Opportunity Information: Apply for 12 569
Apply for 12 569
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Experiences for Undergraduates" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041 Engineering Grants 47.049 Mathematical and Physical Sciences 47.050 Geosciences 47.070 Computer and Information Science and Engineering 47.074 Biological Sciences 47.075 Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences 47.076 Education and Human Resources 47.078 Polar Programs 47.079 Office of International Science and Engineering 47.080 Office of Cyberinfrastructure 47.081 Office of Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 6, 2012 and posted on Jun 18, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 24, 2013 Deadline for REU Site proposals except for those requiring access to Antarctica September 12, 2012 Fourth Wednesday in August annually thereafter Deadline for REU Site proposals requiring access to Antarctica. May 24, 2013 Fourth Friday in May annually thereafter. All other REU Site proposals must be submitted to the Aug/Sept REU deadline.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $68,400,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1,800 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- PI Limit For REU Site proposals, a single individual maybe designated as the Principal Investigator. This individual will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the award. However, one additional person may be designated as Co Principal Investigator if developing and operating the REU Site would involve such shared responsibility. Other anticipated research supervisors should be listed as Non Co PI Senior Personnel. After a proposal is awarded,some NSF units may allow the addition of more Co PIs if an exceptional case can be made for why the management of the REU Site must be distributed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is a long running federal funding opportunity designed to bring undergraduate students into real research environments across the full range of fields that NSF supports. The central goal is hands on, active participation in research rather than classroom style training alone. REU awards are meant to place undergraduates in meaningful roles on research teams where they can learn how research is conceived, carried out, analyzed, and communicated, either by plugging students into existing NSF funded projects or by creating research projects intentionally structured around undergraduate involvement.
This solicitation supports two main ways of funding undergraduate research experiences. The first is the REU Site mechanism, which funds an institution or organization to run a cohesive undergraduate research program that typically hosts a group of students under a shared theme. REU Sites can be housed within a single discipline or department (for example, a chemistry REU), or they can be interdisciplinary and draw on multiple departments as long as there is a clear intellectual focus tying the projects together. The program also explicitly welcomes Site proposals that include an international dimension, which can mean collaborations or research experiences with international partners when appropriate and feasible. REU Sites are proposed and managed as independent projects, with a defined plan for recruitment, mentoring, research activities, and overall program operations.
The second mechanism is the REU Supplement, which is an add on to an existing or proposed NSF award. Rather than creating a full Site program, an REU Supplement provides incremental funding so an NSF funded research team can hire and support one or more undergraduates to work directly on that team’s project. Supplements can be requested as part of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements, or they can be requested for ongoing NSF funded projects. In practice, this mechanism is often used when a research group wants to bring undergraduates into a project quickly or when the scope is best handled within a single laboratory or research group rather than through a larger cohort style Site.
A key eligibility rule concerns the student participants: undergraduates supported through either an REU Site or an REU Supplement must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States. Another important point is that students do not apply to NSF directly for REU participation. Instead, they apply to individual REU Sites (which recruit and select their own cohorts) or they are selected by NSF funded investigators who have received REU Supplement support. NSF maintains an online directory of active REU Sites that students can use to find opportunities and application instructions (http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reusearch.cfm).
From an administrative and funding standpoint, this opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 12-569, NSF Publication 12-569) is listed as a discretionary grant program using the cooperative agreement instrument type, supporting science and technology and other research and development activities. The solicitation anticipates a large number of awards (about 1,800 expected awards) reflecting the program’s broad footprint across disciplines and institutions. The estimated total funding referenced in the source data is $68,400,000, with typical award sizes ranging widely depending on mechanism and scope, reflected by an award floor of $5,000 and an award ceiling of $400,000. The solicitation indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
The REU program spans many NSF directorates and subject areas, which is reflected in the CFDA numbers listed in the announcement. These include 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), education and human resources (47.076), polar programs (47.078), international science and engineering (47.079), cyberinfrastructure (47.080), and EPSCoR (47.081). In practical terms, that means REU activities can be supported in nearly any research area NSF funds, so long as the proposed student experiences are well mentored, research intensive, and aligned with NSF supported research priorities.
