Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) opportunity (NSF Publication 11-520; Funding Opportunity Number 11-520) is a discretionary grant program designed to strengthen the research capacity of U.S. minority-serving institutions (MSIs) by building center-level research programs that deliberately connect research and education. The core idea is to fund institutions that can organize faculty, students, facilities, and partnerships around a focused research theme in NSF-supported fields, with the goal of generating new knowledge, improving the research productivity of faculty, and increasing the participation and success of students who have historically been underrepresented in STEM. The solicitation also includes a parallel track focused specifically on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), recognizing that expanding doctoral-level research infrastructure and outcomes at these institutions is a critical lever for diversifying the nation’s STEM workforce.

The solicitation requests four types of proposals. First are full CREST Center proposals, which support the establishment or development of a center that integrates cutting-edge research with education and workforce development. Second are CREST partnership supplements, which are add-on requests tied to existing CREST awards and intended to expand or deepen collaborations and activities aligned with the original center’s goals. Third are HBCU Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering (HBCU RISE) awards, which specifically target HBCUs to expand institutional research capacity and increase the production of doctoral students in STEM disciplines at those institutions. Fourth are diversity collaborative supplements for existing SBIR/STTR Phase IIA awards, which support industry-university collaboration by pairing current SBIR/STTR Phase IIA grantees with CREST or HBCU RISE institutional partners; these supplements are administered by NSF and co-funded with the NSF Directorate for Engineering, Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (ENG/IIP), emphasizing translation, collaboration, and broadening participation within innovation pathways.

In terms of funding scale and program size, NSF anticipated about 30 awards under this solicitation, with an estimated total program funding level of $12,000,000. The listed award ceiling is $5,000,000, indicating that larger center-scale projects are possible depending on project type, scope, and NSF’s final budget decisions. Cost sharing or matching is required, meaning applicants should be prepared to document and justify institutional or partner contributions consistent with NSF’s policies and the solicitation’s specific requirements.

Eligibility is structured around the different proposal types. For CREST Centers, proposals are invited from MSIs of higher education in the United States that meet an enrollment-based definition: institutions with undergraduate enrollments where 50 percent or more of the total student body are members of groups underrepresented among those holding advanced degrees in science and engineering. The solicitation identifies these groups as African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, and Native Pacific Islanders. Beyond meeting the MSI definition, CREST applicants are expected to show real potential to operate as a research resource hub in the proposed area, demonstrate a strong commitment and track record in enrolling and graduating underrepresented minority scientists and engineers, and present evidence of strong collaborations in the proposed field. NSF also signals a preference for institutions with demonstrated strengths in NSF-supported fields, including a developing capacity to offer doctoral degrees in one or more STEM disciplines. Priority consideration is given to science and engineering disciplines or research areas where minorities are significantly underrepresented, which aligns the program’s investments with areas of greatest national need.

For HBCU RISE, eligibility is narrower and more targeted: proposals are invited from HBCUs that offer doctoral degrees in STEM disciplines. This emphasis on doctoral-granting capacity reflects the program’s explicit aim to increase doctoral production while building the research infrastructure and ecosystem necessary to sustain high-quality, competitive research programs. For the SBIR/STTR diversity collaborative supplement track, proposals are invited from current SBIR/STTR Phase IIA grantees working with a CREST or HBCU RISE institutional partner, reinforcing a model where innovation-focused small businesses and research-intensive minority-serving academic institutions jointly advance both R&D and broadening participation goals.

Principal Investigator (PI) eligibility follows the institutional categories: PIs for CREST, HBCU RISE, and SBIR/STTR awards must be employed by an institution eligible for the specific track they are applying under. That is, a CREST PI must be employed by a CREST-eligible MSI, an HBCU RISE PI must be employed by an eligible HBCU, and an SBIR/STTR supplement PI must be employed by the eligible SBIR/STTR grantee organization (with the required CREST or HBCU RISE partnership in place).

The opportunity was posted and created on January 11, 2011, with an original and current closing date of April 11, 2011 (with the solicitation noting that applicants should see the full solicitation for detailed timing and submission instructions). The CFDA number listed for the program is 47.076 (Education and Human Resources), reflecting NSF’s positioning of CREST as both a research capacity-building and education/workforce development investment. Applicants seeking complete requirements, merit review expectations, and proposal preparation instructions are directed to the “Additional Information” link for NSF Publication 11-520. For access issues, NSF’s Grants.gov support contact is provided (grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov), underscoring that submission and troubleshooting are handled through standard federal grant systems and NSF support channels.

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