Sponsor:
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Summary:
The National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) program seeks proposals that explore ways for graduate students in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas, through a comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.
The NRT program addresses workforce development, emphasizing broad participation, and institutional capacity building needs in graduate education. The program encourages proposals that involve strategic collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science centers, and academic partners. NRT especially welcomes proposals that include partnership with NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) and leverage INCLUDES project efforts to develop STEM talent from all sectors and groups in our society.
For more information, view the full NSF Research Traineeship Program solicitation.
Award:
The NRT program supports two (2) types of projects subject to availability of funds:
- NRT Track 1 Awards (14-16 awards each year) are expected to be up to five (5) years in duration with a total budget up to $3,000,000.
- NRT Track 2 Awards (4-6 awards each year) are expected to be up to five (5) years in duration with a total budget up to $2,000,000.
Limited Submission Requirements and Timeline:
Two (2) applications per institution are permitted.
Only proposals approved by the Division of Research and Economic Development and the Principal Investigator’s college may be submitted to this program. For such approval, Principal Investigators must first submit a one- to two-page white paper to preaward@boisestate.edu by Tuesday, May 31, 2022. For Principal Investigators in the College of Engineering only, please follow the submission requirements set by your college in the email blast sent to you on May 9 (you do not need to submit your white paper directly to preaward@boisestate.edu). Principal Investigators in all other colleges must submit white papers to preaward@boisestate.edu.
Your white paper should include:
- The PI’s name, Project Title, and Program Track (1 or 2).
- The names of key personnel (e.g., Co-PIs) and collaborators, including funded and unfunded collaborators.
- A project summary, which includes the objectives of the project, a description of the project, including methods to be employed, and the potential impact of the project (i.e., benefits, outcomes). You may find the Project Summary guide from the solicitation helpful:
- “Provide a summary description, in a section labeled Overview, that addresses the research area and theme, the training plan, and the research-education integration. The project summary Overview must include the expected number of NRT trainees who will receive an NRT stipend, the number of additional NRT trainees who will not receive an NRT stipend, and the estimated grand total number of graduate students that will participate in project-funded activities. The number should be disaggregated to make clear the estimated number of master’s students, doctoral students, or both that the program will serve. The summary should be written in a manner that will be informative to STEM professionals working in the same or related fields and understandable to a scientifically literate lay reader. All project summaries must also include 5-10 keywords that describe the project’s research and/or education focus area(s).”
If selected to submit a full proposal, PIs must ensure that proposals meet all requirements stated in the RFP, in the announcement, and in the implementing laws and regulations related to this grant program.
Key Submission Dates:
- May 31, 2022 – White paper due to preaward@boisestate.edu. We encourage you to cc your Dean for visibility as well.
- June 15, 2022 – Anticipated date Internal Awardees Notified
- August 29, 2022 – Full proposal due to OSP
- September 6, 2022 – Full proposal due to NSF
Important Note on Requirements:
- For FY2021 and FY2022, proposals are encouraged in the research areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) and the six research areas in NSF’s 10 Big Ideas. The NSF research Big Ideas are Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR), The Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (FW-HTF), Navigating the New Arctic (NNA), Windows on the Universe: The Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (WoU), The Quantum Leap: Leading the Next Quantum Revolution (QL), and Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype (URoL).
- All proposals, regardless of research area, must clearly describe an overarching interdisciplinary or convergent research focus and outline how the research theme will foster high-return, interdisciplinary synergies.
- Proposals should also discuss the project’s potential to have impact beyond the institution, including the possible broad adoption of approaches, curricula, and instructional material within the relevant disciplines.
- An individual may serve as PI or co-PI on only one (1) proposal submitted to the NRT program per annual competition.
Did you find a limited submission opportunity? Email us at preaward@boisestate.edu.