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NSF Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE) - FAQs

What is the NSF Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE) program?

RFE is a National Science Foundation (NSF) program within the Engineering (ENG) Directorate that funds research on how people become engineers. It focuses on the broader, lifelong process of professional formation, including how engineering knowledge is constructed, how engineering identities develop, and how professional norms, values, and ethical responsibilities are learned and reinforced.

How does RFE relate to the Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) effort?

RFE was created as part of NSF's multi-year Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) effort. PFE frames engineering formation as more than classroom technical learning; it includes formal and informal learning, identity development, and social and ethical dimensions of the profession, with attention to national priorities, societal challenges, and workforce needs.

What kinds of research does RFE fund?

RFE funds research that examines (1) how engineering knowledge is constructed and validated, (2) how engineering identities form and intersect with other identities, and (3) how the engineering profession is shaped and maintained. The program also welcomes research-based interventions that change conditions or push boundaries in ways that could improve engineering formation.

Does RFE support interventions, or only studies that describe what is happening?

Both are within scope. The solicitation welcomes studies that explain engineering formation processes and also research-based interventions, as long as the work is clearly grounded in research questions and is intended to produce insight and impact beyond a single local setting.

What does NSF mean by "engineering formation" in this program?

NSF uses "engineering formation" to describe the holistic process through which people take on engineering ways of thinking and acting, develop an engineering identity, and learn the profession's norms, values, and ethical responsibilities. It includes both formal learning (like courses) and informal learning (like workplace, community, or other experiential settings).

What are the major research themes highlighted in the solicitation?

The solicitation highlights five major themes: (1) advancing holistic engineering formation, (2) diversifying pathways into and through engineering, (3) citizen engineering, credentialing, and expertise, (4) development of engineering-specific theories of formation, and (5) understanding how change travels and scales across the engineering formation ecosystem.

What is meant by "advancing holistic engineering formation"?

This theme supports research that goes beyond technical competency to include skills and mindsets associated with modern professional practice. Examples named in the solicitation include critical thinking, creativity, intercultural competence, entrepreneurship, sustainability-oriented thinking, and "T-shaped" abilities that combine depth in one area with breadth across others.

Does the program connect to professional outcomes like ABET-aligned outcomes?

Yes. The solicitation links holistic formation to widely recognized professional outcomes, including outcomes aligned with ABET, such as ethical reasoning, communication, teamwork in diverse groups, understanding social context, lifelong learning, and designing solutions that fit real-world constraints.

What kinds of sociotechnical systems and application areas are explicitly mentioned?

The solicitation encourages work that prepares engineers for interdisciplinary work on complex sociotechnical systems, with examples including energy and power infrastructure, food-water-energy systems, telecommunications, machine learning and robotics, and healthcare systems.

What does RFE mean by "diversifying pathways into and through engineering"?

This theme covers research on alternative entry routes and varied experiences that shape engineering participation and persistence. It includes pathways influenced by informal learning or real-world experience (for example, military service or maker communities) and research on improving outcomes for historically underrepresented groups, students with disabilities, veterans, and transfer students.

Are community college transfer pathways and major-switch pathways within scope?

Yes. The solicitation explicitly includes lowering barriers for transfer students, including students moving from community colleges or switching into engineering from other majors.

Does RFE support research on professional norms and cultures that perpetuate inequality?

Yes. The solicitation invites research that identifies professional norms and cultures that perpetuate inequality, including dynamics tied to masculinity norms, heteronormativity, whiteness, and assumptions about able-bodiedness, and then develops and tests strategies to reshape those norms.

What is meant by intersecting identities and "non-normative identities" in this context?

Within the solicitation's framing, engineering identity can intersect with other identities. The program encourages work that strengthens engineering identities and acculturation processes in ways that better support people with intersecting, non-normative identities.

What is the "citizen engineering, credentialing, and expertise" theme?

