Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity. Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO).

Watch the recording on the NSF STC (Science and Technology Centers) opportunity, featuring insights from Lewis-Burke, 蜜糖直播 Boulder鈥檚 government relations firm, and successful STC recipients Margaret Murnane (Director, ), Seth Marder (Deputy Director, ), and Massimo Ruzzene (Co-I, ).

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Program Summary听

The Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program supports exceptionally innovative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term awards. STCs focus on creating new scientific paradigms, establishing entirely new scientific disciplines, and developing transformative technologies which have the potential for broad scientific or societal impact. STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships among institutions of higher education, national laboratories, industrial organizations, other public or private entities, and via international collaborations, as appropriate. They provide a means to undertake potentially groundbreaking investigations at the interfaces of disciplines and/or highly innovative approaches within disciplines. STCs may involve any area of science and engineering that NSF supports. STC investments support the NSF vision of creating and exploiting new concepts in science and engineering and providing global leadership in research and education.

Centers provide a rich environment for encouraging scientists, engineers, and educators to take risks in pursuing discoveries and new knowledge. STCs foster excellence in education by integrating education and research, and by creating connections between learning and inquiry so that discovery and creativity fully support the learning process.

NSF encourages input and participation in the STC program from the full spectrum of diverse talent that society has to offer which includes underrepresented and under-served communities. In addition, NSF expects STCs to both involve individuals who are members of groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in science, engineering and mathematics at all levels within the Center (faculty, staff, students, and postdoctoral researchers) as well as be a leader in broadening participation in STEM. Centers may use either proven or innovative mechanisms based on the relevant literature to address matters such as recruitment, retention, success, and career progression of all individuals in the Center.

Along with research, education and broadening participation, Centers must undertake activities that facilitate knowledge transfer, i.e., the exchange of scientific and technical information with the objective of disseminating and utilizing knowledge broadly in multiple sectors. Examples of knowledge transfer include technology transfer, providing key information to public policy-makers, or dissemination of knowledge from one field of science to another.

To support team development and preproposal preparation for 蜜糖直播 Boulder as lead applicant, up to three internal competition winners may each apply for seed funding of up to $10,000.

All STCs must:

  • Be focused on exceptionally innovative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term funding;
  • Be based at an institution of higher education which assumes responsibility for oversight of sub-awards to all other partner institutions;
  • Be directed by a faculty member with experience in leading research teams;
  • Demonstrate institutional commitment to achieving strategic goals that are shared by the lead and other partnering institutions;
  • Establish multi-institutional collaborations or linkages with other universities/colleges, national laboratories, research museums, private sector research laboratories, state and local government organizations, and international collaborations, as appropriate;
  • Develop a management plan that integrates the research, education, broadening participation, and knowledge transfer activities across all partners and affiliates;
  • Incorporate teams at all organizational levels of the Center that represent the full spectrum of diverse talent that society has to offer and include members of groups underrepresented in STEM;
  • Provide research and education opportunities for U.S. graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty that will result in outcomes consonant with the Center's goals;
  • Facilitate knowledge transfer through significant intellectual exchange between the Center and various types of institutions and organizations (e.g., nonprofit organizations; national laboratories; industry; Federal, state, and local governments); and,
  • Establish and convene at least annually an External Advisory Committee to provide guidance, advice, and oversight.

Deadlines

蜜糖直播 Internal Proposal Deadline: 11:59pm MST September 30, 2024

Sponsor Preliminary Proposal Deadline: 5:00pm MST November 20, 2024

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline (by invitation only): 5:00pm MST June 2, 2025

Internal Proposal Requirements (all in PDF format)

  • Project Description (3 pages maximum): Please address the following: 1) center rationale including grand challenge(s) being addressed, breakthroughs being sought, potential impacts, intended legacies; 2) center plan with research overview in context of national and global landscapes of relevant scientific fields; 3) team description including role and assets each participating organization brings and roles of key personnel; and 4) integration strategies including how the proposed research areas/themes integrate with one another to realize the Center鈥檚 research vision. To support team development and preproposal preparation for 蜜糖直播 Boulder as lead applicant, up to three internal competition winners may each apply for seed funding of up to $10,000.
  • Lead PI Curriculum Vitae
  • Budget Overview (up to 1 page): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit:

Eligibility

The PI must be a full-time faculty member at an institution of higher education and have an established record of leading research teams.

A PI or co-PI on one proposal in this competition may not be a participant in another STC proposal under review in the same competition. If a proposal is declined at any stage of the review process, a PI or co-PI on the declined proposal may then participate in another STC proposal.

Past directors of STCs may participate in this open competition only if the proposed research and education topics or themes are substantially different from those they pursued with prior NSF Center support. The proposal must focus on a different research topic. New proposals that simply extend the methods and intent of a past STC to a slightly larger scope or a new geographic area will be returned without review.

The STC Program complements the Engineering Research Centers (ERCs), the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs), Centers of Chemical Innovation (CCIs), National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes, and other NSF programs that support group research and education activities. Teams that aspire to develop center proposals in the future are encouraged to consider applying to the program to crystallize their vision and develop team integration. STCs may involve any area of science and engineering that NSF supports. Participation in a Center does not preclude individuals from receiving NSF support for their individual research in complementary areas.

Limited Submission Guidelines

A single organization may submit a maximum of three preliminary proposals as the lead institution. Full proposals are to be submitted only when invited by NSF. There is no limit on the number of proposals in which an organization participates as a partner institution. The STC program will not support more than one Center from any one lead institution in this competition.

Award Information

$6,000,000 annually for an initial period of five years with a possibility of continuation for five additional years.

Estimated Number of Awards: up to 5

Review Criteria

The internal evaluation process will adhere to NSF's guidance and reviewers will be asked to consider the vision and potential impact of the research proposed, along with the need for the center funding mechanism. Reviewers will be asked to evaluate and comment on the following:

  • Rationale for an STC, including questions: Is the vision for the project compelling and would such a center have potential to transform our foundational scientific understanding? If so, is an STC the appropriate vehicle? Why is an STC investment warranted at this time? Are the anticipated scientific and societal legacies substantial?
  • Research plan, including questions: Are the plans for research appropriately ambitious for an STC? Does the preliminary proposal make a case for the feasibility of significant progress over the next five years? Are technical challenges and potential bottlenecks addressed in the research plan?
  • Partnerships and Participants, including questions: Is the team of partner organizations and personnel assembled for the proposed Center appropriate, essential and consistent with the solicitation? Is the role of each participant clear? Does the partnership have unique strengths?
  • Integration Strategies, including questions: Are the leadership and management strategies promoting a Center culture? Do the education, knowledge transfer and broadening participation plans support the goals of the Center?