Ethics Education in Science and Engineering | Apply Online

NSF Ethics Education in Science and Engineering (EESE) Program (08-530) FAQs

What is the NSF EESE program (Funding Opportunity Number 08-530)?

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Ethics Education in Science and Engineering (EESE) program (Funding Opportunity Number 08-530) is a discretionary grant opportunity in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category. It supports projects intended to strengthen and improve ethics education across the science and engineering fields funded by NSF.

What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?

The main goal is to improve ethics education for STEM graduate students by supporting projects that enhance how ethics is taught, learned, and integrated into graduate-level science and engineering training.

Who is the primary intended audience for EESE-funded activities?

The central requirement is that proposed activities directly aim to improve ethics education for graduate students. Advanced undergraduates may also benefit, but only as a secondary audience.

Does the program focus on specific STEM disciplines, or is it broad?

It is broadly oriented across NSF-supported science and engineering disciplines. The program is intended to be relevant across many areas of STEM research and training rather than limited to a single field.

What kinds of projects does EESE support?

EESE supports both research and educational efforts. This can include studies on how ethics is best taught and learned in STEM graduate training, as well as the design, implementation, and evaluation of ethics education models and interventions.

What are examples of allowable ethics education activities under this opportunity?

Examples described include ethics education models, courses, modules, mentoring approaches, and broader training interventions, provided they are aimed at improving ethics education for graduate students.

Is the emphasis simply on delivering ethics content?

No. The emphasis is on improving ethics education in ways that can be meaningfully integrated into graduate-level science and engineering preparation, particularly in complex research environments where real-world ethical questions arise.

Does NSF encourage interdisciplinary or multi-organization projects?

Yes. A defining feature of the program is encouragement of boundary-crossing work, especially projects that are interdisciplinary (spanning multiple scientific or engineering domains) or inter-institutional (collaborations among multiple organizations).

What kind of project team does NSF suggest for strong proposals?

NSF indicates that strong proposals will typically be developed by teams that collectively include an appropriate mix of expertise. This may include relevant STEM subject-matter expertise, ethics expertise, educational research capability, and practical pedagogy or curriculum design experience.

How much funding was available through this opportunity?

Total funding was estimated at 2,400,000, with an expected 12 awards.

What was the typical award size range?

Individual awards ranged from a minimum of 15,000 to a maximum of 300,000.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants generally were not required to provide institutional matching funds as a condition of receiving an award.

What type of funding mechanism was used?

The grant mechanism was the listed funding instrument type (a grant).

Who was eligible to apply as the lead applicant?

Eligibility to apply as the lead applicant was limited to U.S.-located and U.S.-accredited colleges and universities, and U.S.-based professional associations.

Can other types of organizations participate at all?

Yes. Other organizations could participate, but only in non-lead roles such as collaborators or subawardees.

Can an eligible university or professional association participate as a partner instead of the lead?

Yes. Eligible colleges, universities, and professional associations could also participate as non-lead partners or subawardees on a proposal led by another eligible organization.

Why does the eligibility structure emphasize lead applicants being universities or professional associations?

Based on the information provided, this structure supports multi-organization projects while keeping primary accountability with U.S. higher education institutions or recognized professional associations.

When was the opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on March 4, 2009.

What were the proposal deadlines for this opportunity?

It listed multiple full proposal deadlines over several years: April 3, 2008; March 2, 2009; and March 1, 2010.

What was the final closing date?

The final listed closing date was March 1, 2010.

Is this funding opportunity still open?

No. The opportunity is archived. It has an archive date of December 16, 2010, with a note referencing archive number 11-514.

Which CFDA numbers were associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity was associated with multiple CFDA numbers spanning NSF areas: Engineering (47.041), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (47.049), Geosciences (47.050), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (47.070), Biological Sciences (47.074), Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (47.075), and Education and Human Resources (47.076).

What does the breadth of CFDA numbers suggest about the program?

It reflects the program goal that ethics education improvements be applicable and valuable across the broader STEM research and training ecosystem, rather than confined to one discipline.

Where are applicants directed for the full program details?

The opportunity points to NSF Publication 08-530 for the full program details.

Who should be contacted for Grants.gov access or technical support related to the announcement?

For support issues related to accessing the announcement through Grants.gov, the contact provided was NSF Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.