EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement: EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence | 25 522

Opportunity Information: Apply for 25 522

The NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement: EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence (E-RISE) opportunity is a discretionary grant program designed to strengthen research capacity and long-term competitiveness in EPSCoR-eligible U.S. jurisdictions (states, territories, and commonwealths). At its core, E-RISE is about building a stronger, more connected “research ecosystem” within a jurisdiction. NSF is looking for projects that do more than fund a single lab or a narrow study; the program is intended to catalyze durable, jurisdiction-wide networks of people, institutions, and resources that can keep producing competitive research and innovation after the award ends. The emphasis is on advancing the NSF mission of nationwide scientific progress by helping underrepresented jurisdictions develop the infrastructure, talent, and collaborative reach needed to compete more effectively for research funding and impact.

E-RISE supports hypothesis-driven or problem-driven research in a scientific topical area that clearly aligns with the jurisdiction’s priorities. Applicants are expected to ground their choice of topic in the jurisdiction’s Science and Technology (S&T) Plan when available, or in other official plans, reports, or publications produced by appropriate authorities. NSF is explicitly interested in innovative proposals that can justify work in emerging or interdisciplinary areas, especially where the payoff could be high and where the jurisdiction can plausibly build a distinctive strength. Regardless of the topic, the research component cannot be vague or purely aspirational; projects must articulate a clear research goal aimed at generating new knowledge by addressing a well-defined hypothesis or problem.

What distinguishes E-RISE from many standard research programs is the expectation that research is tightly coupled to capacity-building and network-building. Successful projects are expected to develop and implement a sustainable “research incubator” model: a broad, collaborative structure that grows a team, shared capabilities, and tangible products (such as methods, datasets, platforms, tools, partnerships, or other outputs that elevate the jurisdiction’s STEM competitiveness). The solicitation highlights several outcomes that projects should actively promote: building research capacity in the selected topic area; developing a skilled workforce connected to the topic and to the project’s longer-term goals; creating a culture of collaboration that crosses institution types and includes non-academic sectors like industry and government; integrating research with societal impacts; and presenting a credible sustainability plan that explains how the incubator’s team and outputs will persist beyond NSF EPSCoR funding.

Eligibility is limited to organizations located in jurisdictions that meet NSF EPSCoR eligibility criteria. Proposals may be submitted by accredited U.S. institutions of higher education (both PhD-granting and non-PhD-granting) that have a U.S. campus, as well as certain domestic U.S. non-profit, non-degree-granting organizations (for example, museums, science centers, observatories, research labs, and professional societies) that have an independent, permanent U.S.-based administrative structure and 501(c)(3) status. Tribal Governments are also eligible, including federally recognized tribes and Indigenous communities that are not federally recognized under the referenced act. For multi-campus university systems, distinct campuses that award their own degrees and have independent administrative structures can count as separate submission-eligible institutions. Campuses intending to route submission through another campus or organization’s sponsored projects office are expected to coordinate with NSF EPSCoR early, at least six weeks before submission, to confirm eligibility and approach.

Collaboration is not optional in practice. E-RISE submissions are expected to be multi-institutional or multi-organizational, with one lead organization and one or more partners, which can include academic and non-academic entities. NSF wants these partnerships to reflect a jurisdiction-wide network of expertise in the chosen topic rather than a narrow or convenience-based collaboration. The solicitation also encourages participation by Emerging Research Institutions (as defined in federal statute, generally tied to having less than $50 million in federal research expenditures in the most recently available data year) and by institutions aligned with NSF’s broader broadening participation goals. Cross-jurisdictional collaborations are allowed, including with other EPSCoR jurisdictions, non-EPSCoR jurisdictions, and international entities, but they must be justified by explaining why a critical need cannot be met within the home jurisdiction.

There are also important restrictions related to overlapping leadership. Organizations that are currently the lead on an active E-RISE or RII Track-1 award generally cannot submit a new E-RISE proposal as the lead unless the existing award is in its final year or is in a no-cost extension and will not be renewed. Even when an organization is restricted from leading, individuals from that organization may still participate on another institution’s proposal in roles other than PI or co-PI, as long as the activities are not duplicative of current funding, including other EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement awards.

Key administrative details from the opportunity listing include the sponsor (National Science Foundation), the funding instrument (grant), the activity category (science and technology and other research and development), and CFDA number 47.083. The opportunity number is listed as 25-522, with an original closing date of 2025-08-12. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided text, so applicants would need to consult the full solicitation or NSF page for the latest budget parameters and program-specific constraints. Overall, the program is best understood as a way to launch or accelerate a jurisdiction-scale research “engine” in a strategically chosen area, pairing strong, hypothesis-driven research with workforce development, cross-sector partnerships, and a concrete plan to sustain the incubator’s momentum long after the grant period ends.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement: EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.083.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-12-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-08-12. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 25 522

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