NSF Regional Innovation Engines
This funding opportunity supports regional partnerships to foster technology-driven innovation, economic growth, and community development, particularly in areas that have not fully benefited from recent technological advancements.
The NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program creates regional-scale, technology-driven innovation ecosystems throughout the United States by accelerating key technologies, addressing regional, national, societal, and/or geostrategic challenges, driving economic growth, creating and retaining quality jobs, expanding pathways into careers, and strengthening national competitiveness and security. Each NSF Engine represents a formal coalition of regional partners, led by a full-time Chief Executive Officer (CEO), tasked to carry out an integrated and comprehensive set of activities spanning use-inspired research, translation of innovation to practice, entrepreneurship, workforce development, community engagement, and ecosystem building, to nurture and accelerate the growth of regional innovation ecosystems grounded in technological innovation and regional, national, societal, and/or geostrategic challenges. The mission of an NSF Engine must be clearly rooted in regional interests and reflect the aspiration that a regional innovation ecosystem can help build strong communities where all residents can thrive. This includes the development of regional talent and intentional community engagements. The NSF Engines program is a placed-based innovation funding initiative, where the emphasis on regions expresses NSFs aim to stimulate innovation-driven economic growth within a particular place or region of service. The emphasis of the NSF Engines program further includes creating new business and economic growth in sectors that are critical to American competitiveness and in those regions of America that have not fully participated in the technology boom of the past several decades.
Award Range
$15,000,000 - Not specified
Total Program Funding
Not specified
Number of Awards
Not specified
Matching Requirement
No
Eligible Applicants
Additional Requirements
*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -For-profit organizations: U.S.-based commercial organizations, including small businesses, with strong capabilities in scientific or engineering research or education and a passion for innovation. -Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities. -Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of sub-awards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus. -Tribal Nations: An American Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges as a federally recognized tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. 5130-5131. - State and Local Governments *Who May Serve as PI: ;lt;p align="leftgt;The Principal Investigator (PI) must be a senior member of the submitting organizations leadership and will also serve as the full-time CEO for the NSF Engine. At the time of proposal submission, this role may be filled by an interim CEO until a full-time CEO is named or recruited. The designation of a full-time CEO must occur within the first six months of the start date of the award. ;lt;p align="leftgt;Individuals who are a party to aMalign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program are not eligible to serve as a senior/key person on an NSF proposalor award.
Geographic Eligibility
All
Next Deadline
June 18, 2025
Letter of Intent
Application Opens
April 17, 2024
Application Closes
April 15, 2025
Grantor
National Science Foundation
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