Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity
NSF grant helps colleges with limited resources build partnerships to boost innovation in key technologies and participate in NSF Engines program.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
U.S. National Science Foundation has archived this opportunity.
Funder: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Due Dates: December 15, 2023 (Preliminary) | June 27, 2024 (Preliminary) | May 16, 2024 (Full Proposal) | January 21, 2025 (Full Proposal)
Funding Amounts: Up to $400,000 per recipient institution for up to 3 years; approximately 50 awards per cycle with total funding around $20 million
Summary: Supports capacity-building at U.S. institutions of higher education with limited research infrastructure to foster external partnerships and broaden participation in innovation ecosystems advancing key technologies.
Key Information: Preliminary proposal submission is required; participation in NSF EPIIC workshops is by invitation; full proposals only accepted from workshop participants; targets MSIs, PUIs, and two-year institutions not classified as R1 or R2.
Description
The National Science Foundation’s Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) program aims to broaden participation in regional innovation ecosystems focused on key technology areas such as advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum information science, semiconductors, novel materials, and microelectronics. The program specifically targets institutions of higher education (IHEs) with limited or no research capacity—primarily Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), and two-year colleges—that currently lack the infrastructure and resources to build external partnerships and engage fully in innovation ecosystems.
EPIIC supports capacity-building efforts to help these institutions develop sustainable partnerships with external organizations (industry, government, nonprofits) to grow programs in workforce development, use-inspired research and development (R&D), and translation of research to practice. The program is aligned with NSF’s broader Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) initiative but does not require existing partnerships with NSF Engines teams.
The funding supports activities such as award management, faculty and staff relief time for partnership development, infrastructure improvements, and resources to facilitate future participation in NSF solicitations. The program also fosters collaboration among institutions through a structured three-phase process involving preliminary proposals, interactive workshops, and full proposal submissions.
