IUSE/Professional Formation of Engineers: Revolutionizing Engineering Departments
NSF's RED program, part of IUSE/PFE, funds projects revolutionizing engineering education through departmental changes, focusing on student engagement, skills, and professional identity, with four tracks supporting planning, adaptation, innovation, and partnerships.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: September 10, 2024 | April 8, 2025 | September 9, 2025 | September 8, 2026 | April 13, 2027
Funding Amounts: Typical awards: $75,000/year (Track 1, up to 2 years), up to $1,000,000 (Track 2, up to 5 years), $1,000,000–$2,000,000 (Track 3, up to 5 years), $1,500,000–$2,500,000 (Track 4, up to 5 years); total program funding ~$8M.
Summary: Supports revolutionary, department-level changes in undergraduate engineering education through four tracks focused on organizational, cultural, and curricular transformation.
Key Information: Proposals must be led by a department chair/head or equivalent; Planning (Track 1) eligibility is limited to specific institution types.
Description
This National Science Foundation (NSF) program supports transformative approaches to undergraduate engineering education at the departmental level. The initiative funds projects that aim to fundamentally rethink and redesign curricula, departmental structures, and educational collaborations to better align engineering education with the needs of 21st-century society and industry. The program is structured into four tracks:
- Track 1: Planning – Capacity-building for select institutions to prepare for larger-scale change.
- Track 2: Adaptation & Implementation – Adaptation and local implementation of proven organizational change strategies.
- Track 3: Innovation – Development of new, revolutionary approaches to engineering education.
- Track 4: Innovation Partnerships – Multi-institutional collaborations to implement and study innovative change efforts.
Proposals are encouraged to address areas of national interest, such as advanced manufacturing, AI, biotechnology, microelectronics, sustainability, and more, with a strong emphasis on organizational and cultural change, inclusion, and broadening participation.
