Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program Centers | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program Centers (STEP Centers) opportunity (NSF 10-569) is a National Science Foundation discretionary grant program designed to tackle major, nationally relevant problems in undergraduate STEM education. Rather than funding isolated campus-level projects, this competition is built around the idea of a coordinated "center" effort, where faculty from a cross section of higher education institutions come together to identify a national challenge or promising opportunity and then propose a comprehensive plan to address it at scale. For this specific competition, the center's focus must be tied to undergraduate education in one or more of these disciplinary areas: biological sciences, engineering, or geological sciences.

The core goal of a STEP Center is to expand STEM talent by improving undergraduate pathways, outcomes, and participation in STEM fields, using strategies that are coordinated across multiple institutions and aligned with a national context. The expectation is that the proposed work is not just a set of disconnected activities, but a deliberately integrated portfolio that could include research-backed curricular reforms, student support and persistence strategies, recruitment and transition supports (for example, from community college to four-year programs), faculty development, evidence-driven teaching improvements, and other systemic approaches that remove barriers and improve progression through STEM degrees. The emphasis on a "center" model signals NSF's interest in efforts that can organize partnerships, sustain momentum across sites, and generate knowledge and practices that are useful beyond any single campus.

In terms of funding scale, NSF anticipated making about 3 awards, with an estimated total funding level of $6,000,000 for the competition. The funding instrument is a grant, categorized under science and technology and other research and development activities. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which means applicants are not required to commit non-federal matching funds as a condition of eligibility (though projects can still include leveraged resources if that strengthens the plan).

Eligibility is limited to U.S. academic institutions and consortia of such institutions, including two-year and four-year colleges (including community colleges) and universities that are accredited and have a campus located in the United States or its territories. To be eligible, institutions must offer associate or baccalaureate degrees in STEM fields. While projects are expected to involve multiple academic institutions, NSF requires that a single institution serve as the lead and submit the proposal on behalf of the partnership. Other participating institutions and organizations may be included through subawards. Importantly, separately submitted collaborative proposals (as defined in NSF's Grant Proposal Guide) are not permitted for this competition, so the partnership has to be packaged into one submission under one lead institution.

Partnerships beyond academia are explicitly allowed and may strengthen a proposal, especially when they bring clear value to undergraduate STEM talent development. NSF notes that a STEP Center may involve business and industry partners, professional societies, and other stakeholders. In practice, these partners could contribute in many ways, such as helping align educational experiences with workforce-relevant skills, offering internships or applied learning opportunities, supporting mentoring networks, assisting with dissemination, or helping build broader communities of practice around effective STEM education strategies.

The competition used a multi-stage submission process with required early steps. A required letter of intent was due August 4, 2010 (by 5 p.m. local time), followed by a required preliminary proposal due September 7, 2010 (also by 5 p.m. local time). Full proposals were due January 20, 2011, and were "by invitation only," meaning only teams invited after the preliminary stage could submit a full proposal. The opportunity was posted June 8, 2010, and the closing date for the full proposal stage was January 20, 2011.

The opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA program areas reflecting NSF's coverage of both disciplinary directorates and education: 47.041 (Engineering Grants), 47.050 (Geosciences), 47.074 (Biological Sciences), and 47.076 (Education and Human Resources). That blend reinforces the program's intent: centers should be grounded in STEM disciplinary contexts while directly addressing undergraduate education and talent expansion outcomes.

For official details, NSF directs applicants to NSF Publication 10-569. For access issues with the electronic announcement, support was available through NSF Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

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