Engineering Research Initiation (ERI)

The U.S. National Science Foundation Engineering Research Initiation program is administered through the Directorate for Engineering, including participating programs in the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation, the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems, and the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems. The program is intended to build engineering research capacity across the United States by investing in new academic investigators who have not yet received sufficient research funding from Federal Agencies. Its broader goal is to expand the base of academic scientists and engineers conducting societally important engineering research while helping investigators establish careers as researchers, educators, and innovators. The opportunity is limited to investigators at eligible institutions that are not classified as Doctoral Universities with Very High Research Activity, or R1 institutions, under the applicable Carnegie Classification. ERI supports fundamental engineering research that can establish the foundation for a competitive, productive, long-term research program. Activities may improve the research and scientific training environment of the participating institution, catalyze new research partnerships, disseminate research results, or lay groundwork for future grant competitions. Proposals may be submitted only in engineering research areas supported by participating Directorate for Engineering programs. NSF strongly encourages proposals from Primarily Undergraduate Institutions, two-year colleges, and institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions. Proposed activities may include partnerships and access to instrumentation or other resources, but separately submitted collaborative proposals are prohibited and subawards to R1 institutions are not permitted. NSF anticipates approximately 55 awards with total anticipated program funding of 11000000 dollars, subject to the availability of funds and proposal quality. Each award is for 24 months and, including indirect costs, may not exceed 200000 dollars. Funds may support research expenses, trainees such as students or postdoctoral researchers, PI salary, and modest equipment costs necessary to initiate and conduct the research. Equipment needed for the proposed work may be included, although NSF encourages consideration of its Major Research Instrumentation program for acquisition of a single well-integrated instrument costing more than 100000 dollars. Voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited, so there is no required applicant match. Eligible applicants are two-year and four-year Institutions of Higher Education accredited in and having a campus located in the United States that are not classified as R1 institutions on the proposal submission deadline. The institution submits on behalf of its faculty member. The PI must hold a doctoral degree in a field supported by NSF and an appointment at an eligible institution; postdoctoral fellow researchers cannot serve as PI. At the submission deadline, the PI generally cannot have been a PI or Co-PI on a current or prior awarded NSF research grant, including a subaward, or have received research support totaling 200000 dollars or more from another Federal Agency within the preceding five calendar years. The solicitation specifies exceptions for certain non-research awards, pre-tenure-track support, I-Corps and certain Phase I SBIR or STTR awards, and certain federally originated funds distributed locally without naming the ERI PI in the Federal proposal. Only one PI is permitted, Co-PIs are prohibited, and an individual may serve as PI or Senior or Key Personnel on only one ERI proposal per deadline. Full proposals may be submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov and must follow the applicable NSF preparation guidance. Letters of Intent and preliminary proposals are not required. The project title must begin with ERI followed by a colon and an informative title. The Project Description has a 10-page limit and is recommended to include Research Goals, Research Project, and ERI Criteria sections, along with the required Broader Impacts discussion. The proposal should explain the PI's research goals, research questions or hypotheses, plan of work, methods and procedures where appropriate, motivation, novelty in relation to existing literature, and mechanisms for assessing success. A required Department Chair or Dean letter must explain alignment with institutional goals, commitment to the PI's professional development, and explicitly verify every PI eligibility criterion. Failure to satisfy the letter requirements can result in return of the proposal without review. NSF evaluates proposals using the National Science Board criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. An additional solicitation-specific criterion asks the extent to which the proposed research initiation activities will provide a basis for sustained research contributions consistent with the PI's research goals. Proposals may undergo ad hoc review, panel review, or both, and generally receive review by an NSF Program Officer and three or more external experts after passing the initial compliance check. All else being equal after merit review, NSF may give preference to institutions with lower indirect cost rates. Award notification is made to the submitting organization by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer, and standard NSF award and reporting requirements apply, including annual project reports and a public project outcomes report unless otherwise specified in the award notice. The remaining published full proposal deadlines are October 9, 2026 and September 16, 2027, with proposals due by 5 p.m. in the submitting organization's local time. The listed sequence of deadlines establishes recurring submission opportunities, with the next deadline after the analysis date of August 21, 2026 occurring on October 9, 2026. Awards have a 24-month duration. Program questions may be directed to Rosa Lukaszew, Shahab Shojaei-Zadeh, or Janis P. Terpenny through the shared program email eri@nsf.gov; their listed telephone numbers are 703-292-8103, 703-292-8045, and 703-292-2487, respectively. Research.gov technical questions may be directed to rgov@nsf.gov or 1-800-381-1532, while Grants.gov submission questions may be directed to support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726.

Build the proposal around the potential for the research initiation activities to establish sustained research contributions consistent with the PI's research goals. Address Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts directly. Explain motivation and novelty in the context of existing literature and provide mechanisms for assessing success. Ensure the required Department Chair or Dean letter explicitly verifies every PI eligibility criterion because a deficient letter can cause the proposal to be returned without review.