EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII): EPSCoR Research Fellows NSF 24-528

Sponsor: NSF EPSCoR
Internal Deadline: 01/21/2025
Institutional Submission Limit: 4
Sponsor Deadline: 04/08/2025
Program Website

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 collaborations with investigators from the nation’s premier private, governmental, or academic research institutions and/or centers. The fellowship provides opportunities to establish strong collaborations through extended or periodic collaborative visits to a selected host site. Through collaborative research activities with the host site, Fellows will be able to learn new techniques, develop new collaborations, 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. The benefits to the Fellows are also expected to improve the research capacity of their institutions and jurisdictions more broadly.   

Program website: https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/epscor-research-infrastructure-improvement-epscor-research

Please review the solicitation carefully for program changes/revisions as well as general guidance including:
•  Updated PI eligibility requirements
•  Carefully review Section II: Program description
•  This program provides opportunities for the participation of one trainee, who must be an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled full-time in an accredited degree program, or a postdoctoral researcher. Staff members, such as technicians or lab assistants could be considered as trainees when properly justified.

 

Submission Process

Limited submissions MUST be coordinated with the Office of the Vice President for Research.

If interested in applying for this opportunity, please combine the following items into a single PDF and email to resdev@mailbox.sc.edu by 5pm on the INTERNAL DEADLINE above:

• Coverpage: project title must begin with "EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF:” with an informative title in the topic area, name and department of PI, and name and location of host institution for the fellowship visit
• Project Summary (1 page): Provide an overview that briefly describes: the vision and goals of the fellowship project; the role of the host site and its personnel in achieving the project's vision and goals; a summary of the objectives and methods to be employed; the expected outcomes and impacts of the proposed activities; and plans for sustaining the project's impacts beyond the award period. In separate statements, provide a succinct summary of the intellectual merit and broader impacts of the project. ALSO: 1) The Project Summary must identify the proposed host site and primary research collaborator(s) and 2) At the bottom of the Project Summary, PIs should also indicate the NSF Directorate, Division, and Program that most closely aligns with the proposal's research focus.
• Project Description* (2 pages): Provide a brief description of the proposed activities, focusing on how these activities will lead to long-lasting impacts for both your career and USC. The project description must articulate the motivation and context for the proposed fellowship project using language understandable to a scientific audience with broad disciplinary expertise. *to help in preparing this section, please review Section II of the RFP including Expectations for Successful Proposals, as well as Additional Solicitation Specific Review Criteria (under Section IV.A).
• Letters of Support (2): Provide the following letters: (Proposals without these letters will not be considered in the internal competition.)
• from your department chair or dean: The purpose of this letter is to confirm the administrator's support of the PI's plans and particularly to verify that the PI will receive appropriate release time from other professional duties to complete the fellowship project as proposed. This letter should also confirm the PI's employment status at the home institution as it pertains to eligibility for the competition.
• from the identified primary research collaborator(s) at the host site: This letter should confirm the collaborator's understanding of the goals of the EPSCoR fellowship and provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the PI will receive the support necessary to complete the proposed activities.
• a 2-3 page CV/biosketch for the PI (SCiENcv preferred)