Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology Postdoctoral Research Program | 23 555

Opportunity Information: Apply for 23 555

The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology Postdoctoral Research Program (CREST-PRP) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity under the broader CREST program. At its core, CREST exists to strengthen the research capacity of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) by supporting centers that tightly connect research and education. Through these centers, NSF aims to generate new scientific knowledge, increase the research output and competitiveness of faculty and research teams, and expand the participation and success of students from groups that are historically underrepresented in STEM fields. CREST-PRP extends that mission by focusing specifically on early-career scientists at the postdoctoral stage, using structured research training and mentoring to help diversify and grow the national STEM workforce.

CREST-PRP awards provide two years of support for a postdoctoral research and training experience hosted within an active NSF CREST Center. The intent is not only to fund a research project, but to place the scholar in an environment designed for interdisciplinary collaboration, broad professional development, and preparation for long-term leadership in the scientific community. Postdoctoral scholars are expected to carry out research that clearly aligns with the priorities and research focus of the specific CREST Center where they will be hosted. In practice, that means applicants need to design a project plan that fits naturally within the center's ongoing work and that benefits from the expertise and infrastructure already present there.

A defining feature of the program is its emphasis on mentoring and career growth. Each applicant must identify one or more scientific mentors affiliated with the host CREST Center, and the proposal should reflect how those mentoring relationships will support the scholar's development as an independent researcher. NSF frames this as a two-way benefit: the postdoctoral scholar gains intensive guidance, access to a research community, and opportunities to expand their perspectives, while the mentor and center benefit from bringing a promising researcher into their group and advancing the center's research agenda.

The application is submitted by the individual postdoctoral candidate directly to NSF, rather than by the host institution. However, if NSF recommends an award, the funding is ultimately issued to the host institution, and the postdoctoral scholar is designated as the principal investigator (PI) on a standard NSF research award administered by that institution. This structure lets the candidate drive the proposal and research vision while ensuring the grant is managed through an established institutional grants office.

Eligibility is specific and should be treated as a checklist because proposals that do not meet requirements are returned without review. By the full proposal deadline, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. permanent resident. They must have earned a doctoral degree from an MSI (or expect to have earned it before the required start date), using MSI status as determined by the most recent Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data. The applicant's project plan must fall within the research priorities of the CREST Center that will host them. They also must be relatively early in their postdoctoral timeline: they cannot have worked more than a total of 24 full-time-equivalent months in positions that require a doctoral degree. Finally, they must not have previously served as a PI or co-PI on an NSF award, with the stated exception of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

On the institutional side, the host must be tied to an active CREST Center, and the relevant eligibility framing emphasizes MSIs with undergraduate enrollments that include 50 or more students who are members of minority groups underrepresented among those holding advanced degrees in science and engineering. IPEDS is the formal reference source for determining MSI eligibility. Applicants are responsible for selecting a host institution that houses an active CREST Center and ensuring their mentor affiliation and project alignment are clear and well documented.

NSF explicitly encourages applications from women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and members of groups underrepresented in STEM, consistent with the program's primary workforce-diversification goal. The solicitation also underscores the legal seriousness of eligibility certification: submitting the proposal functions as a certification that the applicant meets all requirements, and knowingly providing false information can trigger criminal penalties under federal law (U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1001).

Administrative details in the source listing identify NSF as the sponsoring agency, with the opportunity offered as a discretionary grant in the science and technology research and development category (CFDA 47.076). The opportunity number is 23-555, and the listed closing date is 2024-10-04. The public summary does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided fields, but it clearly states the award duration as two years of support, tied to participation in an active CREST Center.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology Postdoctoral Research Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.076.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-01-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-04. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 23 555

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