SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

DATE

NASA STEM

Washington, DC

March 3 - 5, 2023

EPSCoR2023 RSpes

ace

ear Granch t NaI

tinfona

r

l

as Dirt

e

r

c

uct tors’ure Improvement(RII) Track - 4: EPSCoR 

Meeting: A Workshop on 

Costing

Research Fellows

Dr. Frank McDonald 

email: Agency-EPSCoR-RII-Track-4@mail.nasa.gov

Dr. Kathy Loftin

email: Agency-EPSCoR-RII-Track-4@mail.nasa.gov
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

At a Glance

What is EPSCOR RII T4?

A research fellowship opportunity resulting from an interagency agreement between NASA and NSF, that provides faculty/research 

investigators with an opportunity to conduct research which is of significant interest to NASA and NSF at a host-site. The 

fellowship offers an opportunity to further develop individual research potential through collaborations with investigators from the 

nation's premier private, governmental, or academic research center. The fellowships are funded 100% by NSF, and NASA provides 

an additional $60K for faculty/research investigators from institutions with high enrollments of students from underrepresented 

populations in STEM . 

How Do I Become a Fellow?

To be considered, research investigators (RI) must submit a proposal in response to the NSF solicitation, and it must be received by 

April 9, 2024 at 5 p.m. submitter's local time. The solicitation has two sub-tracks. One track for NSF and one track for NASA (i.e., 

@NASA). The @NASA research fellowship is contingent upon the RI matching with a NASA researcher. Therefore, RIs wanting 

to perform research at a NASA Center must review the NASA research area focus list and notify the NASA EPSCOR program 

office as early as possible and they will work to match the RI with a NASA scientist/engineer. Once a match has been made, the RI 

will receive a collaboration letter which must be included as part of the proposal.

Who’s Eligible? 

All faculty/research investigators (except full tenured professors) in EPSCOR jurisdictions are eligible to submit a proposal to

either track (NSF or @NASA), with the exception that research investigators wanting to work with NASA must be a US citizen or

have a Green Card (i.e., Legal Permanent Resident- LPR). 
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

At a Glance, cont.

What is the award amount?

Each award is funded by NSF at $300,000 and NASA provides an additional $60K for faculty/research investigators from institutions 

with high enrollments of students from underrepresented populations in STEM . Refer to solicitation for more information.

How many proposals can be submitted by an institution? :

• Institutions eligible for the NSF sub track can submit a maximum of 4 proposals per institution

• Institutions eligible for the @NASA sub track can submit a maximum of 8 proposals per institution. However, only 4* of the 8 

proposals are eligible for the additional $60,000 of NASA funds.

*Please consult with your university’s sponsored projects office for selection, eligibility, etc.

What is the Award’s Period of Performance?

The award duration will be for a maximum of 24 months. For planning purposes, PIs should assume that the award start date will be 

approximately nine months after the proposal deadline date.

What is proposal due date? 

Full Proposals are due on April 9, 2024, which is the second Tuesday of April 2024 at 5 p.m. submitter's local time.

Where do I submit my completed proposal?:

• Full proposals should be submitted to Research.gov.

o Please review the solicitation for submission instructions
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

EPSCOR Background
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

What is EPSCoR?

The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is designed to fulfill the mandate of the National Science

Foundation (NSF) to promote scientific progress nationwide. EPSCoR jurisdictions that are eligible for Research Infrastructure 

Improvement (RII) competitions are listed in the RII 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.

The mission of EPSCoR is to assist the National Science Foundation in its statutory function "to strengthen research and 

education in science and engineering throughout the United States and to avoid undue concentration of such research and 

education."
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

History of EPSCoR

• 1979: National Science Foundation (NSF) created the Established (formerly Experimental) 

Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) in response to concern over the uneven 

distribution of federal research and development grants.

• 1992: Public Law 102-588 authorized NASA to initiate NASA EPSCoR to strengthen the 

research capability of jurisdictions that have not in the past participated equably in competitive 

aerospace research activities.

• EPSCoR now spans six federal agencies:
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

What are the goals of EPSCOR?

EPSCoR goals are to: 

• Catalyze the development of research capabilities and the creation of new knowledge that expands jurisdictions' contributions

to scientific discovery, innovation, learning, and knowledge-based prosperity; 

• Establish sustainable Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, training, and professional 

development pathways that advance jurisdiction-identified research areas and workforce development; 

• Broaden direct participation of demographically diverse individuals, institutions, and organizations in the project's science and 

engineering research and education initiatives; 

• Effect sustainable engagement of project participants and partners, the jurisdictions, the national research community, and the

general public through data-sharing, communication, outreach, and dissemination; and 

• Impact research, education, and economic development beyond the project at academic, government, and private sector levels.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

EPSCoR Jurisdictions

• Twenty-five states, the 

Commonwealth of 

Puerto Rico, the U.S. 

