IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC)

The National Science Foundation, through its Directorate for STEM Education and Division of Undergraduate Education, administers the IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education program. The program is designed to strengthen undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges and recognizes these institutions as important gateways to higher education, STEM degrees, transfer pathways, and the workforce. Its twin goals are to center students in efforts to advance innovation and promote success in STEM education at two-year colleges and to enhance the capacity of two-year colleges to harness the talent and potential of their student and faculty populations. Supported activities may address STEM majors and non-majors and may involve any discipline supported by NSF, including the social, behavioral, and economic sciences. The program has two tracks. Track 1, A Focus on the Academic Experiences of Two-Year College Students, supports projects that directly engage students and develop or adapt approaches intended to improve outcomes in STEM courses and pathways. Examples include transformation of introductory, developmental, or laboratory courses; active and project-based learning; authentic research experiences; mentorship; experiential and community-based learning; and STEM education research. Track 2, Leveraging Institutional Strengths and Innovation, supports single-department, multi-department, or college-wide projects that build institutional capacity and promote student success and participation in STEM. Examples include professional development, communities of practice, innovative transfer and transition pathways, dual enrollment or bridge programs, and partnerships with schools, four-year institutions, and workplace partners. Research is supported under either track but is not required for every project. Projects in either track may request up to USD 500,000 for up to three years. An institution that has not received qualifying NSF funding during the preceding five years may add up to USD 100,000 and extend the project to four years, producing a maximum possible project budget of USD 600,000. A prior subaward from another lead institution does not by itself make an institution ineligible for this incentive, while an institution with its own NSF award number or collaborative award beginning within the preceding five years is not eligible for the incentive. NSF anticipates approximately USD 10 million for new awards per fiscal year and estimates 15 to 20 awards across the two tracks, subject to available funds and proposal quality. Equipment may represent up to 30 percent of the total NSF budget when it is essential to the project and enhances STEM coursework or experiential learning. Student scholarships, routine teaching costs, ordinary laboratory upgrades, general utility items, construction, equipment installation, maintenance contracts, and certain replacement equipment are among the unsupported expenditures. Voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. Full proposals may be submitted only by accredited two-year colleges of higher education classified as Associates Colleges or Baccalaureate / Associates Colleges that offer undergraduate STEM degree programs. Baccalaureate, Master's, and Doctoral institutions and professional organizations may participate as subawardees or collaborators, but a two-year college must lead a collaborative full proposal. There are no restrictions or limits on who may serve as PI, the number of proposals an organization may submit, or the number submitted by a PI or co-PI. Planning proposals from eligible two-year colleges and conference or workshop proposals are also accepted throughout the year under separate procedures. Planning and conference proposals require consultation with a program officer before submission. Full proposals may be submitted electronically through Research.gov or Grants.gov, although separately submitted collaborative proposals from multiple organizations must use Research.gov. The proposal must comply with the applicable NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide and the solicitation-specific instructions. Required proposal content includes an informative project title; Project Data Form; Cover Sheet; one-page Project Summary containing Overview, Intellectual Merit, and Broader Impacts sections; and a Project Description limited to 15 single-spaced pages. The Project Description must address project rationale, significance and objectives, project design, timeline, generation of knowledge, project evaluation, dissemination and communication, ongoing implementation, project management, Broader Impacts, and results from prior NSF support when applicable. Additional materials include References Cited, Facilities Equipment and Other Resources information, required senior personnel documents, a Data Management and Sharing Plan, a Mentoring Plan when applicable, and allowable supplementary documentation. All ITYC-funded work must be evaluated by an evaluator who is external to or independent from the project team, and proposals must describe implementation and outcome evaluation, data sources and methods, responsibilities, and an evaluation timeline. NSF evaluates proposals using the National Science Board approved Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria. Reviewers consider the potential to advance knowledge and benefit society, the creativity or potentially transformative nature of the work, the quality and rationale of the implementation and assessment plan, the qualifications of the project team, and the adequacy of available resources. ITYC-specific review also considers how well the proposal demonstrates an understanding of the target students, faculty, or other professionals and how that understanding is reflected throughout project design, team composition, management, activities, and budget allocations. Proposals may undergo ad hoc or panel review. NSF states that it strives to inform applicants whether proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months, although complex proposals and proposals from new awardees may require additional time. The recurring full proposal deadline is the second Wednesday in December, with proposals due by 5 p.m. in the submitter's local time. The solicitation listed December 13, 2023 as the original deadline followed by the second Wednesday in December annually thereafter. Based on that recurrence, the next deadline after the September 1, 2026 analysis date is December 9, 2026. No letter of intent or preliminary proposal is required for a standard full proposal. General program inquiries are directed to ITYC@nsf.gov. Technical assistance for Research.gov is available through the NSF IT Service Desk, and Grants.gov technical assistance is available through the Grants.gov Contact Center. Awardees are subject to standard NSF award conditions and reporting requirements, including annual reports for multi-year grants and final and project outcomes reports following award expiration.

Demonstrate a clear understanding of the target student and faculty population and reflect that understanding throughout project design, team composition, management, activities, and budget. Ground the project in relevant STEM education evidence and institutional data. Clearly align objectives, activities, expected outcomes, timeline, knowledge generation, and evaluation. Ensure the evaluator is independent from the project team and explain that independence. Address both Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts fully. Provide a realistic plan for dissemination and continuation of appropriate project activities beyond NSF funding.