EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Track 4: EPSCoR Research Fellows

The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is designed to fulfill the mandate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to promote scientific progress nationwide. EPSCoR jurisdictions that are eligible for RII competitions are listed in the RII Eligibility table, which can be found here. Through this program, NSF establishes partnerships with government, higher education, and industry that are designed to effect sustainable improvements in a jurisdiction's research infrastructure, Research and Development (R&D) capacity, and hence, its R&D competitiveness. One of the strategic goals of the EPSCoR program is to establish sustainable Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professional development pathways that advance STEM workforce development. 

EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Track 4: EPSCoR Research Fellows provides awards to build research capacity in institutions and transform the career trajectories of investigators and further develop their individual research potential through extended collaborative visits to the nation’s premier private, governmental, or academic research centers. Through collaborative research visits at the host site, fellowship awardees will be able to learn new techniques, develop new collaborations or advance existing partnerships, benefit from access to unique equipment and facilities, and/or shift their research toward potentially transformative new directions. The experiences gained through the fellowships are intended to have lasting impacts that will enhance the Fellows’ research trajectories well beyond the award period. These benefits to the Fellows are also expected to improve the research capacity of their institutions and jurisdictions more broadly.  Principal Investigators must either hold a non-tenured faculty appointment at an institution of higher education or an early-career, career-track appointment at an eligible non-degree-granting institution.  Only single-PI proposals will be considered. No co-PIs should be included in the proposal. 

EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Track 4: EPSCoR Research Fellows offers the following tracks: RII Track-4:NSF and RII Track-4:Fellows Advancing Science and Technology (RII Track-4: FAST).  While they are similar in achieving the same goals, RII Track-4:NSF is open to a broad community and RII Track-4:FAST focuses on faculty from specific institutions of higher education to collaborate with researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) participating research centers.  PIs who are eligible for both tracks may apply for only one track per competition cycle. 

RII Track-4:NSF provides support to further develop the individual research potential of Principal Investigators (PIs) through extended collaborative visits to the Nation’s premier private, governmental, or academic research centers of their choice. 

RII Track-4:FAST provides opportunities for PIs from specific institutions of higher education with high enrollments of trainees from underrepresented populations in STEM (See Section "IV. Eligibility Information" for more details).  Trainees must be undergraduate or graduate students enrolled full-time in an accredited degree program. The aim of this opportunity is to further develop their individual research potential through extended collaborative visits to NASA research facilities located at NASA Centers throughout the United States.