Virgin Islands and Guam 

currently participate in 

NASA EPSCoR project.

• Current eligibility 

threshold is 0.75% of 

total NSF funding
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

What will I gain from being a RII Track 4 EPSCOR Research Fellow?

The EPSCoR Research Fellowship program:

 Transforms Career Trajectory: provides awards to build research capacity in institutions and transform the career trajectories of

investigators and further develop their individual research potential through collaborations with investigators from the nation's premier

private, governmental, or academic research centers that would not otherwise be possible without the fellowship. The fellowship

provides opportunities to establish strong collaborations through extended or periodic collaborative visits to a selected host site.

 Provides Opportunities for New Techniques: provides collaborative research activities with the host site, that result in the Fellows

being able to learn new techniques, develop new collaborations, advance existing partnerships, benefit from access to unique equipment

and facilities, and/or shift their research toward potentially transformative new directions. The experiences gained through the

fellowships are intended to have lasting impacts that will enhance the Fellows' research trajectories well beyond the award period.

 Improves Research Capacity: is expected to improve the research capacity of their institutions and jurisdictions, where the Fellows

work, more broadly.

 Provides Strong Collaborations; provides an opportunity for early career and non-tenured and tenured assistant/associate professor

faculty to establish strong collaborations with the option to spend extended or periodic time (e.g., one-, two-, or three-month summer

extended visit) at the nation's premier research facilities.

Please review the solicitation for additional details.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

My institution is in an EPSCOR state, and I would like to submit a proposal.

Now what? 
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Eligibility

Let’s determine if you’re eligible to submit a proposal. To be eligible,

 All faculty/research investigators (except full tenured professors) must be from an EPSCOR 

jurisdiction

 Research investigators wanting to work with NASA must be a US citizen or have a Green Card (i.e., 

Legal Permanent Resident- LPR).

 Research Investigators wanting to work with NASA must be matched with a NASA researcher and the 

NASA EPSCOR office will initiate the matching process.

 Please see solicitation for additional details.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Are there other PI Requirements?

Yes,

• Only single-PI proposals will be considered. 

• No co-PIs should be included in the proposal.

• Persons who hold transitional fixed-term ?postdoctoral appointments are not eligible to apply as PI, even if their 

organizations classify such appointments as 'faculty' for administrative purposes.

• For submissions from a Primarily Undergraduate Institution a letter from the institution's Authorized Organizational 

Representative certifying their status as such is required. See Section V.A. for further information. 

• The PI may hold or accept fellowships of equal caliber (i.e., similar intent, funding level, and or prestige) concurrently with 

a Track-4 Fellow award.

• The PI may hold a non-tenured faculty position at a degree-granting institution of higher education; or a faculty member 

who hold long-term 7 positions outside of the tenure track regardless of their position title or rank. be in an early-career, 

career-track position at an eligible non-degree-granting organization; hold a non-tenured or tenured faculty position at the 

Assistant or Associate Professor rank (or in an equivalent position) at an institution that is eligible to submit as described 

under "Who May Submit Proposals;" or For the faculty category of applicants, the faculty ranking should be determined by 

the faculty rank at the proposal's deadline date

• In all cases, the required letter from the PI's supervisory administrator should verify the PI's eligibility relative to these 

criteria.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

I’m Eligible, so what should I do now?

Contact your Organization’s Sponsored Projects Office (SPO)

The organization's Sponsored Projects Office is required to ensure that a maximum of 4/8 proposals. Contact 

your SPO to ensure your proposal is processed accordingly.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

I’ve contacted my SPO, what are the next steps? 

1. Participate in NSF office hours/webinars for any/all questions

2. Download the solicitation 

3. Continue working with your university’s SPO

4. Review the NASA Research Focus Area (RFA) list and contact the NASA EPCoR program office to begin the 

NASA scientists/engineer matching process

 Review list of NASA's research interests: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/epscor/rii-track-4/index.html and 

identify a research area.

 Applicants must contact the NASA EPSCoR coordinator through the Agency-EPSCoR-rii-track4@mail.nasa.gov expressing their interest, and include their CV, contact information, and research interest 

to the NASA EPSCoR coordinator. 

