Applicants:
- Accredited institutions of higher education (PhD- and non-PhD-granting) in the U.S., its territories, or possessions.
- Non-profit, non-degree-granting U.S. organizations (e.g., independent museums, science centers, observatories, research labs, professional societies) with a permanent administrative presence in the U.S. and 501(c)(3) status.
- Tribal governments and Indigenous communities as recognized under federal law.
- Jurisdictional Requirement: Only organizations within NSF-designated EPSCoR jurisdictions may apply. Check EPSCoR eligibility here.
- Collaboration: Proposals must be multi-institutional or multi-organizational, with a lead organization and additional partners (academic and/or non-academic). Collaborations must aim to build a jurisdiction-wide network of expertise.
- PI Requirements: Principal Investigators must hold at least a 50% appointment at an eligible organization within an EPSCoR jurisdiction.
- Proposal Limits: Only one submission per lead organization per cycle; an individual may serve as PI or co-PI on only one E-RISE or RII Track-1 award at a time.
- Other: Organizations currently leading an E-RISE or RII Track-1 award may not submit unless that award is in its final year or will not be renewed.
Application Process
- Submission Platforms: Proposals may be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov.
- Required Documents:
- Full proposal (no preliminary proposal or letter of intent required).
- Project description (up to 20 pages), including research vision, capacity-building, workforce development, collaboration, sustainability, and evaluation plans.
- Budget and justification for all participating organizations.
- List of participants and organizations, supplementary documentation (including current jurisdictional S&T Plan and notice to the Jurisdictional Steering Committee).
- Additional Requirements:
- Each proposal must include a networking/partnership manager and an independent evaluator.
- Notification (not approval) of intent to submit must be provided to the Jurisdictional Steering Committee.
- Review Criteria: Proposals are evaluated on intellectual merit and broader impacts, as well as specific alignment with EPSCoR goals, workforce development, collaboration, sustainability, and management.
Additional Information
- Renewal Awards: Renewal applications (up to $4.5M for three years) are allowed for projects with strong progress and sustainability plans; cost-sharing (20%) is required for renewals.
- Planning Proposals: Optional planning proposals to support future E-RISE submissions may be submitted at any time.
- Unfunded Collaborations: Collaborators in non-EPSCoR jurisdictions or international partners may participate as unfunded collaborators if justified.
- Reporting: Annual and final project reports are required, along with participation in NSF’s EPSCoR Data Outcomes Collection System.
External Links
Contact Information