Research in Engineering Education (REE) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC), offers the Research in Engineering Education (REE) grant opportunity to support research that helps reshape the engineering education ecosystem so it is more agile, more inclusive, and better able to respond quickly to changing societal needs and the US economy. The program is focused on research that can drive systemic change across engineering education, rather than isolated improvements in a single course or department. In practice, NSF is looking for studies that explain how engineering education works as a system, where the barriers and leverage points are, and what evidence-based changes can improve access, learning, and outcomes at scale.

A major emphasis of REE is diversifying pathways into and through engineering degree programs. Projects under this theme might examine how engineering programs can create alternative entry points for students with varied academic histories and life experiences, including students whose preparation does not follow a traditional route. NSF explicitly notes interest in pathways rooted in real-world or informal engineering-related experiences, such as military service or maker and tinkering communities, and how those experiences can be recognized and translated into academic progress. The program also seeks research on structural redesign of courses, curricula, or entire programs to significantly improve student success, particularly for underrepresented populations and veterans. Another related priority is reducing barriers to transfer, including transfer from community colleges, movement between majors, and transitions across engineering programs.

REE also supports research on credentialing in engineering education, meaning how institutions certify and communicate student learning using metrics that others recognize and value. This can include studies of the relationship between credentialing and actual learning, new approaches to assessing and credentialing what students know and can do, and how different stakeholders interpret credentials both inside universities (faculty, departments, advising systems) and outside them (employers, licensing bodies, graduate programs). NSF highlights particular interest in credentialing models that make the boundary between formal education and informal learning more permeable, for example, ways to recognize competencies gained through work, service, or project-based experiences.

Another core area is understanding how to scale engineering education innovations so that promising approaches translate into widespread practice and produce system-level impact. This includes research on how engineering education findings move (or fail to move) from studies and pilot sites into broader adoption, and what conditions enable effective scaling. REE also welcomes work that helps guide future investments in engineering education, such as modeling engineering education as a complex adaptive system, developing data systems that support decision-making and continuous improvement, or evaluating the return on investment of engineering education efforts.

The program further encourages research that advances engineering learning in broader ecosystems shaped by innovation, globalization, and sustainability. Projects in this area might identify the concepts, skills, and experiences that help engineering graduates succeed in interdisciplinary contexts and real-world environments. NSF is interested in rigorous evidence about the effects of these learning environments and programs on students, including factors like teamwork, self-efficacy, communication, and identity formation, especially in settings where engineering intersects with other fields and societal challenges.

Finally, REE seeks development of engineering-specific learning theories. This includes theory-building around how engineers come to know what they know (engineering epistemologies), how engineering identities develop, and how emerging learning environments such as makerspaces influence learning and professional formation. The goal is not only to test interventions, but to strengthen the conceptual foundations that explain learning and development in engineering contexts.

Across all topics, competitive proposals are expected to be research-driven and grounded in theory and prior literature from engineering education and education research more broadly. Proposals should clearly explain what gap in knowledge they address, why the question matters, and how the research design and evaluation plan will generate credible evidence about impact and effectiveness. NSF emphasizes an iterative cycle where research questions are informed by practice and results are translated back into practice, with attention to how findings can be generalized or transferred beyond a single site. Strong proposals also identify target audiences, communication channels, and partnerships to support broad dissemination. Investigators are encouraged to include a scaling roadmap that explains how the work could eventually influence broader practice, even if full scaling is outside the immediate project scope.

REE will consider proposals that build research capacity, such as developing better ways to measure engineering thinking, doing, and knowing, or creating research networks and infrastructure. At the same time, the program discourages proposals primarily aimed at building tools, curricula, or laboratories, as well as proposals focused mainly on implementing innovations that are already known to be effective for engineering students. The central value proposition is generating new knowledge that can inform systemic change.

In terms of logistics, the opportunity is a discretionary NSF grant under CFDA 47.041 (Engineering Grants) and does not require cost sharing or matching. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to applicant types, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement. NSF indicates that REE accepts a range of project sizes, from small exploratory studies with high transformative potential to large investigations with broad systemic scope, and budgets should align with that scope. The program notes a projected average funding level of about $100,000 per project per year, with an estimated total funding amount of $6,000,000 in the cited opportunity information. Principal Investigators are strongly advised to discuss project budgets with the cognizant program officer before submitting. The notice also references recurring proposal windows (notably January and September cycles in the historical listing) and directs applicants to the program FAQ and NSF support contacts for submission and access issues.

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