NSF EPSCoR announces new funding opportunity for non-tenured faculty: EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Track 4 "EPSCoR Research Fellows"

     EPSCoR Research Fellows (RII Track-4) is the fourth track within our EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) program and is designed to provide non-tenured investigators opportunities to further develop their research potential through collaborative visits to the nation’s premier private, governmental, or academic research centers.  EPSCoR Research Fellows will be able to learn new techniques, access unique equipment and facilities, and explore transforming their research in new directions.  In addition, the experience is intended to establish a foundation for future research collaborations to span the recipient’s entire career, as well as enhance the research capacity of their institutions and jurisdictions.

Eligibility and assistance information: 

• PIs for all RII Track-4 proposals must hold a non-tenured faculty appointment or its close equivalent, either in the form of a pre-tenure tenure-track position or a long-term non-tenure-track position. 
• There is a limit of three proposal submissions per eligible institution.
• Informational webinars for RII Track-4 are planned 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on November 29, 2016 and November 30, 2016. 
• Additional guidelines
• Full details for RII Track-4 are available in the solicitation, NSF 17-509. 

Proposals are due February 28, 2017.  

Research administrators and potential PIs at EPSCoR-eligible institutions are encouraged to participate on one of the listed webinars; further details for webinar access will follow soon.

The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is designed to fulfill the mandate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to promote scientific progress nationwide. A jurisdiction is eligible to participate in EPSCoR programs if its level of NSF research support is equal to or less than 0.75 percent of the total NSF research and related activities budget for the most recent three-year period (FY 2016 Eligibility Table). 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.