 Once a research topic is identified, the NASA EPSCoR coordinator will facilitate research discussions and 

collaborations with the NASA Mentor. 

 In some cases, PIs may have prior research collaboration with NASA Scientists/Engineers, this information 

should be shared with the EPSCoR coordinator to proceed with possible match. 
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

I’ve contacted my SPO, what are the next steps, cont.? 

1. Complete the proposal on or before the due date.

2. Familiarize Yourself with NSF research proposal submission process/instructions

3. If this is your first time submitting a proposal to NSF, start preparing NOW.

4. Submit the completed proposal package to Research.gov by April 9, 2024, which is the second Tuesday of April 

2024 at 5 p.m. submitter's local time.

See solicitation for additional details.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Proposal Review Criteria

I’m ready to begin writing my proposal, but how will I be evaluated? 

All proposals will be evaluated against 2 criteria:

1. Intellectual Merit

2. Broader Impact

Let’s look at each of them....
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Merit Review Criteria

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board approved merit review criteria:

A. Intellectual Merit: The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge; and 

B. Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of 

specific, desired societal outcomes

The following elements will be considered in the review for both criteria: 

1. What is the potential for the proposed activity to,

a. Advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields and how NASA will benefit (e.g., 

Intellectual Merit)

b. Benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes (e.g., Broader Impacts)? 

2. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts? 

3. Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan 

incorporate a mechanism to assess success?
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Merit Review Criteria, cont.

4. How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to conduct the proposed activities? 

5. Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either at the home organization or through collaborations) to carry out the proposed 

activities?

6. Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan 

incorporate a mechanism to assess success?
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Additional Review Criteria

• What evidence is presented to demonstrate that the proposed research outcomes can be achieved within the constraints 

of the fellowship period, with the work being performed in collaboration with the host site? 

• How will the fellowship have a transformative impact on the trajectory of the PI's research career both during the 

period of the award and beyond?

• How will the fellowship yield tangible benefits to the home institution and/or jurisdiction beyond the individual 

benefits to the PI? 

• What evidence is there that the home institution and the host site are each committing the necessary resources, both 

scientific and administrative, to lend confidence that the fellowship project will be successful in achieving its intended 

outcomes?
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

What are the Proposal Elements?*

1. The project title

2. Project Summary

3. Project Description

4. Budget Pages and Budget Justification.

5. Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources.

6. Supplementary Documentation 

7. Additional Proposal Guidance

*Refer to solicitation for additional details.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Proposal Elements

1. The project title must begin with "RII Track-4:NSF: or RII Track-4:@NASA:", depending on the track, and follow with an 

informative title in the topic area. The Research Proposal Type should be selected, and the Primary Place of Performance on 

the cover sheet should list the host institution for the fellowship visit and not the submitting institution.

2. Project Summary (1 page maximum). Provide an overview that briefly describes: the vision and goals of the fellowship 

project; the role of the host site and its personnel in achieving the project's vision and goals; a summary of the objectives

and methods to be employed; the expected outcomes and impacts of the proposed activities; and plans for sustaining the 

project's impacts beyond the award period. In separate statements, provide a succinct summary of the intellectual merit and 

broader impacts of the project. The Project Summary must identify the proposed host site and primary research 

collaborator(s). At the bottom of the Project Summary, PIs should also indicate the NSF Directorate, Division, and Program 

that most closely aligns with the proposal's research focus.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Proposal Elements, cont.

3. Project Description (10 pages maximum). This section should present the activities for the proposed fellowship in a clear, detailed, 

compelling way and describe how the activities will lead to long-lasting impacts to the PI's research career trajectory. In addition to the 

requirements contained in PAPPG Chapter IID.2, the project description must articulate the motivation and context for the proposed 

fellowship project using language understandable to a scientific audience with broad disciplinary expertise. The goals and objectives 

for the fellowship project should be clearly stated, and the research plan for achieving the goals and objectives should be presented in 

sufficient detail to facilitate reviewers' assessment of the proposal. The project description should specify the expected outcomes from 

the fellowship and should include a timeline for meeting the project goals and objectives. It is crucial that the project description 

explain clearly how the PI will specifically benefit from the unique opportunities provided by the fellowship. It should also detail both 

the role of the host site in achieving the research goals and objectives and how the benefits to the PI's research career will be sustained 

beyond the award period.

