Research Challenge Grant, FY28
Forecasted
Research Challenge Grant, FY28 supports West Virginia researchers’ large STEM projects to strengthen institutional research capacity and improve competitiveness for NSF EPSCoR and other external funding.
Funder: West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Division of Science and Research
Due Dates (Anticipated): December 2026 (Full application deadline, anticipated)
Funding Amounts: $1,680,000 total across all FY28 awards; four-year grant cycle
Summary: Supports large STEM-focused research projects in West Virginia to strengthen competitiveness for research-focused NSF EPSCoR funding, including E-RISE.
Key Information: Program eligibility includes full-time faculty or research professors at four-year West Virginia higher education institutions; detailed FY28 criteria will appear in the RFP.
Description
The Research Challenge Grant is administered by the STaR Division of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. It supports large research projects in science, technology, engineering and mathematics that may lead to research centers and economic development. The program seeks to increase institutional research capacity and improve competitiveness for external funding nationally and internationally.
For FY28, grant conditions and the award structure have been revised to align with NSF’s EPSCoR RII: E-RISE program, or EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence. Earlier Research Challenge Grant awards prepared West Virginia researchers to pursue NSF EPSCoR Track-1 funding. Following Track-1’s discontinuation and partial replacement by E-RISE, the revised program continues that mission through a four-year grant cycle.
