Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers | Apply Online

NSF ITEST (Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers) Grant Opportunity - FAQs

1) What is the NSF ITEST program?

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program is a discretionary grant opportunity designed to strengthen the pipeline into the future STEM and information and communications technology (ICT) workforce. It does this by supporting high-quality, technology-rich learning experiences for PreK-12 students.

2) What is the central goal of ITEST?

The central goal is to build students' interest, confidence, and preparation for STEM and ICT careers. ITEST-funded projects are intended to expose learners to real career pathways, encourage them to pursue the education and training those pathways require, and help them develop relevant content knowledge and transferable skills such as critical thinking and problem solving.

3) Who are the intended participants or beneficiaries of ITEST projects?

ITEST projects must directly involve PreK-12 students. Projects may also include teachers as part of the design and implementation, but the program description emphasizes that students must be directly involved.

4) What types of learning experiences does ITEST fund?

ITEST supports technology-rich learning experiences that are connected to STEM and ICT careers. The description highlights career-connected learning, mentorship, authentic problem-solving tied to industry contexts, exposure to current technologies and workflows, and clearer connections between classroom learning and real-world jobs.

5) Do projects have to focus on ICT specifically, or can they be broader STEM?

Projects can be interdisciplinary across multiple STEM areas or concentrate on a single domain or sub-discipline. The key requirement in the description is that the project advances ITEST objectives related to STEM/ICT career preparation and directly involves students.

6) Is broadening participation in STEM a required emphasis?

A major priority of ITEST is broadening participation in STEM by intentionally serving students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields and related educational and workforce pathways.

7) Are business and industry partnerships required?

NSF strongly encourages proposals that include meaningful business and industry partnerships. The opportunity description frames these partnerships as a way to align student experiences with the knowledge, tools, and skill sets needed in emerging and rapidly evolving STEM-related occupations.

8) What might a "meaningful" business or industry partnership look like under ITEST?

Based on the description, meaningful partnerships can include employer-informed career-connected learning activities, mentorship, authentic problem-solving in industry contexts, exposure to current technologies and workflows, and stronger connections between what students do in learning settings and real-world jobs.

9) What are the main project types funded by ITEST?

ITEST supports two main project types: Strategies projects and SPrEaD projects (Successful Project Expansion and Dissemination).

10) What are Strategies projects?

Strategies projects fund the design, implementation, and testing of new or innovative educational approaches that advance ITEST objectives. The description characterizes Strategies projects as the program's R&D arm for developing fresh models of STEM/ICT engagement.

11) What are SPrEaD projects?

SPrEaD (Successful Project Expansion and Dissemination) projects fund broader testing, expansion, and dissemination of strategies that already show promise. The emphasis includes generating stronger evidence and understanding how context affects outcomes.

12) Is SPrEaD just about scaling up to more sites?

No. The description states that for SPrEaD the emphasis is not only on scaling up, but also on learning what conditions help a model work well, what barriers may limit impact, and what adaptations are needed across different schools, districts, or informal learning environments.

13) What kinds of settings can ITEST projects take place in?

ITEST recognizes that implementation realities matter and allows work in typical learning settings. Projects may take place in formal classroom instruction, out-of-school programs (such as afterschool, summer, museums, or community-based programs), or combinations of both.

14) Can proposals include feasibility or practicality testing?

Yes. The description states that proposals may include activities that assess feasibility and practicality in typical learning settings, including both formal and informal environments.

15) Does ITEST fund anything besides student/teacher project activities?

Yes. In addition to funding project work with students and teachers, the program also invites proposals for an ITEST Resource Center, which would provide technical assistance to funded projects and help with outreach efforts across the broader ITEST portfolio.

16) What is the NSF Funding Opportunity Number for this announcement?

This opportunity was released under NSF Funding Opportunity Number 15-599 (NSF Publication 15-599).

17) What NSF area and CFDA number are associated with this opportunity?

The announcement is in the Education and Human Resources area and is associated with CFDA 47.076.

18) What type of funding mechanism is ITEST under this announcement?

It is a grant mechanism and is described as a discretionary grant opportunity.

19) Is there a cost sharing or matching requirement?

No. The opportunity explicitly states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

20) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open broadly to applicant types), subject to any additional eligibility language in the full solicitation.

21) How many awards did NSF anticipate making under this opportunity?

NSF anticipated roughly 30 awards.

22) What was the estimated total funding amount?

The estimated total funding amount was $35,000,000.

23) What was the minimum award size (award floor)?

The award floor was $300,000.

24) When was the opportunity posted?

The posting date was August 6, 2015.

25) What was the due date schedule?

The announcement notes an annual due date of November 13.

26) Is this specific funding opportunity still active?

No. The opportunity has been archived as of September 7, 2018, meaning that this specific solicitation is no longer active. The description also notes that the ITEST program itself may continue under updated solicitations.

27) Where should someone go for help if they cannot access the announcement on Grants.gov?

For access issues with the announcement, the notice directs applicants to Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.