The project description must describe the fellowship project's expected Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. In addition to 

addressing the Intellectual Merit of the project, the narrative should describe the project's research-focused activities and how these 

activities will enhance the PI's individual research capacity beyond the duration of the fellowship period. Per the guidance in the 

PAPPG, the Project Description must contain, as a separate section within the narrative, a section labeled "Broader Impacts". This 

section should articulate the benefits to the PI's home institution and/or jurisdiction that are expected to derive from the fellowship 

project. Additional benefits that fall under NSF's Broader Impacts merit review criterion should also be discussed in this section.

Proposals must also include a section detailing the Results from Prior NSF Support; for PIs with no prior NSF support, a simple 

statement to that effect is sufficient.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Proposal Elements, cont.

4. Budget Pages and Budget Justification. Prepare budget pages for each year of support and a budget justification (not to

exceed five pages). Because the fellowship-related travel (transportation and living expenses) is expected to represent a

significant component of the budget, PIs should provide sufficient detailed documentation to justify the requested expenses.

a. Cost Sharing: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

b. Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: "Off campus" indirect cost rates may apply

c. Budgetary Limitations(NSF and @NASA): Total funds requested may not exceed $300,000.

d. Budgetary Limitations(@NASA ONLY): Researcher investigators from institutions with high enrollments

of students from underrepresented populations in STEM, may request an additional $60,000. Investigators

requesting an additional $60,000 must be from one of the institutions below:

 MSI

• Minority-serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs),

Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs), and other

institutions that enroll a significant percentage of students from underrepresented populations as

defined by the U.S. Department of Education (e.g., 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;
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Proposal Elements, cont.

4. Budget Pages and Budget Justification, cont.. Prepare budget pages for each year of support and a budget justification 

(not to exceed five pages). Because the fellowship-related travel (transportation and living expenses) is expected to represent 

a significant component of the budget, PIs should provide sufficient detailed documentation to justify the requested expenses.

d. Budgetary Limitations(@NASA ONLY): Researcher investigators from institutions with high enrollments 

of students from underrepresented populations in STEM are eligible for an additional $60,000 from NASA 

EPSCoR to support their research at the home institution; this fund is awarded through the NASA 

EPSCoR, Research Infrastructure Development (RID) cooperative agreements, coordinated through the 

designated jurisdiction's director, and should help to build the awardees' research infrastructure and 

capacity. Investigators requesting an additional $60,000 must be from one of the institutions below:

 PUI

• Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), including two-year colleges, that award associate's degrees, 

bachelor’s degrees, and/or master's degrees in NSF-supported fields, but have awarded 20 or fewer 

Ph.D./D.Sci. degrees in all NSF-supported fields during the combined previous two academic years;

• Institutions of higher education that are dedicated to serve students with disabilities, as listed in Table 1, 

page 5 , of NSF's 2008 Broadening Participation report (https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2022-

03/nsf_frameworkforaction_0808.pdf);

• Degree-granting women's colleges, as listed in the U.S. Department of Education Digest of Education 

Statistics (https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d21/tables/dt21_312.30.asp).
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Proposal Elements, cont.

4. Budget Pages and Budget Justification, cont.. Prepare budget pages for each year of support and a budget justification 

(not to exceed five pages). Because the fellowship-related travel (transportation and living expenses) is expected to represent 

a significant component of the budget, PIs should provide sufficient detailed documentation to justify the requested expenses.

d. Funding requests should have a total duration of up to 24 months. In all cases the requested support is 

expected to closely align with the duration of the fellowship visit(s) to the host institution. 

e. Budgets may include up to six months of salary and fringe benefit support for the PI over the course of the 

fellowship. 

f. Budget justifications must clearly describe and justify travel expenses, to cover both the PI and one 

additional trainee

See solicitation for additional budget requirements.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Proposal Elements, cont.

5. Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources. The PI should provide a description of the relevant facilities, equipment, 

and other resources at the home institution or within the home jurisdiction if applicable. Only the PI's resources should be 

described, with emphasis on those resources needed for the project’s work and especially any equipment that will be 

transported for use at the host site. Any facilities, equipment, and other resources that belong to the host site and

are needed for the project should be described in the project description and not in this section. See NSF PAPPG.

