EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence (E-RISE)
This grant provides funding to enhance research capacity and collaboration in STEM fields for eligible institutions in designated U.S. states and territories, focusing on building sustainable research networks and workforce development.
The EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence (E-RISE) is administered by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Office of Integrative Activities. NSF is an independent federal agency that supports research and education in all fields of science and engineering, aiming to advance national health, prosperity, welfare, and security. The E-RISE program specifically supports the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), which works to enhance the research competitiveness of designated U.S. states, territories, and commonwealths by improving their research capacity and infrastructure in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The E-RISE initiative focuses on fostering sustainable, jurisdiction-wide research networks and infrastructure aligned with local science and technology priorities. Projects must address a well-defined hypothesis or problem, and are expected to contribute to research capacity building, workforce development, collaboration across sectors and institution types, integration of research with societal impacts, and a plan for sustaining the research incubator beyond the award period. The program encourages exploration of emerging or interdisciplinary research areas with high potential impact and requires integration of diverse institutions, including primarily undergraduate institutions, two-year colleges, minority-serving institutions, and non-academic sectors. Funding for E-RISE awards is provided as continuing grants for up to four years, with a maximum total budget of $8 million per project in that period. Successful projects may be eligible to apply for a single three-year renewal award with a maximum budget of $4.5 million, contingent on satisfactory progress and a required 20% cost share for the renewal phase. Up to 15 awards may be made annually, totaling approximately $31.5 million per year, depending on the availability of funds and proposal quality. Awards support expenses such as personnel, travel for collaboration, independent evaluation, strategic planning, and activities to promote engagement and dissemination. Eligibility is limited to organizations in EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions, which must have an active Jurisdictional Steering Committee and a Science and Technology Plan approved within the last five years. Eligible applicants include accredited higher education institutions (both PhD-granting and non-PhD-granting), nonprofit research organizations, tribal governments, and Indigenous communities, provided they are located in eligible jurisdictions. Collaborations must involve multiple institutions or organizations, and each must be represented by a principal investigator (PI), co-PI, or senior personnel. Organizations serving as the lead on a current E-RISE or RII Track-1 award may not apply unless their award is in its final year or under a no-cost extension and will not be renewed. Applications must be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov in accordance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide. Proposals should include a 20-page project description covering research and capacity-building goals, workforce development, jurisdictional impact and sustainability, execution and evaluation plans, and management structure. A networking/partnership manager is required on the project team, and an independent evaluator must be engaged. Supplementary documents include a participant list, participating organizations list, letters of collaboration (up to five), the current jurisdictional S&T Plan, and a notification to the Jurisdictional Steering Committee of the planned submission. Cost sharing is prohibited for the initial award period. Applications for the 2025 cycle are due by 5:00 p.m. local time on August 12, 2025, and the program will continue annually thereafter on the second Tuesday in August. The program is recurring, allowing jurisdictions to plan for future submissions. Proposals will be evaluated based on NSF’s merit review criteria—Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts—along with program-specific factors such as potential to enhance jurisdictional research capacity, workforce development, collaborative engagement, sustainability, societal impact, and quality of management and partnerships. For questions about the E-RISE program, applicants can contact NSF EPSCoR staff at (703) 292-2658 or via email at EPSCoR-RISE@nsf.gov. Additional program details, guidance documents, and eligibility information are available on the NSF EPSCoR website.
Award Range
Not specified - $8,000,000
Total Program Funding
$31,500,000
Number of Awards
15
Matching Requirement
No
Additional Details
Up to $31,500,000 annually, to support up to 15 newly funded E-RISE awards. Number of awards is approximate and subject to the availability of funds and quality of the proposals submitted. Funding requests must be for a duration of four (4) years, with a maximum budget $8,000,000 total for four years and the potential for a renewal project award with a maximum budget of $4,500,000 total for an additional three (3) years. Within the maximum award budget, there is no restriction on the amount requested annually. When applicable, renewal project awards will only be made subsequent to the closure of the original award. Note that in only rare and exceptional circumstances will no-cost extensions of the initial award or the renewal project award be granted beyond the grantee-approved no-cost extension. NSF EPSCoR support of a proposed Research Infrastructure Improvement activity should not duplicate other available federal, jurisdictional, or institutional resources and should add significant and sustainable value to increasing the jurisdiction’s scientific competitiveness at the national or regional level.
Eligible Applicants
Additional Requirements
Proposals may only be submitted by the following: Institutions of higher education (PhD-granting and non-PhD-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 within multi-campus systems (e.g., campuses that award their own degrees and have independent administrative structures, admissions policies, and alumni associations) qualify as separate submission-eligible institutions. Campuses that plan to submit a proposal through the Sponsored Projects Office of other campuses or organizations should contact NSF EPSCoR to discuss eligibility as early as possible and at least six weeks before submitting such a proposal. Non-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 research) located in the United States, its territories, or possessions, and have 501(c)(3) tax status. Tribal Governments with the governing body of any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges to exist as an Indian tribe under the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 479a, et seq.) or Indigenous communities that are not recognized by the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 479a, et seq.). E-RISE proposals may only be submitted by organizations within jurisdictions meeting the EPSCoR eligibility criteria. E-RISE proposals may not be submitted by organizations that serve as the lead organization on a current E-RISE or RII Track-1 award, unless that award is in its final year or under a no-cost extension and will not be renewed. However, individuals employed by said organizations may serve as funded project participants or collaborators in roles other than PI or co-PI on an E-RISE proposal submitted by another organization within the jurisdiction. Such engagement must not be duplicative of currently funded activities, including current EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement awards. E-RISE submissions should be multi-institutional or multi-organizational, with a lead organization and additional collaborating partner(s), which may include academic and non-academic organizations. E-RISE collaborations must be indicative of building a jurisdiction-wide network of expertise in the chosen research topic. NSF encourages the participation of the following types of organizations as lead organization and/or collaborative partners in E-RISE submissions: Emerging Research Institutions, defined in 42 § USC 18901 as institutions of higher education with an established undergraduate or graduate program that have less than $50,000,000 in Federal research expenditures within the year of the most currently available data; Institutions of higher education that are described in the section "Broadening Participation in STEM" above. Collaborations with other EPSCoR jurisdictions, non-EPSCoR jurisdictions, and international entities are allowed provided there is appropriate justification outlining a critical need that cannot be fulfilled in the home jurisdiction. However, since EPSCoR funds may only be allocated for activities and personnel within an EPSCoR jurisdiction, participation of collaborators in non-EPSCoR jurisdictions must be as unfunded collaborators.
Geographic Eligibility
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, US Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and Wyoming
Application Opens
Not specified
Application Closes
August 11, 2026
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