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NSF IUSE/PFE RED Program (Funding Opportunity 17-501) FAQs

1) What is the NSF RED program?

The NSF IUSE/Professional Formation of Engineers: REvolutionizing engineering and computer science Departments (RED) program is a competitive grant opportunity focused on helping engineering and computer science departments make major, lasting improvements to undergraduate education. The emphasis is on transforming departments at the culture, structure, and practice level rather than making isolated course-by-course changes.

2) What is the central goal of RED?

The central goal is departmental-level transformation that addresses persistent problems in how students are taught, supported, and included, so graduates are better prepared for modern societal and technological challenges. RED aims for changes that endure and can be sustained within the department over time.

3) What types of changes does RED prioritize?

RED prioritizes deep, sustainable change in departmental culture, structures, and practices. This can include reshaping departmental norms, decision-making processes, mentoring structures, hiring and teaching practices, and the overall climate that affects belonging and persistence.

4) Is RED about redesigning a single course or set of courses?

No. The solicitation explicitly contrasts RED with isolated course redesigns. While curricular changes may be part of a RED project, the program emphasizes department-wide, long-term transformation rather than standalone improvements in individual courses.

5) Who is this opportunity intended to benefit?

The immediate beneficiaries are undergraduate students in engineering and computer science departments, with a particular emphasis on improving inclusion and student success. Departments and faculty also benefit through strengthened departmental systems that support teaching innovation, student development, and sustainable change.

6) How does RED relate to NSF's IUSE framework?

RED sits within the NSF-wide Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) framework, launched to accelerate broad improvements in undergraduate STEM teaching and learning across disciplines. RED applies that IUSE improvement mindset specifically to engineering and computer science departments, with an emphasis on departmental transformation.

7) How does RED relate to the Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) initiative?

RED was introduced as a Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) initiative aligned with IUSE. PFE focuses on building an innovative, inclusive engineering profession suited to the 21st century, and RED advances that goal through department-level reforms that shape how engineers and computer scientists are educated and formed professionally.

8) When was RED first offered, and what fiscal year is referenced here?

RED was first offered in FY 2015 and continued into FY 2017. The specific competition details described here are for the FY 2017 cycle.

9) What makes a department a good fit for RED?

Based on the solicitation themes provided, a good fit is a department ready to lead significant reforms that engage the department as a whole, confront cultural and structural barriers, strengthen inclusion and student success, and build coherent learning experiences across the entire undergraduate program.

10) Does RED expect participation beyond a small group of faculty?

Yes. RED projects are expected to engage the department as a whole. The solicitation treats faculty participation as essential and frames transformation as something that must be owned broadly rather than carried by only a few enthusiastic individuals.

11) Why does the solicitation emphasize incentivizing faculty participation?

The solicitation explicitly highlights that faculty must be incentivized, and it suggests that proposals should address how teaching innovation and change leadership will be recognized, supported, and sustained within departmental reward systems. The idea is that lasting change requires aligning incentives and recognition with the desired reforms.

12) What kinds of barriers are RED projects expected to identify and confront?

RED expects departments to identify and confront cultural barriers that impede change and limit inclusion of students and faculty from different backgrounds. This points to work on departmental climate, norms, policies, and practices that shape who feels welcomed, supported, and able to persist.

13) What does RED mean by creating "coherent, connected learning experiences" across four years?

RED calls for learning experiences that are intentionally connected from the first year through the fourth year, integrating technical learning and professional formation across the curriculum and co-curricular experiences. The intent is to move away from fragmented approaches where professional skills are added only at the beginning or end of the degree.

14) Which parts of the undergraduate pathway does the solicitation highlight as key leverage points?

The solicitation highlights three leverage points: (1) the middle two years of core technical coursework, often described as the most rigid and gatekeeping portion of the curriculum; (2) meaningful internship experiences in private and public sector settings; and (3) faculty-guided research experiences.

15) What are "T-shaped" capabilities in the RED context?

In the solicitation's framing, "T-shaped" capabilities combine deep disciplinary expertise with broad professional skills needed to collaborate across contexts and disciplines. RED encourages departments to make these outcomes visible, intentional, and assessable rather than leaving them to chance.

16) What kinds of professional skills are mentioned as examples of RED outcomes?

Examples listed include design, leadership, communication, understanding historical and contemporary social contexts, lifelong learning, professional and ethical responsibility, creativity, entrepreneurship, and multidisciplinary teamwork.

17) Does RED require departments to measure whether students are gaining these competencies?

The solicitation implies that strong projects will connect reforms to clear student development goals and show how the department will know whether students are actually gaining the intended competencies, meaning the outcomes should be intentional and assessable.

18) Is RED only about implementing departmental interventions?

No. NSF expects RED awards to contribute to the broader evidence base on how sustainable departmental change happens. Projects are expected to study transformation in ways that generate transferable knowledge, not only implement local improvements.

19) What does NSF expect regarding evaluation and dissemination?

The solicitation indicates proposals should include robust evaluation, a change theory, and dissemination plans so that others can learn from both successes and challenges. The research emerging from these projects is expected to inform change efforts across STEM more broadly.

20) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this RED solicitation?

The Funding Opportunity Number provided is 17-501.

21) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling) for the FY 2017 cycle described?

The award ceiling is listed as $2,000,000 for the FY 2017 competition cycle described.

22) How many awards were expected in the FY 2017 cycle described?

The opportunity description indicates an expected eight awards for that cycle.

23) What was the original closing date for the competition cycle described?

The original closing date provided is January 18, 2017.

24) What type of grant program is this?

It is described as a discretionary NSF grant program supporting science, technology, and related research and development activities.

25) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full solicitation text. This is presented as typical for NSF programs that allow certain categories of higher education institutions or specific organizational types, but require applicants to verify precise eligibility language in the solicitation.

26) How does RED differ from other NSF options within IUSE?

The solicitation draws a boundary between RED and other NSF options in the IUSE landscape. It notes that projects outside the scope of RED should consider the IUSE program in the Education and Human Resources (EHR) directorate, particularly the Institutional and Community Transformation (ICT) track.

27) What is the IUSE EHR Institutional and Community Transformation (ICT) track mentioned here?

Based on the information provided, the ICT track supports research-driven approaches to catalyzing change across institutions and disciplines. It is suggested as an alternative pathway for projects that do not fit RED's scope.

28) Can an applicant submit the same proposal to RED and to IUSE EHR?

No. NSF strongly discourages submitting identical or substantially similar proposals to both RED and IUSE EHR. Applicants are expected to choose the program that best matches the project scope and avoid duplicate submissions.

29) What does it mean that departments face different "local realities," and why does that matter for RED?

The solicitation acknowledges that departments operate in different contexts, including demographic differences and regional socioeconomic conditions. At the same time, it argues that there are common ingredients for change that matter broadly, and RED seeks projects that learn from local conditions while generating insights others can adapt and scale.

30) What is NSF hoping happens after successful RED projects?

NSF expects successful approaches to generate knowledge that other institutions can adapt and scale nationwide. The goal is not just local improvement, but creating transferable lessons about how to achieve sustainable departmental change in engineering and computer science.