Institute of Education Sciences (IES): National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER): Research Training Programs in Special Education

The Research Training Programs in Special Education is a federal grant competition administered by the U.S. Department of Education through the Institute of Education Sciences and its National Center for Special Education Research. The program carries Assistance Listing Number 84.324B. NCSER supports research intended to expand knowledge about the needs of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities, improve their developmental, education, and transition outcomes, and improve services and implementation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Through this competition, NCSER seeks to strengthen the special education research workforce and prepare researchers to conduct rigorous, relevant research focused on learners with or at risk for disabilities. Applicants must select one of two programs: Early Career Development and Mentoring or Methods Training for Special Education Research. The Early Career Development and Mentoring program supports an integrated research and career development plan for an early career investigator at an academic or non-academic research institution. The investigator must be the sole principal investigator and conduct research focused on learners with or at risk for disabilities. Eligible Early Career research may use Measurement, Exploration, or Development and Innovation project types. Awards may last up to four years and have a maximum total cost of 500000. Faculty and research scientists at eligible non-R1 institutions may request, with justification, up to an additional 200000, limited to 50000 per year, for grant administration and management. Allowable costs may include research and administrative staff, consultants, research supplies, participant compensation, statistical services, data collection travel, training, PI salary, mentor support, graduate student support, and reasonable accommodations. Funds may not support facility construction, renovation or maintenance, graduate students beyond their direct grant work, or mentors' research. The Methods Training program supports training for current education researchers to expand and improve methodological skills. For this competition, proposed Methods Training must focus on analyzing large administrative datasets to address research questions related to learners with or at risk for disabilities. Training may address skills needed to clean, merge, analyze, and interpret administrative data and should support rigorous research and policy or programmatic decision making. Methods Training awards may last up to three years and have a maximum total cost of 800000. Funds may support development and dissemination of training materials as well as direct training. Participant support and accommodation rules apply, and participants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents whose work is relevant to education in the United States. Training grant indirect cost reimbursement is limited to the recipient's actual indirect costs under its negotiated rate or 8 percent of a modified total direct cost base, whichever is less. No mandatory cost share or matching requirement is stated. Applicants must be located in the territorial United States and satisfy the requirements of the selected program. Early Career applicants must be academic or non-academic research institutions with the ability and capacity to conduct rigorous research; examples include nonprofit and for-profit organizations and public and private agencies and institutions such as colleges and universities. The Early Career PI must meet detailed doctoral-degree, employment, tenure, and mentorship requirements. Methods Training applicants must have the ability and capacity to conduct training in scientific research methods, and all key training personnel must be named in the application. Applications must comply with program-specific requirements concerning personnel, research or training focus, U.S. education relevance, and required outcomes. The application package became available through Grants.gov on August 6, 2026, and applications must be electronically submitted, received, and validated through Grants.gov no later than 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 1, 2026. A Letter of Intent is due September 3, 2026 through the IES Peer Review system, but it is optional, non-binding, and strongly recommended rather than a condition of application. Required materials include the applicable training program narrative, Appendix A Engagement and Dissemination Plan, Appendix D Letters of Agreement, and Appendix F Alignment with SEER Standards. Appendix B is required for resubmissions, Appendix E Data Sharing and Management Plan is required for Early Career applications, and Appendix C Supplemental Materials is optional. Applicants must also prepare separate attachments for the project summary or abstract, bibliography and references, human subjects narrative, and biographical sketches for key personnel. Early Career narratives are limited to 22 pages and Methods Training narratives to 15 pages. Only compliant, responsive, and timely applications advance to scientific peer review. Reviewers assess Significance; the Research Plan for Early Career or Research Training Plan for Methods Training; the Career Development Plan for Early Career; Personnel; Resources; and Engagement and Dissemination. At least two primary reviewers prepare evaluations and scores, after which the most competitive applications advance for consideration and scoring by the full peer review panel. Award decisions additionally consider alignment with SEER Standards, contribution to the overall research training program, scientific merit, research security compliance, past federal award performance, ability to complete the work within award and duration limits, applicable public access compliance, persistent identifiers for key personnel, and availability of funds. Possible project start dates are July 1 through September 1, 2027. The program officer is Katherine Taylor at Katherine.Taylor@ed.gov. The RFA does not state that the competition recurs on a fixed annual or other recurring schedule.

Choose one training program and satisfy every general and narrative responsiveness requirement. Align the proposal with applicable SEER Standards. For Early Career applications, tightly integrate the research and career development plans and keep the research scope feasible within the award limits. For Methods Training, focus specifically on analyzing large administrative datasets and provide hands-on practice with real administrative data. Follow all formatting and page limits because excess pages are removed. Address Significance, the applicable Research or Research Training Plan, Personnel, Resources, Engagement and Dissemination, and for Early Career the Career Development Plan. Submit early enough for Grants.gov validation before the deadline.