Proactive Recruitment in Introductory Science and Mathematics | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity titled Proactive Recruitment in Introductory Science and Mathematics (Funding Opportunity Number 10-511; NSF Publication 10-511) is a discretionary grant program designed to improve the United States' scientific competitiveness by increasing the number of well-prepared and successful undergraduate majors and minors in science and mathematics. The focus is on early undergraduate education, specifically the freshman and sophomore years, where many students decide whether to continue in STEM fields. The program is aimed at strengthening the pipeline by improving exposure to the mathematical sciences and by creating clearer, more engaging pathways into math-intensive STEM study.

A central feature of this opportunity is its emphasis on innovative, potentially transformational partnerships between departments of the mathematical sciences and other science or engineering disciplines. The intent is not simply to add more mathematics content, but to broaden the cross section of mathematical sciences that students encounter early in college and to connect that mathematics to compelling questions and applications in other STEM areas. By doing so, projects are expected to make introductory experiences more relevant and motivating for students who might not otherwise see themselves as math or science majors, while still providing a rigorous foundation for those who do.

The solicitation highlights increased opportunities for research experiences involving the mathematical sciences as a key strategy. In practice, this means proposals should create or expand ways for first- and second-year undergraduates to participate in authentic research or research-like experiences that use mathematical ideas, methods, or modeling. The underlying goal is to help students build competence and confidence early, improve retention in STEM majors and minors, and develop stronger preparation for advanced coursework and later research engagement.

The program anticipates making about four awards with an estimated total program funding level of $3,000,000. Individual awards are expected to fall between an award floor of $300,000 and an award ceiling of $3,000,000. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which reduces the financial barrier for institutions and allows applicants to focus proposal design on program impact and feasibility rather than on securing external matching funds.

Eligibility is limited to U.S.-accredited universities and four-year colleges that have a campus located in the United States, and proposals must be submitted by the institution on behalf of its faculty. The leadership structure is also clearly defined: each proposal must name a Principal Investigator (PI) from a department of mathematical sciences and include at least one co-Principal Investigator from another science or engineering department within the same submitting institution. This requirement reinforces the program's cross-disciplinary purpose and signals that NSF expects genuine collaboration rather than a mathematics-only effort with minimal external integration.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development and is associated with CFDA number 47.049 (Mathematical and Physical Sciences). The posting date is listed as December 8, 2009, with a full proposal deadline of March 8, 2010, and an archive date of August 19, 2010. For applicants or institutions needing help accessing the full announcement through Grants.gov, NSF points users to the Grants.gov support contact at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov, and notes that support is available for issues linking to the funding announcement.

Overall, this NSF program is best understood as an initiative to reshape the earliest stages of undergraduate STEM education by deliberately recruiting and retaining more students through interdisciplinary, math-connected introductory experiences and meaningful early research exposure. It targets institutional change through partnerships that blend mathematical sciences with other STEM fields, with the expectation that these collaborations will produce stronger student outcomes and broaden participation in science and mathematics majors and minors.

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