The solicitation also lays out proposal leadership expectations for REU Sites. A Site proposal may name a single Principal Investigator who is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the award, and it may include one Co-Principal Investigator when true shared responsibility for developing and operating the Site is justified. Additional research supervisors and mentors are typically listed as senior personnel rather than Co-PIs. The solicitation notes that after an award is made, some NSF units may allow additional Co-PIs in exceptional cases where there is a strong rationale for distributed management, but the default model is relatively streamlined leadership with clearly defined accountability.
Deadlines in the source information emphasize that REU Site submissions follow an annual cycle and may vary depending on whether the project requires access to Antarctica. The data provided includes a deadline of September 12, 2012 and then “fourth Wednesday in August annually thereafter†for Site proposals that do not require Antarctic access, and a deadline of May 24, 2013 and then “fourth Friday in May annually thereafter†for Site proposals requiring access to Antarctica. The posting date shown is June 18, 2012, with an original closing date of May 22, 2015, and an archive date of September 15, 2016, indicating the particular record you provided corresponds to an earlier cycle of the program even though the REU program itself continues under updated solicitations in later years.
For applicants needing help accessing or navigating the announcement, the contact information in the record points to NSF’s Grants.gov support (grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov) for technical issues. For full requirements, proposal preparation details, and the most current guidance, the announcement directs readers to the full solicitation identified as NSF Publication 12-569.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program (NSF 12-569)
1) What is the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program?
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is a federal funding opportunity intended to bring undergraduate students into real research environments across the range of fields supported by NSF. The program emphasizes hands-on, active participation in research rather than classroom-style training alone, with students taking meaningful roles on research teams to learn how research is conceived, conducted, analyzed, and communicated.
2) What is the main goal of REU funding?
The central goal is to provide undergraduates with research-intensive experiences where they actively participate in research activities, rather than only receiving instruction or training. REU awards are meant to integrate students into real research work, either through existing NSF-funded projects or projects structured specifically around undergraduate involvement.
3) What are the two funding mechanisms supported by this solicitation?
This solicitation supports two main mechanisms:
- REU Site: Funding for an institution/organization to run a cohesive undergraduate research program, typically hosting a group of students under a shared theme.
- REU Supplement: An add-on to an existing or proposed NSF award that provides incremental funding for a research team to support one or more undergraduates working on that project.
4) What is an REU Site?
An REU Site is a stand-alone project award to run an organized undergraduate research program. REU Sites typically bring together a cohort of undergraduate participants, often centered on a shared intellectual theme. The Site proposal includes a defined plan for recruitment, mentoring, research activities, and program operations.
5) Do REU Sites have to be in a single discipline?
No. REU Sites can be housed within a single discipline or department (for example, chemistry), or they can be interdisciplinary and draw on multiple departments. Interdisciplinary Sites must still have a clear intellectual focus tying the projects together.
6) Can an REU Site include an international component?
Yes. The solicitation explicitly welcomes Site proposals that include an international dimension, such as collaborations or research experiences with international partners, when appropriate and feasible.
7) What is an REU Supplement?
An REU Supplement provides incremental funding as an add-on to an existing or proposed NSF award. Instead of operating a cohort-style Site, a supplement supports one or more undergraduates working directly within an NSF-funded research team on that team’s project.
8) When can an REU Supplement be requested?
Supplements can be requested as part of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements, or they can be requested for ongoing NSF-funded projects.
9) Why would a research team choose an REU Supplement instead of an REU Site?
Based on the solicitation description, supplements are often used when a research group wants to bring undergraduates into a project quickly or when the effort is best handled within a single laboratory or research group rather than through a larger cohort-style Site program.
10) Who is eligible to participate as an undergraduate student in REU?
Undergraduates supported through either an REU Site or an REU Supplement must be one of the following:
- U.S. citizens
- U.S. nationals
- Permanent residents of the United States
11) Do students apply to NSF directly for REU opportunities?
