Engineering Research Initiation (ERI)

24-590 · U.S. National Science Foundation

materials manufacturing ai data science energy environment Science & Technology R&D

Closes: 2026-10-09 · 33 d
Award ceiling: —
Award floor: $200,000
Program funding: $11,000,000
Expected awards: —
Cost sharing: No
Posted: 2026-07-17
Instrument: Grant

Characterization · gpt-5.4-mini · 2026-07-18

NSF Engineering Research Initiation funds new engineering investigators at U.S. IHEs that are not Carnegie R1 institutions to start or expand their research programs.

Funds: basic research
University: ineligible
social behavioral: minor
physical sciences: minor
engineering: central
life biomedical: minor
computational data: minor

⚑ Eligibility is limited to institutions of higher education that are not classified as Carnegie R1 at the submission deadline; public R1 universities cannot apply directly. · Applicants act on behalf of their faculty members; the program is for new investigators with insufficient prior federal research funding. · NSF lists this as a research capacity-building program within the Engineering Directorate. · No cost-sharing information is stated in the provided notice.

Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules

Tom Love Innovation Hub	30 weak	prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content
IPPRA	15 none	university cannot apply directly (ineligible)
Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo)	15 none	university cannot apply directly (ineligible)

Description

The NSF Directorate for Engineering (ENG) seeks to build engineering research capacity across the nation by investing in new academic investigators who have yet to receive sufficient research funding from Federal Agencies. The Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) program will support new investigators as they initiate their research programs and advance in their careers as researchers, educators, and innovators. This funding opportunity aims to broaden the base of investigators involved in engineering research and therefore is limited to investigators that are not affiliated with “very high research activity” R1 institutions (according to the Carnegie Classification https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/ ).

Eligibility

*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: - In line with the program goals, ERI welcomes the submission of proposals to this funding opportunity from Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) not currently classified as a Doctoral University with “Very High Research Activity” (R1 institutions) according to the 2021 Carnegie Classification:<a class="sharedcomments-hyperlink" title="https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/" tabindex="0" href="https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" data-hyperlink="{"url":"https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/"}">https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/</a>. These include two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Eligibility is based on Classification on the date of proposal submission deadline. NSF encouragessubmissions fromPrimarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) and two-year colleges, and institutionsinEPSCoRjurisdictions.

*Who May Serve as PI:

The PI of an ERI proposal must hold a doctoral degree in a field supported by NSF and must hold an appointment at an ERI-eligible institution. Postdoctoral fellow researchers are not eligible to serve as PI on an ERI proposal.

At the time of the proposal submission deadline,the PI maynothave been a PI or Co-PI on any current or prior awarded NSF research grant (including subaward) or have had research support from any other Federal Agency (within the United States or abroad) totaling $200,000 or more within the past five (5) calendar years from the proposal submission deadline date, with the following exceptions:

<ul> <li>Grants not directly for research purposes such as workshops, conferences, travel, instrumentation and equipment (e.g., Major Research Instrumentation; MRI), Research Experiences for Undergraduate Students (REU) and Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Sites, etc.;</li> <li>Awards that exclusively support pre-tenure-track activities (postdoctoral fellowships and Graduate Research Fellowships/GRFP);</li> <li>I-Corps, Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards; and</li> <li>Awards that originated as NSF or other F

Apply

View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: U.S. National Science Foundation <grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov>

Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →

A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.

Proposal shell · National Science Foundation conventions SEE AN NSF EXAMPLE →

Funder-faithful document skeletons — National Science Foundation's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.