6. Supplementary Documentation (in addition to those required by the PAPPG).

Letters: 

a. At least one letter must be included from:

(i) Letter from Supervisory Administrator: The appropriate supervisory administrator at the PI's home 

institution is typically the PI's Department Chair or Dean. The purpose of this letter is to confirm the 

administrator's support of the PI's plans and particularly to verify that the PI will receive appropriate release 

time from other professional duties to complete the fellowship as proposed. This letter should also confirm the 

PI's employment status at the home institution as it pertains to eligibility for the competition. AND

(ii) NASA EPSCoR coordinator- Please contact the NASA EPSCoR coordinator for assistance with letters 

from the host NASA center.(ONBOARDING SUPPORT)

Proposals that do not include these two required letters will be returned without review. Where appropriate, more 

than one letter may be submitted for any of the categories. 
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

What are some Expectations for Successful Proposals?
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Expectations of Successful R2 T4 Proposals

• Vibrant Ideas: Proposals will present exciting, vibrant fellowship ideas that will positively impact and potentially 

transform the PI's individual career trajectory. Proposals will be evaluated for the extent to which a fellowship has the 

potential to positively transform the PI's individual career trajectory. 

• Sustainability:R2 T4 Fellowships are also expected to impact the PI's research field, potential scientific discoveries, 

institution, and jurisdiction. Therefore, all proposals should include well-defined, reasoned, and organized research 

objectives that could be driven by specific research questions or hypotheses, motivation, and context for the work to be 

conducted, the PI's specific research activities at the host site, and a discussion of how the benefits gained from the 

fellowship will be sustained beyond the award period. Note that clear specifications of research goals, activities, 

expected outcomes, and a project timetable are requirements for successful proposals. 

• PI’s Research Program: PI’s It is also crucial that the proposal explain clearly how the PI's research program would 

specifically benefit from the fellowship mechanism – identifying what specific opportunities will be made possible via 

the PI's collaborations and visit(s) to the host site.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Expectations of Successful R2 T4 Proposals, cont.

• Benefit to the Jurisdiction: Benefits to the Home Institution and/or Jurisdiction should be clearly articulated. The direct 

benefits of RII Track-4:NSF and RII Track-4:@NSF fellowships are expected to be to the PI's individual research career 

trajectory. However, consistent with its programmatic focus on jurisdictional research capacity, NSF and NASA EPSCoR

expects successful fellowships to also yield benefits to the PI's home institution and/or jurisdiction. Narrative text that 

describes how improving the PI's individual research capacity will directly raise her/his institution’s overall capacity must

be included. It is expected that successful fellowships will include more proactive efforts to leverage the fellowship 

experience to achieve increased institutional or jurisdictional benefits. PIs are encouraged to present creative approaches for 

achieving this desired outcome within the overall constraints of the fellowship mechanism.

• Unique Interactions: As stated in the overview, this opportunity is intended to provide support for PIs to collaborate with 

facilities of national prominence that would not otherwise be possible without the fellowship. For this reason, the project 

description should include narrative text that explains why the interactions could not occur without the large injection of 

fellowship funding intended to support the collaboration.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Expectations of Successful R2 T4 Proposals, cont.

• Extended Host Site Visits: An extended visit/relocation or a number of short periodic visits of the PI to the host institution 

is considered a primary feature of this fellowship activity. It is expected that the PI will complete, as minimum, a onemonth extended visit to the host institution, or an equivalent of several periodic visits totaling one month over the duration 

of the award. 
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Progress Reports

1. Annual Report is due no later than 90 days prior to the end of the current 

budget period. 

2. Final Report is due no later than 120 days following expiration of a grant, 

the PI also is required to submit a final project report, and a project 

outcomes report for the general public.
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

Who Should I contact with Any Questions:

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the 

points of contact:

Jose Colom-Ustariz, NSF, telephone: (703) 292-7088, email: jcolom@nsf.gov

Chinonye Whitley, NSF, telephone: (703) 292-8458, email: cwhitley@nsf.gov

Pinhas Ben-Tzvi, NSF, telephone: (703) 292-8246, email: pbentzvi@nsf.gov

Frank McDonald, NASA, telephone: 202-358-2146, email: Agency-EPSCoR-RII-Track-4@mail.nasa.gov

Dawn M. Martin, NASA, telephone: (321) 747-8093, email: Agency-EPSCoR-RII-Track-4@mail.nasa.gov

Kathy Loftin, NASA, telephone: 321-603-9973, email: Agency-EPSCoR-RII-Track-4@mail.nasa.gov
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov

EPSCOR RII Track 4: 

Important Links

• NASA EPSCoR RII Track 4 information: EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Track-4 - NASA

• NSF RII Track 4 Solicitation: https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/epscor-research-infrastructure-improvement-track-4-0
SPARROW

stem.nasa.gov