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Federal Open GRANTS-GOV-363764

PFE: Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (PFE: RIEF)

U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) · Competitive · Science & Technology

At a glance

PFE: Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (PFE: RIEF) is a federal competitive grant from U.S. National Science Foundation for the science & technology sector. Funding is up to $200K. Eligible applicants: Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification). *Who May Serve as PI: The PFE: RIEF program is designed to expand the community of engineering faculty equipped to conduct resea. The application deadline is November 10, 2026. Apply via the official listing at www.grants.gov.

Amount
Up to $200K
Deadline
Nov 10, 2026
Type
Competitive
Status
Open

About this program

The PFE: Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (PFE: RIEF) program has two goals: 1) Support research in the Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE), and 2) Increase the community of researchers conducting PFE research. PIs are expected to have little or no experience conducting social science or education research. PFE: RIEF is not intended for established researchers in engineering education or other social science fields to initiate new projects. Those researchers should consider the Research in the Formation of Engineers program (https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/rfe-research-formation-engineers). The NSF Engineering (ENG) Directorate has launched a multi-year initiative, the Professional Formation of Engineers, to create and support an innovative and inclusive engineering profession for the 21st Century. Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) refers to the formal and informal education and value systems by which people become engineers. It also includes the ethical responsibility of practicing engineers to sustain and grow the profession. The engineering profession must be responsive to national priorities, grand challenges, and dynamic workforce needs; it must be equally open and accessible to all Americans. Engineering faculty possess both deep technical expertise in their engineering discipline and the primary responsibility for the process of professional formation of future engineers. As such, engineering faculty are in a unique position to help address critical challenges in engineering formation. The Professional Formation of Engineers: Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (PFE: RIEF) program enables engineering faculty who are renowned for teaching, mentoring, or leading educational reform efforts on their campus to develop expertise in conducting engineering education research.

Who can apply

Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification). *Who May Serve as PI: The PFE: RIEF program is designed to expand the community of engineering faculty equipped to conduct research in professional formation of engineers. At least one (co) PI must be a member of an engineering department AND not have received engineering education or professional formation funding through EEC in the last three years. Submissions from faculty with active disciplinary research programs, or faculty seeking a shift in their research focus, are especially encouraged. The program is not intended to create an additional funding channel for researchers with expertise in social science or education research; such researchers should apply to the Research in the Formation of Engineers program (https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/rfe-research-formation-engineers), or other related NSF opportunities.

How to apply

Apply through Grants.gov using funding opportunity number 20-558. Register your organization (SAM.gov + Grants.gov) before the deadline, then submit the application package listed in the official notice.

Apply at official source