No. Students do not apply directly to NSF for REU participation. Instead, they apply to individual REU Sites (which recruit and select their own cohorts), or they may be selected by NSF-funded investigators who receive an REU Supplement.
12) Where can students find a list of active REU Sites?
NSF maintains an online directory of active REU Sites that students can use to find opportunities and application instructions: http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reusearch.cfm
13) What is the Funding Opportunity Number and publication identifier for this solicitation?
The record provided identifies Funding Opportunity Number 12-569 and NSF Publication 12-569.
14) What type of funding instrument is used in this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed as a discretionary grant program using the cooperative agreement instrument type.
15) What fields or research areas does REU support?
REU spans many NSF directorates and subject areas. The solicitation lists multiple CFDA numbers across NSF, indicating REU activities can be supported in nearly any research area NSF funds, as long as the proposed experiences are well mentored, research intensive, and aligned with NSF-supported research priorities.
16) Which CFDA numbers are associated with this REU opportunity?
The announcement includes the following CFDA numbers:
- 47.041 (Engineering)
- 47.049 (Mathematical and Physical Sciences)
- 47.050 (Geosciences)
- 47.070 (Computer and Information Science and Engineering)
- 47.074 (Biological Sciences)
- 47.075 (Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences)
- 47.076 (Education and Human Resources)
- 47.078 (Polar Programs)
- 47.079 (International Science and Engineering)
- 47.080 (Cyberinfrastructure)
- 47.081 (EPSCoR)
17) How many awards are expected under this solicitation?
The solicitation anticipates about 1,800 expected awards.
18) What is the estimated total funding amount referenced in the record?
The source data references an estimated total funding level of $68,400,000.
19) What is the typical award size range?
Award sizes vary widely by mechanism and scope. The record shows an award floor of $5,000 and an award ceiling of $400,000.
20) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The solicitation indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
21) What are the proposal leadership expectations for an REU Site?
The solicitation notes that an REU Site proposal may name a single Principal Investigator (PI) responsible for overseeing all aspects of the award. It may include one Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) when true shared responsibility for developing and operating the Site is justified. Additional research supervisors and mentors are typically listed as senior personnel rather than Co-PIs.
22) Can an REU Site have more than one Co-PI after the award is made?
The solicitation notes that after an award is made, some NSF units may allow additional Co-PIs in exceptional cases where there is a strong rationale for distributed management. However, the default model is streamlined leadership with clearly defined accountability.
23) What are the deadlines for REU Site proposals that do not require access to Antarctica?
The source information lists a deadline of September 12, 2012 and then the fourth Wednesday in August annually thereafter for REU Site proposals not requiring Antarctic access.
24) What are the deadlines for REU Site proposals that require access to Antarctica?
The source information lists a deadline of May 24, 2013 and then the fourth Friday in May annually thereafter for REU Site proposals requiring access to Antarctica.
25) What is the posting date and what do the closing/archive dates imply?
The posting date shown is June 18, 2012. The record lists an original closing date of May 22, 2015 and an archive date of September 15, 2016. This suggests the particular record provided corresponds to an earlier solicitation cycle, even though the REU program continues under updated solicitations in later years.
26) Where should applicants look for full requirements and current proposal guidance?
For full requirements, proposal preparation details, and the most current guidance, the record directs readers to the full solicitation identified as NSF Publication 12-569.
27) Who should be contacted for technical issues related to accessing or navigating the announcement?
The contact information in the record points to NSF’s Grants.gov support for technical issues: grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.
28) What kinds of activities are supported under this opportunity?
The record describes the program as supporting science and technology and other research and development activities, with undergraduate participants placed into research environments where they learn through direct involvement in research work.
29) How are undergraduates typically integrated into research under REU funding?
Undergraduates are intended to be placed in meaningful roles on research teams. Depending on whether the funding is through a Site or a Supplement, this can involve participation within a cohort program organized around a theme (Site) or working directly within a specific NSF-funded research project and team (Supplement).
30) Does this solicitation only apply to one NSF directorate?
No. The REU program spans many NSF directorates and subject areas, as reflected in the multiple CFDA numbers listed in the announcement.
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