NSF EPSCoR — Active Tracks (Seed)
Funds United States states through EPSCoR tracks to strengthen institutional research readiness and innovation systems.
NSF EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) is a set of funding tracks designed to strengthen research competitiveness in 21 US jurisdictions — states, territories, and commonwealths — that historically receive a disproportionately small share of federal research funding. The programme supports talent development, infrastructure investment, and collaborative research initiatives tailored to each jurisdiction's capacity-building needs.
Multiple funding tracks operate simultaneously. The EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP, solicitation NSF 24-588) awarded $25 million in July 2025. The E-CORE (Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems) and E-RISE (Research Incubators for STEM Excellence) planning grants are available through a Dear Colleague Letter process. Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) awards have historically provided large-scale multi-year investments, including $38 million for infrastructure and workforce development in August 2024 and $77.8 million across 21 jurisdictions for climate resilience in July 2024.
Eligibility for each track varies: academic institutions, state EPSCoR offices, and research organisations within the 21 designated jurisdictions are the primary applicants. Each track carries its own solicitation number, submission deadline, and review cycle. Prospective applicants should consult the NSF EPSCoR programme page at nsf.gov for current open solicitations and Dear Colleague Letters.
STEM research capacity building, workforce development, and research infrastructure improvement in the 21 EPSCoR-eligible U.S. jurisdictions across multiple concurrent funding tracks.
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