This theme includes research on building public and community capacity to make informed decisions about engineering priorities and on processes where engineers and the public co-define problems and co-create solutions to societal challenges. It also includes research on credentialing and expertise, such as new ways to assess, credential, or accredit engineering learning and professional readiness.

Does RFE support research on alternative credentials and new assessment models?

Yes. The solicitation mentions research on new ways to assess, credential, or accredit engineering learning and readiness, how credentials are valued across settings, and alternative routes to professional expertise that could reduce cost and time barriers.

What does "engineering-specific theories of formation" mean?

This theme supports proposals that build or refine theories and methods to explain engineering epistemologies (what counts as engineering knowledge and how it is validated) and identity development. It also includes work examining formation processes operating across levels, from individuals to groups and institutions and out to society-wide systems.

What does RFE mean by studying how change "travels" and "scales" in the engineering formation ecosystem?

This theme focuses on how innovations translate from research into practice, how they diffuse, and what enables or blocks systemic adoption. It also includes studies that can inform future investments and open new lines of research about system-level change.

Is there an expectation that projects influence more than one campus or a single local setting?

Yes. A key expectation is that projects go beyond local results. Proposals are asked to describe likely impact on the broader "engineering formation system" and to provide a credible roadmap for how the research could eventually influence practice at scale, even if scaling activities are not part of the immediate project.

What is meant by a "credible roadmap" to influence practice at scale?

Based on the solicitation language, a credible roadmap is an explanation of how findings could translate into broader practice and system change. This includes identifying who would use the results, how the results would reach them, and what pathways could support propagation, transfer, or scale beyond the original site.

What makes a proposal competitive in RFE?

The solicitation emphasizes proposals that are grounded in relevant theory and prior scholarship, clearly identify a knowledge gap, and explain how evaluation will inform the research and assess impact and effectiveness. It also stresses an iterative research-to-practice cycle where practical challenges inform research questions and findings are designed to translate back into practice.

Does RFE require applicants to identify target audiences and dissemination channels?

Yes. Proposals are expected to identify target audiences (such as faculty, departments, professional societies, industry partners, or community organizations) and the channels and partnerships that will help results propagate, transfer, or scale beyond the original site.

Are research capacity-building projects eligible?

Yes. The program will consider proposals aimed at building research capacity, including developing measures of engineering thinking, doing, making, and knowing, or building research networks and infrastructure that enable stronger future work.

What kinds of projects are discouraged under RFE?

The solicitation discourages proposals whose main purpose is simply to build tools, develop curricula, create laboratories, or implement classroom innovations that are already known to be effective. The emphasis is on research that advances understanding and supports broader system transformation, rather than routine development or straightforward dissemination of established interventions.

Can budgets vary widely by project size?

Yes. NSF indicates it supports a wide range of project sizes, from small exploratory studies with high transformative potential to larger investigations with broader systemic reach. Budgets are expected to match the scope of the proposed work.

Does the program encourage small, exploratory work?

Yes. The solicitation explicitly encourages small-scale, high-upside exploratory work, alongside larger projects.

What is the estimated total funding amount listed for the opportunity?

The archived opportunity information lists an estimated total funding amount of about $6,000,000.

What is the typical funding level mentioned in the opportunity description?

The archived information notes an average funding level of around $100,000 per project per year, with the message that budgets should match the proposed scope.

Is cost sharing required for this NSF program?

No. The opportunity is described as having no cost-sharing requirement.

How is this opportunity categorized administratively?

RFE is described as an NSF discretionary grant program under CFDA 47.041 (Engineering Grants).

Who is eligible to apply?

The description indicates broadly unrestricted eligibility, subject to any clarifications in the full program text.

When was this opportunity posted and when was it archived?

The source data lists an original posting date of July 31, 2015. The opportunity is listed as archived with an archive date of October 15, 2021.

Were there recurring deadlines while the program was active?

Yes. The narrative references recurring proposal deadlines in different months in subsequent cycles, implying periodic submission windows while the program was active.