Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Directorate for Engineering (ENG) and Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), offered the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science program to place practicing and pre-service K-12 STEM teachers, along with community college faculty, directly into engineering and computer science research environments. The basic idea behind the program is straightforward: when educators participate in real research alongside university teams, they gain current, practical insight into engineering, computing, and technology innovation, and then bring that knowledge back into their classrooms through new lessons, labs, and learning modules that reflect how the field actually works today. A central emphasis of the program is building long-term, durable partnerships among K-12 schools, community colleges, and NSF-funded university research groups, rather than one-off experiences that end when the summer ends.

The program was designed not only to improve STEM teaching content, but also to strengthen the pipeline into engineering and computing by making classroom learning more authentic and connected to modern practice. In addition to supporting general participation, NSF explicitly encouraged partnerships that serve inner-city schools and other high-need schools. The opportunity also highlighted the importance of broadening participation in STEM by encouraging involvement by underrepresented minorities, women, and persons with disabilities, both among the participating teachers/faculty and through the downstream impact on students who would experience upgraded classroom activities.

NSF structured this opportunity around two main funding mechanisms. First, RET supplements could be added onto existing or newly proposed ENG or CISE research awards. In practice, this meant an NSF-funded engineering or computer science research project could request additional funds specifically to host one or more teachers or community college faculty members as part of the research team. This supplement route is often attractive because it leverages an already active, well-defined research project and infrastructure, allowing teachers to plug into ongoing work quickly. Second, the program supported standalone RET Site awards. These were independent proposals submitted by engineering or computer and information science departments, schools, or colleges to create a more organized, cohort-based research participation experience for multiple teachers and/or community college faculty. RET Sites typically involve a structured plan for recruitment, research placement, professional development, mentoring, and the translation of research experiences into classroom-ready instructional materials.

In terms of scale and funding context, the opportunity was a discretionary grant program categorized under science and technology and other research and development. The estimated total funding listed was $5.5 million, with an expectation of about 8 awards. It also included a cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning awardees were expected to contribute some portion of support or resources consistent with NSF guidance for that solicitation. The CFDA program areas tied to the announcement were 47.041 (Engineering Grants) and 47.070 (Computer and Information Science and Engineering), reflecting the two NSF directorates involved.

Eligibility was centered on U.S. academic institutions. Proposals could be submitted by accredited U.S. universities and colleges, including two-year and four-year institutions and community colleges, as long as they have a campus located in the United States and submit on behalf of their faculty members. In addition, small businesses holding an active SBIR or STTR grant were eligible to apply specifically for an RET supplement, reflecting NSF's interest in connecting teachers to innovation environments that may exist outside traditional university settings while still tied to NSF-funded R&D. For RET Site proposals, there was a specific principal investigator requirement: the PI had to hold a faculty appointment within an engineering/engineering technology unit or within a computer and information science unit (broadly defined to include areas such as human-computer interaction, software engineering, networking science, and informatics) at the submitting U.S. institution. This requirement reinforced that the research experience would be grounded in bona fide engineering or computing research programs.

The solicitation history indicates the opportunity was originally posted on November 30, 2010, with full proposal deadlines of February 28, 2011 and October 3, 2011, and then the first Monday in October annually thereafter while it remained active. The listing provided notes that the opportunity has since been archived (archive date August 22, 2014), meaning it is no longer open under that specific funding opportunity number (NSF 11-509). For reference and official details, NSF pointed applicants to the NSF publication associated with the solicitation (11-509) and provided support contacts for access or linking issues, including NSF grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

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