Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity | 23 625

Opportunity Information: Apply for 23 625

The National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity "Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity" (EPIIC) is designed to help more colleges and universities take part in regional innovation ecosystems tied to high-priority, use-inspired technologies. The program sits within NSF's broader push, including the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP), to speed up U.S. innovation while making sure participation is not limited to institutions that already have deep research infrastructure. In practical terms, EPIIC focuses on building the internal capacity that many institutions need in order to form strong external partnerships, contribute to technology development efforts, translate research into real-world practice or commercial use, and prepare a skilled workforce in emerging technology areas.

EPIIC is closely connected to the NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) initiative, which aims to create and expand inclusive regional networks that drive innovation and economic development. NSF's view is that these ecosystems only work well when the full range of institutions in a region can participate, not just the most research-intensive universities. Many Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), and two-year colleges want to engage in these ecosystems but may lack staffing, structures, partner networks, or operational experience to build and manage external partnerships at the scale required. This solicitation is meant to close that gap by funding capacity-building activities that help these institutions become equitable, effective partners in innovation networks. A key point in the solicitation is that an applicant does not need to already be part of an NSF Engines proposal or partnership to apply; the expectation is that the capacity built through EPIIC will create valuable partnership opportunities regardless of whether the institution later joins an NSF Engine.

The types of technology areas highlighted are those widely seen as strategically important to U.S. competitiveness and national priorities, including advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum information science, semiconductors, novel materials, and microelectronics. The emphasis is not simply on basic research growth, but on strengthening an institution's ability to work with external organizations in ways that support workforce development, use-inspired research and development (R and D), and the translation of research outputs into practice, deployment, or commercialization. In other words, the program is trying to help institutions develop the relationships, processes, and programmatic capabilities that make innovation partnerships sustainable and productive.

Eligibility is intentionally limited to institutions of higher education that are not classified as R1 or R2 under the 2021 Carnegie Classification. Proposals may be submitted by accredited two-year and four-year U.S. institutions (including community colleges) with a campus located in the United States. MSIs, PUIs, and two-year institutions that are not R1 or R2 are especially encouraged to apply, reflecting NSF's goal of broadening participation among institutions that educate large numbers of students but often have fewer resources to support external-facing innovation activity. The solicitation also includes a specific instruction for U.S. institutions with international branch campuses: if project funds would support work at an international branch campus (including via subawards or consultants), the proposal must explain the benefits of doing that work there and why it cannot be done at the U.S. campus.

The program defines MSIs broadly and aligns with U.S. Department of Education categories and lists. This includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and other federally recognized MSI categories such as Alaska Native-serving institutions, Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, and Native American-serving non-tribal institutions. While MSI status is not the only pathway to relevance under EPIIC, the solicitation makes clear that institutions serving underrepresented groups and those with limited research capacity are central to the program's intent.

Leadership requirements are also specific. The Principal Investigator must be a full-time administrator or full-time faculty member at the applicant institution; part-time administrators, adjunct faculty, and temporary hires cannot serve as PI. The solicitation further notes that preliminary proposals must name up to three people from the institution (including the PI) who will participate in EPIIC workshops, and at least one of those participants must be an administrator. This requirement signals that NSF expects both academic and institutional leadership involvement, likely because partnership-building and capacity-building often require policy, contracting, budgeting, workforce programming, and long-term institutional commitments that go beyond any single lab or department.

Administrative details in the opportunity listing identify it as a discretionary NSF grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 23-625), with a closing date of January 21, 2025. It is categorized under science and technology and other research and development activities, and it references multiple NSF CFDA areas (47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083, 47.084), reflecting that the capacity-building and technology focus can intersect with a wide range of NSF domains. Overall, EPIIC is best understood as a bridge program: it is intended to help under-resourced institutions build the partnership and innovation infrastructure needed to participate meaningfully in regional technology ecosystems and future NSF Engines-related opportunities, while also generating partnership benefits that stand on their own.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083, 47.084.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-09-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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