The U.S. National Science Foundation Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) invests in creating 21st-century engineers, discovering new technologies and providing research opportunities for students and teachers.
EEC promotes fundamental engineering research and education by supporting:
- Convergent research, education, and technology translation.
- Partnerships between industry innovators, world-class academic teams and government agencies.
- Engineering research and education capacity.
- Broadening participation within educational and workforce systems.
What we support
EEC is home to NSF's signature programs for Engineering Research Centers and Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers. Areas of interest for the division include:
- Advanced manufacturing
- Biotechnology
- Climate change adaptation and mitigation
- Clean energy
- Education and training
- Nanotechnology
- Semiconductors and microelectronics
Centers
Engineering Research Centers
Support for research, education and technology translation at universities across the U.S. The goal of the ERC program is to create strong societal impacts. Each ERC includes foundational components that go beyond the research project itself, such as engineering workforce development at all participant stages, a culture of diversity and inclusion that benefits all participants, and value creation within an innovation ecosystem that will continue to exist after the ERC has ended.
Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC)
IUCRC generates breakthrough research by enabling close and sustained engagement between industry innovators, world-class academic teams and government agencies. IUCRC partners with universities to drive innovations in various focus areas including biotechnology, information, communication and computing, health and safety, advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, energy and the environment.
Core programs
BPE enhances inclusion and participation in engineering by addressing structural inequalities and biases within educational and workforce systems.
Funded as part of this program cluster:
The Centers and Networks cluster provides the structure, coordination and resources to support large-scale, multidisciplinary engineering research and education.
Funded as part of this program cluster:
The Engineering Education cluster supports educational research to develop an innovative and inclusive technical workforce.
Funded as part of this program cluster:
The Engineering Workforce Development cluster supports pilot initiatives and meaningful research experiences to provide insights into engineering and computer science concepts, innovations and careers.
Funded as part of this program cluster:
Who we are
EEC's workforce is composed of federal employees and scientists from research institutions in temporary positions with expertise across all engineering fields.
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