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U.S. National Science Foundation

EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII): EPSCoR Research Fellows

Open

Key facts

Deadline
Due Apr 13, 2027 · 188 days left
Award size
Not stated: see the official notice
Total available
$15M
Match ?
Not required · Work out your budget and match
Who can apply
Set by the official notice: see Who can apply below
Where
Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee

Before you apply: federal grants require an active SAM.gov registration (Unique Entity ID) and a Grants.gov account. Registration is free but can take weeks, so start now, not when the deadline is close. Get-ready checklist

How this fits you

  • Available in Rhea County (nationwide program)
  • No match required
  • Past Tennessee awards on file: 620

Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.

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About this grant

The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research is designed to fulfill the mandate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to promote scientific progress nationwide. NSF EPSCoR facilitates the establishment of partnerships among academic institutions, government, industry, and non-profit sectors that are designed to promote sustainable improvements in a jurisdiction's research infrastructure, Research and Development (R&D) capacity, and R&D competitiveness of EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions (i.e., states, territories, and commonwealths). Eligibility to participate in the EPSCoR funding opportunities, including the EPSCoR RII: EPSCoR Research Fellows program, is described on theNSF EPSCoR website. EPSCoR RII: EPSCoR Research Fellows directly aligns with the NSF EPSCoR strategic goal of establishing sustainable Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professional development pathways that advance workforce development and effects engagement in STEM at national and global levels. EPSCoR RII: EPSCoR Research Fellows provides awards to build researchcapacityin institutions and transform the career trajectories of investigators and further develop their individual research potential through collaborations with investigators from the nation’s premier private, governmental, or academic research institutions and/or centers. The fellowship provides opportunities to establish strong collaborations through extended or periodic collaborative visits to a selected host site.Through collaborative research activities with the host site, Fellows will be able to learn new techniques, develop new collaborations, advance existing partnerships, benefit from access to unique equipment and facilities, and/or shift their research toward potentially transformative new directions. The experiences gained through the fellowships are intended to have lasting impacts that will enhance the Fellows’ research trajectories well beyond the award period. The benefits to the Fellows are also expected to improve the research capacity of their institutions and jurisdictions more broadly. EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII): EPSCoR Research Fellows offers the following two tracks: 1)EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF; and 2) EPSCoR Research Fellows: @NASA  While the two tracks have similar goals, EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF is open to a broad community and...

Who can apply, from the official notice

*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: - EPSCoR jurisdictions that are RII-eligible for the FY2024 competition are listed in the RII Eligibility table, which can be foundhere. Proposals may only be submitted by organizations located in RII-eligible jurisdictions, as follows: • Institutions of higher education (Ph.D.-granting and non-Ph.D.-granting), acting on behalf of their faculty members, that are accredited in and have a campus in the United States, its territories or possessions. Distinct academic campuses (e.g., that award their own degrees, have independent administrative structures, admissions policies, alumni associations, etc.) within multi-campus systems qualify as separate submission-eligible institutions. • Not-for-profit, non-degree-granting domestic U.S. organizations, acting on behalf of their employees, that include (but are not limited to) independent museums and science centers, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar organizations that are directly associated with the Nation's research or educational activities. These organizations must have an independent, permanent administrative organization (e.g., an Office of Sponsored Projects) located in the United States, its territories, or possessions, and have 501(c)(3) tax status. In addition, for the EPSCoR Research Fellows: @NASA opportunity, PIs must be employed by an institution that is from at least one of the following categories: • Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), including two-year colleges, that award associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees, and/or master's degrees in NSF-supported fields, but have awarded 20 or fewer Ph.D./D.Sci. degrees in all NSF-supported fields during the combined previous two academic years; • Institutions of higher education that are dedicated to serve students with disabilities, as listed in Table 1, page 5, of NSF’s 2008 Broadening Participation report (https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2022-03/nsf_frameworkforaction_0808.pdf); and • Minority-serving institutions as in42 §USC 18901 *Who May Serve as PI: Principal Investigatorsmust either: • Be in an early-career, or mid-career-track position at an eligible non-degree-granting organization or • Hold a non-tenured or tenured faculty position at the Lecturer, Research Faculty, Assistant or Associate Professor rank...

Ask a partner for a letter

Your schedule, working back from the deadline

  1. Oct7
    Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
    Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov
  2. Mar23
    Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
    Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters.
  3. Apr6
    Finish a complete draft for a final review
    Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft.
  4. Apr11
    Submit
    Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog
  5. Apr13
    Deadline
    From the funder.

Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.

Writing the need statement? Rhea County facts with citations.

Who in Tennessee has won this program

272 awards to Tennessee groups in 13 counties since 2016 · 0 in Rhea County. Largest shown:

Past Tennessee winners
Past winnerWhereAmountFiscal year
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$15M2023
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$13.3M2019
State of TennesseeNashville$13.2M spent that year2025
State of TennesseeNashville$12.2M spent that year2025
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$11.7M2023
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$9.3M2024
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$9M2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville$8.8M spent that year2025
State of TennesseeNashville$7.7M spent that year2025
State of TennesseeNashville$7.3M spent that year2025
State of TennesseeNashville$6.7M spent that year2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville$6.1M spent that year2025

Source: USAspending.gov, Federal Audit Clearinghouse. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.

Tennessee groups that got this money through Tennessee Department of Education

This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. In Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Education passes it on: watch that agency for applications, not the federal agency. 348 pass-through grants on file · 0 in Rhea County. Largest shown:

Tennessee pass-through grant winners
Past winnerWhereThroughAmountFiscal year
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyHudsonalpha Institute for Biotechnology$1.7M2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyGeorgia Tech Research Corp$1.2M2023
Fisk UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyVanderbilt University$956K2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleNorth Carolina State University$922K spent that year2025
State of TennesseeNashvilleThe Ohio State University$849K spent that year2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyUniversity of California Santa Cruz$792K2023
Meharry Medical CollegeNashville, Davidson CountyVirginia Polytechnic Institute & State University$767K2025
Aglaunch InitiativeMemphis, Shelby CountyNorth Dakota State University$703K2026
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyArizona State University$638K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyUniversity of Missouri System$586K2023
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyVirginia Polytechnic Institute & State University$534K2024
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyUniversity of Texas at San Antonio, the$490K2024

Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).

About the federal program

Engineering, also called “(ENG)”
Program number 47.041 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · National Science Foundation · Project grant

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

About the federal program

Mathematical and Physical Sciences, also called “(MPS)”
Program number 47.049 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · National Science Foundation · Project grant

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

About the federal program

Geosciences, also called “(GEO)”
Program number 47.050 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · National Science Foundation · Project grant

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

About the federal program

Computer and Information Science and Engineering, also called “(CISE)”
Program number 47.070 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · National Science Foundation · Project grant

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

About the federal program

Biological Sciences, also called “(BIO)”
Program number 47.074 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · National Science Foundation · Project grant

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

About the federal program

Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, also called “(SBE)”
Program number 47.075 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · National Science Foundation · Project grant

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

About the federal program

STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources), also called “(EDU)”
Program number 47.076 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · National Science Foundation · Project grant

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

About the federal program

International Science and Engineering
Program number 47.079 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · National Science Foundation · Project grant

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

About the federal program

Integrative Activities, also called “(OIA)”
Program number 47.083 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · National Science Foundation · Project grant

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

About the federal program

Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, also called “NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP)”
Program number 47.084 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · National Science Foundation · Grant

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

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