Important information about NSF’s implementation of the revised 2 CFR

NSF Financial Assistance awards (grants and cooperative agreements) made on or after October 1, 2024, will be subject to the applicable set of award conditions, dated October 1, 2024, available on the NSF website. These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.

Important information for proposers

All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Dear Colleague Letter

SBE Perspectives on Graduate Education

Lists funding opportunities in the Education and Human Resources (EHR) Directorate and the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate that focus on improving graduate student training.

Lists funding opportunities in the Education and Human Resources (EHR) Directorate and the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate that focus on improving graduate student training.

Dear Colleague:

Graduate students are an integral part of the U.S. research enterprise. Our nation's ability to strengthen its health, prosperity, and security depends on keeping graduate programs rigorous and effective. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is committed to continually improving the value of graduate education to our nation.

In 2017, NSF's Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) supported a workshop on the future of graduate training.1 The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine's (NASEM) Board on Science Education hosted the workshop. Following the workshop, and with support from NSF's Division of Graduate Education (DGE), NASEM issued a report entitled Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century.2

The workshop and report recommend changes to U.S. graduate education that can help STEM students better meet the nation's evolving needs. A strong evidence base will be critical in efforts to evaluate current and proposed new practices. Such an evidence base is only possible through a comprehensive body of research on graduate education. With the objective of improving graduate training, the purpose of this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) is to draw the attention of the SBE community to the following funding opportunities in the Directorate for Education & Human Resources (EHR) and SBE.

It is anticipated that the projects supported in response to this DCL will help address the following types of questions:

  • What types of competencies are most critical for graduate students to obtain across all disciplines (e.g. responsible and ethical conduct of research), and how should that training be embedded in graduate programs?
  • Are there graduate education training models that could be adapted for use across disciplines?
  • How does access to learning resources or interventions impact educational and career outcomes?

As the SBE community responds to such matters, we encourage proposals that build upon SBE's rich interdisciplinary resources. These resources include highly-relevant datasets, such as those developed by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). We also encourage collaborations with educational researchers that will help individuals and institutions identify innovative approaches to transform graduate education.

Sincerely,

Arthur Lupia, Assistant Director, SBE
Karen Marrongelle, Assistant Director, EHR
 

1 http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DBASSE/BOSE/SBS-Graduate-Training/index.htm
2 https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25038/graduate-stem-education-for-the-21st-century