(CLOSED) NSF 20-526 Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) 2020

Sponsor Name: 
NSF
Amount: 
$70,000,000
Description of the Award: 

A well-educated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce is a significant contributor to maintaining the competitiveness of the U.S. in the global economy. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program addresses the need for a high quality STEM workforce in STEM disciplines supported by the program and for the increased success of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who are pursuing associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Recognizing that financial aid alone cannot increase retention and graduation in STEM, the program provides awards to Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) to fund scholarships and to advance the adaptation, implementation, and study of effective evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities that support recruitment, retention, transfer (if appropriate), student success, academic/career pathways, and graduation in STEM. The S-STEM program encourages collaborations among different types of participating groups, including but not limited to partnerships among different types of institutions; collaborations of STEM faculty and institutional, educational, and social science researchers; and partnerships among institutions of higher education and business, industry, local community organizations, national labs, or other federal or state government organizations, if appropriate.

The program seeks to 1) increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need obtaining degrees in S-STEM eligible disciplines and entering the workforce or graduate programs in STEM; 2) improve the education of future scientists, engineers, and technicians, with a focus on low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need; and 3) generate knowledge to advance understanding of how interventions or evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities affect the success, retention, transfer, academic/career pathways, and graduation of low-income students in STEM.

Scholars must be low-income, academically talented students with unmet financial need who are enrolled in an associate, baccalaureate or graduate degree program, with a major in an S-STEM eligible discipline.

The STEM disciplines supported by the S-STEM program include:

  • Biological sciences (except medicine and other clinical fields)
  • Physical sciences (including physics, chemistry, astronomy, and materials science)
  • Mathematical sciences
  • Computer and information sciences
  • Geosciences
  • Engineering
  • Technology fields associated with the disciplines above (e.g. biotechnology, chemical technology, engineering technology, information technology

Note that programs in business schools that lead to Bachelor of Arts or Science in Business Administration degrees (BABA/BSBA) are not eligible for S-STEM funding. Proposers are strongly encouraged to contact Program Officers before submitting a proposal if they have questions concerning degree eligibility.

The S-STEM program particularly encourages proposals from 2-year institutions, Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), tribal colleges and universities, and urban and rural public institutions.

Institution Eligibility Special Notes:

An Institution may submit one proposal (either as a single institution or as subawardee or a member of a Collaborative Research project) from each constituent school or college that awards degrees in an eligible field. An institution that is part of a larger system is considered separate for proposal submission purposes if it is geographically separate from the other campus(es) and has its own chief academic officer. UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH THIS SITE.

Additional Eligibility Clarification:

If two or more institutions (Colleges) collaborate on a proposal it is considered as one proposal from each of the institutions.

 

Award Information:

Anticipated Type of Award:

Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards:

60 to 80

Anticipated Funding Amount:

$70,000,000 to $95,000,000

$70,000,000 to $95,000,000 annually, for new and continuing awards. The program supports three types of projects. Awards for Track 1 (Institutional Capacity Building) projects may not exceed $650,000. Awards for Track 2 (Design and Development: Single Institution) projects may not exceed $1.0 million. Awards for Track 3 (Design and Development: Multi-Institutional Consortia) projects may not exceed $5.0 million. In all cases, the totals are inclusive of direct and indirect costs.

For Collaborative Proposals (see PAPPG Chapter II.D.3), the combined budgets of the collaborating organizations should conform to the budgetary limits specified in this solicitation.

Eligibility Information:

Who May Submit Proposals:

Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

  • Institutions of Higher Education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965) in the United States, its territories, or possessions, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico that grant associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees in the S-STEM eligible degree programs and disciplines listed in "Synopsis of Program" and Section IV.B. are invited to submit proposals.

Who May Serve as PI:

For Track 1 (Institutional Capacity Building) and Track 2 (Design and Development: Single Institution) projects, the Principal Investigator must be a faculty member currently teaching in an S-STEM eligible discipline who can provide the leadership required to ensure the success of the project. Projects involving more than one department within an institution are eligible, but a single Principal Investigator must accept overall management and leadership responsibility. Other members of the S-STEM senior project leadership and management team may be listed as Co-Principal Investigators.

For Track 3 (Design and Development: Multi-Institutional Consortia) projects, the Principal Investigator must be a faculty member currently teaching in an S-STEM eligible discipline or an institutional, educational, or social science researcher who can provide the leadership required to ensure the success of the project. A consortium project must have a Principal Investigator who accepts overall management and leadership responsibility. Other members of the S-STEM senior project leadership and management team may be listed as Co-Principal Investigators or PIs on collaborative research proposals.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

An Institution may submit one proposal (either as a single institution or as subawardee or a member of a Collaborative Research project) from each constituent school or college that awards degrees in an S-STEM eligible discipline. See Additional Eligibility Information below for more details (see IV. Eligibility Information).

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit (Number of applicants permitted per institution): 
1
Sponsor Final Deadline: 
Mar 25, 2020
OSVPR Application or NOI Instructions: 

Interested applicants should send the following documents in sequence in one PDF file (File name: Last name_NSF 20-526 2020 no later than 4:00 p.m. on the internal submission deadline:

1. Cover Page:

Principal Investigator’s (PI's) campus/college/departments
Co-PI's names and campus/college/departments
A list of possible participating organizations (if applicable)
Proposal Title


2. Project Overview Description (2 pages maximum) of the proposed project that consists of:

A brief description of the S-STEM project including the number of scholarships to be provided
The discipline areas to be served by the scholarship funds,
The objectives of the project,
Basic information about the student recruitment, selection, support, and career placement services to be provided as part of this S-STEM project.


3. Include a 2-page biographical sketch (include any prior related NSF funding) for the Principal Investigator and each listed Co-Principal Investigator and/or Senior Personnel.

4. Please include any feedback details/encouragement you've received from the relevant program director(s), especially if this is a resubmission.

Formatting Guidelines and Page Limit:

Font/size: Times New Roman (12 pt.)
Document margins: 1.0” (top, bottom, left and right)
Standard paper size (8 ½” x 11)
Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.edu.

To be considered as a Penn State institutional nominee, please submit a notice of intent by the date provided directly below.
This limited submission is in downselect: 
Penn State may only submit a specific number of proposals to this funding opportunity. The number of NOIs received require that an internal competition take place, thus, a downselect process has commenced. No Penn State researchers may apply to this opportunity outside of this downselect process. To apply for this limited submission, please use this link:
OSVPR Downselect Deadline: 
Wednesday, January 22, 2020 - 4:00pm
Notes: 
Tonya Peeples (CoE), Samir Ouzomgi (Abington), Aldo Morales (Harrisburg)