IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC)
This NSF grant funds innovative projects at two-year colleges to improve student success and faculty capacity in STEM education, offering up to $600,000 for eligible institutions over up to four years.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: December 9, 2026 (Full proposals) | Rolling (Planning and conference proposals)
Funding Amounts: Up to $500,000 over three years, or $600,000 over four years for eligible institutions
Summary: Supports student-centered innovation and institutional capacity-building in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges.
Key Information: Accredited two-year colleges must lead Track 1 and Track 2 proposals, including collaborations.
Description
NSF’s IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC) program supports potentially transformative approaches to undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges. Administered through the Directorate for STEM Education, it aims to center students in educational innovation and strengthen institutions’ capacity to harness student and faculty talent. Projects may address foundational courses, academic pathways, and co-curricular activities for STEM majors and non-majors in any NSF-supported field, including social, behavioral, economic, and learning sciences.
The program supports new materials, practices, and partnerships, as well as creative adaptations of evidence-based approaches. Activities may include gateway-course redesign, authentic research experiences, mentorship, experiential learning, faculty professional development, and transfer or bridge pathways. Projects must generate knowledge through assessment, evaluation, or research, but a research component is not required.
