Cooperative Activity with Department of Energy Programs for Education and Human Resource Development (Request for Supplement) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the "Cooperative Activity with Department of Energy Programs for Education and Human Resource Development (Request for Supplement)"?

It is an NSF grant supplement opportunity (not a stand-alone project competition) that operates through a formal partnership between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) Office of Science. Its purpose is to add supplemental support to existing, eligible NSF-funded projects so students and faculty can participate in structured summer research programs hosted at DoE national laboratories.

What is the main goal of this supplement opportunity?

The goal is to strengthen U.S. leadership in STEM by expanding high-quality, hands-on research experiences that help develop a competitive and diverse STEM workforce, primarily through experiential learning in active research environments at DoE national labs.

Is this funding for new, stand-alone projects?

No. This opportunity is specifically framed as a supplement mechanism connected to current NSF awards. It is designed to provide additional funding tied to an existing, eligible NSF-funded project rather than to fund a new, independent project.

How does the NSF-DoE process work?

The process is structured as a two-step pathway. First, DoE reviews applications for its education and workforce initiatives beginning February 1 each year. Second, if an applicant is accepted into one of the specified DoE programs, the faculty member associated with an eligible NSF award can then submit a supplemental funding request to NSF to help cover participation costs.

Does NSF require DoE acceptance before submitting the NSF supplement request?

Yes. The sequencing is central to the opportunity: NSF supplemental support is contingent on acceptance into one of the participating DoE Office of Science programs.

When does DoE start reviewing applications?

DoE begins reviewing applications starting February 1 each year, based on the information provided in the opportunity description.

When should the NSF supplemental funding request be submitted?

The supplement request is expected to be submitted as soon as possible after DoE acceptance, but no later than the annual deadline tied to the March submission window described in the announcement.

What is the NSF submission deadline for the supplement request?

The announcement describes an annual deadline historically set as the second Monday in March. Examples of listed cutoffs include March 8, 2010; March 7, 2011; and March 5, 2012, all by 5:00 pm local time for the submitter.

What time is the deadline due?

The listed historical deadlines are stated as due by 5:00 pm local time for the submitter.

Which DoE programs are included in this NSF-DoE collaboration?

The collaboration focuses on four DoE Office of Science programs that place participants in summer research environments at national laboratories: Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI), Faculty and Student Teams (FaST), Community College Institute of Science and Technology (CCI), and Pre-Service Teacher (PST) Internships.

What is the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) program?

SULI provides undergraduate participants with intensive research internships conducted in DoE national laboratory environments during the summer.

What is the Faculty and Student Teams (FaST) program?

FaST supports collaborative work by faculty and students as a team in a national laboratory setting during the summer research experience.

What is the Community College Institute of Science and Technology (CCI) program?

CCI is aimed at community college students, providing research exposure and technical skill development through summer experiences at DoE national laboratories.

What are Pre-Service Teacher (PST) Internships?

PST Internships place future teachers into research environments to strengthen their STEM content knowledge and improve classroom readiness by engaging directly with lab-based research experiences.

What do the four DoE tracks have in common?

All four emphasize experiential learning in active laboratory research settings at DoE national labs, with the intent to broaden participation and strengthen STEM training pipelines.

Who is eligible to submit the NSF supplement request?

While the listing may appear "unrestricted" in a broad Grants.gov sense, the substantive eligibility described hinges on having an eligible, existing NSF-funded project. In practice, the key eligible submitters are faculty or principal investigators with appropriate NSF awards who want to request supplemental funds after a student and/or faculty participant has been accepted into one of the four DoE initiatives.

Who must be accepted into a DoE program for NSF to consider supplement support?

The individuals being supported (students and/or faculty tied to an eligible NSF award) must be accepted into one of the four specified DoE Office of Science initiatives for NSF supplemental support to be considered.

Is NSF funding guaranteed after DoE acceptance?

No. NSF support is contingent on DoE acceptance and also depends on NSF considerations, including the merit review history of the associated NSF award and the availability of funds.

What type of funding is this categorized as?

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the grant instrument type, but it is specifically framed as a supplement to an existing NSF award rather than a standard new-award competition.

Does this opportunity require cost sharing or matching?

No. The information provided states that cost sharing or matching is not required.

What is the CFDA listing associated with this opportunity?

It falls under the Education and Human Resources CFDA listing 47.076.

How much funding is available per supplement?

The opportunity lists an estimated total funding amount of $4,500, indicating the supplements are generally modest and intended to enable participation rather than support full-scale projects.

How many awards are anticipated?

The anticipated number of awards is listed as 115.

What are the funds intended to cover?

Based on the description, the supplemental funding is intended to help cover participation costs associated with taking part in the accepted DoE national laboratory summer research programs.

Where are participants hosted for the summer research experience?

Participants are hosted at U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories in active research environments during the summer.

Is there a posting date for this opportunity?

Yes. The posting date provided is November 18, 2009. The description also notes related internal dates indicating later record creation, but the recurring annual February-to-March process is what anchors the practical timing.

What document is referenced for full procedural details?

The announcement notes that full procedural details are contained in a related NSF program description referenced as "NSF Program Description 07-1594," which would outline what NSF expects in the supplement request and any constraints on allowable costs.

Where can applicants get help accessing the full announcement electronically?

For support and technical issues related to accessing the full announcement electronically, the opportunity points to NSF's Grants.gov support contact: grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

Is there any other contact information provided for technical issues?

The listing references additional contact support for linking problems, but the specific contact information appears incomplete in the provided text.

What is the simplest way to summarize this opportunity?

DoE selects participants for specific summer research programs at national labs, and NSF then provides targeted supplemental funding through existing NSF awards to help accepted participants take part, supporting STEM workforce development and research training.