Funder: National Science Foundation
Due Dates: October 3, 2024 (Engineering, Micro/Nano, Agricultural Technologies Centers) | October 2, 2025 (Advanced Manufacturing, Environmental, Security Technologies Centers) | Annually, first Thursday in October (other tracks)
Funding Amounts: Up to $7.5M over 5 years for Centers; $1M over 3 years for Projects; $475K over 3 years for Small Scale Projects; $1.2M–$3M for Consortia; ~45–80 awards/year; total program ~$74M/year
Summary: Supports technician education in high-technology fields through partnerships among two-year colleges, industry, and other stakeholders, emphasizing faculty-led, credit-bearing programs and broadening participation in STEM technician education.
Key Information: Two-year IHEs must play a significant leadership role; proposals from Minority Serving Institutions and those broadening participation are encouraged.
Description
The program supports the education of technicians for high-technology fields critical to the U.S. economy. It emphasizes partnerships between two-year institutions of higher education (IHEs), industry, secondary schools, and economic development agencies to improve technician education in science, engineering, and advanced technology. Projects are expected to be faculty-led, develop or adapt credit-bearing courses, and may also serve incumbent workers.
Supported activities include:
- Curriculum and educational materials development
- Professional development for college faculty and secondary school teachers
- Career pathway development for students and incumbent workers
- Applied research on technician education
- Broadening participation of underrepresented and underserved groups in STEM technician education
The program encourages collaboration with entities such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEPs) and Manufacturing USA Institutes.
Due Dates
- Full Proposal Deadlines:
- October 3, 2024 (for Engineering Technologies, Micro- and Nanotechnologies, Agricultural Technologies Centers)
- October 2, 2025 (for Advanced Manufacturing, Environmental, Security Technologies Centers)
- October 1, 2026 (for Energy Technologies Centers)
- October 7, 2027 (for Information Technologies Centers)
- October 5, 2028 (for Biotechnology, Emerging Advanced Technological Area Centers)
- Annually, first Thursday in October (all other tracks: Projects, Small Scale Projects, Consortia)
- All proposals due by 5 p.m. local time of submitting organization.
Funding Amount
- Centers: Up to $7,500,000 over 5 years (with possible renewal for an additional 5 years)
- Projects: Up to $1,000,000 over 3 years
- Small Scale Projects: Up to $475,000 over 3 years
- Consortia: $1,200,000 (2 IHEs) to $3,000,000 (3+ IHEs) over 3–4 years
- Conferences/Meetings: Up to $250,000
- Estimated total program funding: ~$74,000,000 per year
- Expected number of awards: 45–80 per year
Eligibility
-
Eligible Applicants:
- Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in the U.S.
- Non-profit, non-academic organizations (e.g., museums, research labs, professional societies)
- For-profit U.S.-based commercial organizations (including small businesses)
- State and local governments
- Federally recognized Tribal Nations
-
PI Requirements:
- Projects must have significant leadership from two-year IHEs and their faculty.
- If a four-year IHE or other organization is the lead, two-year IHE faculty must be Co-PIs.
- For secondary institution/school district proposals, community college faculty must be Co-PIs.
- Consortia (Track 3) must be led by a two-year IHE; PIs cannot hold a leadership role in an active ATE Center.
-
No limits on the number of proposals per organization or per PI/co-PI.
Application Process
- Submission Platforms: Research.gov or Grants.gov
- Letters of Intent: Not required
- Preliminary Proposals: Not applicable
- Full Proposals: Must follow the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and the specific ATE solicitation
- Required Documents: Project Data Form, Project Summary, Project Description (15 pages max), Evaluation Plan, Letters of Collaboration, Biographical Sketches, and (for Centers) a letter of institutional commitment
- Cost Sharing: Not allowed
- Indirect Costs: No specific limitations
- Equipment Limit: Normally up to $300,000 per project (exceptions possible with justification)
Additional Information
- Tracks Supported:
- Small Scale Projects (Track 1)
- Projects (Track 2)
- Consortia for Innovations in Technician Education (Track 3)
- Centers (Track 4)
- Focus Areas: Advanced manufacturing, agricultural/biotechnologies, energy/environmental technologies, engineering, information technologies, micro/nano-technologies, security, geospatial, autonomous, and emerging fields (e.g., AI, quantum)
- Special Emphasis: Projects addressing rural technician education, broadening participation, and emerging industry needs (e.g., AI, quantum)
- Sustainability: All projects must include a plan for sustainability beyond NSF funding.
- Open Licensing: Strongly encouraged for learning materials and software developed.
- Reporting: Annual and final project reports required; participation in ATE annual survey and archiving of digital resources with ATE Central is mandatory.
External Links
Contact Information
| Purpose | Contact Details |
|---|
| General Program Info | Email: ate-prog@nsf.gov | Phone: 703-292-8668 |
| NSF Information Center | Phone: 703-292-5111 |
| Research.gov Help Desk | Email: rgov@nsf.gov | Phone: 1-800-673-6188 |
| Grants.gov Support | Email: support@grants.gov | Phone: 1-800-518-4726 |
| Mailing Address | National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314 |