April Heyward presented "NSF EPSCoR RII Track-2 and Track-4 Funding Programs" at the 2022 SC EPSCoR State Conference on April 22, 2022.

1. NSF EPSCoR RII Track-2 and
Track-4 Funding Programs
April Heyward, MRA
SC EPSCoR Program Manager
april.heyward@scra.org
www.scepscor.org
Friday, April 22, 2022
2022 SC EPSCoR State Conference

2. Session Aims
Increase awareness of
the NSF EPSCoR RII
Track-2 funding
program to increase
Track-2 funding in
South Carolina.
1
Increase awareness of
the SC EPSCoR Proposal
Development Program
(PDP) to support and
strengthen Track-2
proposal efforts.
2
Increase awareness of
the NSF EPSCoR RII
Track-4 funding
program to increase
Track-4 funding in
South Carolina.
3

3. NSF EPSCoR Overview

4. EPSCoR Program Overview
1978
Established by the
National Science Board
Resolution in 1978.
1980
The first EPSCoR
jurisdictions
(Arkansas, Maine,
Montana, South
Carolina, West
Virginia) received
awards totaling $3
million for up to five
years in 1980.
2009
EPSCoR RII Track-2,
promoting
interjurisdictional
collaboration,
competed for the first
time in 2009.
2013
EPSCoR RII Track-3
began in 2013 seeking
to broaden
participation of
underrepresented
groups in STEM fields.
Oct. 2016
EPSCoR RII Track-4
was introduced in
October 2016 to
provide opportunities
to non-tenured
investigators to
perform research in
the nation’s premier
private, governmental,
or academic research
centers.

5. FY 2022 Eligibility
10-1-21 to 9-30-22

6. FY 2023 Eligibility
10-1-22 to 9-30-23

7. NSF EPSCoR Track-2
Funding Program

8. Research Infrastructure Improvement:
Track-2: Focused EPSCoR Collaborations
The aim of Track-2 is to build interjurisdictional collaborative teams
across a minimum of 2 EPSCoR jurisdictions of EPSCoR
investigators in scientific focus areas consistent with NSF priorities.
Projects should broaden participation and build capacity especially
with early career faculty, postdocs, graduate students,
undergraduate students, two-year students, and K-12 students.
Length of Award is up to 4 years.
Project budgets can range between $4 million to $6 million
depending on the number of EPSCoR jurisdictions involved.

9. Research Infrastructure Improvement:
Track-2: Focused EPSCoR Collaborations
LOI required. Project Summary should be 1 page and Project
Description should not exceed 20 pages.
Limit of 1 proposal per institution.
PIs and Co-PIs must be affiliated with eligible institutions in EPSCoR
jurisdictions.
PIs and Co-PIs must have research expertise relevant to the focus
area of the research being proposed.
Full proposals are due January of each year.

10. FY 2021 and FY 2022
Track-2 Focus Topics
2021
“Advancing Research
Towards Industries of the
Future to Ensure
Economic Growth for
EPSCoR Jurisdictions.”
2022
“Advancing Research
Towards Industries of
Tomorrow to Ensure
Economic Growth for
EPSCoR Jurisdictions”

11. Industries of the Future
(FY 2021)
Advanced Manufacturing
Advanced Wireless
Artificial Intelligence
Biotechnology
Quantum Information Science (QIS)
Spectrum Innovation Science

12. Industries of the Future
(FY 2022)
Artificial Intelligence
Advanced Communications Technologies
Biotechnology
High-performance Computing
Microelectronics
Quantum Information Science (QIS)
Security and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC)

13. Industries of the Future
Required Advancements
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
New Cyber Infrastructure
New Approaches for Mathematical and Computational Modeling
New Dynamics and Control Methodologies
New Ways to Integrate Systems Biology, Synthetic Biology and
Bioprocessing
New Ways to Contribute to Influence the Economy, Workforce,
and Society

14. Successful Track-2 Projects
Develop
Develop innovative educational plans to prepare a skilled and
diverse technical workforce for that industry that is relevant to the
associated jurisdictions.
Understand Understand the industries’ influence from a social perspective
(disruptive impact of the technology on the industry).
Show Show a clear pathway to impact jurisdiction’s socio-economic
growth.
Leverage
Leverage current and previous NSF and other federal agency
investments in the research underlying or supporting industries of
the future.

15. SC EPSCoR Proposal
Development
Funding Program

16. SC EPSCoR Proposal Development
Program
The purpose of this program is to provide proposal development funds for
designated Principal Investigators of institutional and organizational
proposals being prepared in response to NSF EPSCoR RII Track-2 Focused
EPSCoR Collaborations Solicitation.
All PDP proposed activities must provide added value to the proposal
development process.
Activities proposed must be tied to the research, workforce development,
or diversity goals of the proposal under development.
The maximum award amount is $7,000.00.

17. SC EPSCoR Proposal Development Program
Sample Funding Activities
Travel of South Carolina personnel to a collaborating institution/organization
located in South Carolina or in a collaborating EPSCoR jurisdiction.
Costs associated with hosting a proposal development meeting in the state of
South Carolina.
Travel costs associated with other EPSCoR jurisdictional personnel are not
allowed.
Costs associated with consultants (e.g., travel, honoraria) to perform either
on-site or off-site review of proposal prior to submission.
Please note that all consultants must reside in non-EPSCoR jurisdictions and
should have technical expertise in the subject area of the proposal.

18. NSF EPSCoR Track-4
Funding Program

19. Track-4: EPSCoR Research Fellows
NSF Track
FAST Track

20. Track-4: EPSCoR Research Fellows
NSF Track – Open to the broad community.
FAST Track – Focuses on faculty from
specific institutions of higher education to
collaborate with researchers at the NASA
participating research centers.

21. Track-4: EPSCoR Research Fellows
The aim is to build research capacity in institutions and transform the career
trajectories of investigators and to further develop their individual research
potential through extended collaborative visits to private, governmental, or
academic centers.
PIs select their research focus and host location for their research. For the
FAST Track – host sites are selected NASA Research Centers.
The award can be up to 2 years.
The maximum budget is $300,000.

22. Track-4: EPSCoR Research Fellows
NSF Track – There is an institutional
limit of three proposals.
FAST Track – There is an institutional
limit of six proposals.

23. Research Infrastructure Improvement:
Track-4: EPSCoR Research Fellows
The project summary should be 1 page and Project Description
should not exceed 10 pages.
Persons who hold non-tenured faculty positions at IHEs or early
career investigator positions at non-degree granting organizations
in EPSCoR jurisdictions are eligible to apply.
Faculty members at degree-granting institutions who hold long-
term positions outside of the tenure track in EPSCoR jurisdictions
are eligible.
No Co-PIs on proposals.

24. Track-4: EPSCoR Research Fellows
Fellows will be able to:
Learn new techniques.
Learn
Benefit from access to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.
Benefit
Strengthen collaborative partnerships.
Strengthen
Extend their research toward transformative directions.
Extend

25. Closing Notes

26. Closing Notes
“Ask Early, Ask Often” – NSF
Contact Program Officers with your ideas – 1 page
overview of your proposed research.
Review previous funded projects in your area(s) of
interest.
Become an NSF Reviewer.

27. Thank You