Advanced Technological Education | 17 568

Opportunity Information: Apply for 17 568

The National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program is a discretionary grant opportunity designed to strengthen the education and training of technicians for high-technology fields that are central to the US economy. The program places a clear emphasis on two-year colleges, while also supporting work that connects undergraduate and secondary school pathways into technician careers. A core theme of ATE is that technician education improves most effectively when educators and employers work together, so the program prioritizes projects built on partnerships between academic institutions and industry. These collaborations are meant to ensure that what students learn aligns with real workplace needs in advanced technological sectors.

ATE funding supports a wide range of education and workforce development activities. Common project types include curriculum development (creating or modernizing course content and instructional materials), professional development for college faculty and secondary school teachers, and the design of career pathways that help students move from school into technician jobs and further education. The program expects projects to be faculty driven and to result in credit-bearing courses and programs, reflecting an emphasis on formal academic credentials such as associate degrees. At the same time, ATE recognizes that the same instructional materials can be useful beyond traditional students, so resources developed through funded projects may also be applied to incumbent worker education and upskilling efforts already underway in industry.

In addition to education projects, the ATE program explicitly invites research proposals that build the evidence base for what works in technician education. This includes studies that advance knowledge about effective teaching approaches, program models, student supports, industry engagement strategies, and other factors that influence recruitment, retention, completion, and job placement for technician-focused programs. In practice, this means proposals are not limited to producing new courses or credentials; they can also investigate and document outcomes, generate scalable insights, and contribute to broader understanding that other colleges and partners can apply.

ATE encourages applicants to connect with other organizations and national initiatives that have a strong influence on technician education and manufacturing-related workforce needs. Examples highlighted in the opportunity include partnerships with the National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) network, which supports manufacturers and can help align training with regional industry needs; the Manufacturing USA Institutes, which convene industry, academia, and government around advanced manufacturing technologies; and Investing in Manufacturing Communities of Practice (IMCPs), which focus on community-based strategies for manufacturing and workforce development. The program also notes NSF Industry and University Cooperative Research Centers (I/UCRC) awardees as potential collaborators, signaling an interest in linking technician education to applied research ecosystems and industry-driven innovation networks.

A strong equity and workforce participation component is also built into the program. NSF encourages proposals from Minority Serving Institutions and from institutions broadly committed to recruiting, retaining, and graduating students who are underrepresented in STEM within technician education programs awarding associate degrees. The opportunity specifically calls out interest in proposals from Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, especially where participation in advanced technology career pathways is growing. This emphasis indicates that competitive proposals can benefit from well-developed strategies to expand access, improve student persistence, and strengthen completion and employment outcomes for underrepresented learners.

From the posted opportunity details, the funding instrument is a grant under CFDA 47.076, administered by the National Science Foundation. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any clarifications in the official solicitation text. The award ceiling is listed at $5,000,000, with an expectation of about 75 awards. The opportunity data provided shows a creation date of June 14, 2017, and an original closing date of October 5, 2017, which is important for timing context but does not change the underlying program goals: improving technician education through faculty-led, credit-bearing programs, strong employer partnerships, and projects and research that can be adopted and scaled across institutions and regions.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advanced Technological Education" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.076.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 14, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 05, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 75 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for 17 568

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: