The ESTEEMED program seeks to facilitate the transition to college by providing research and educational experiences to early-stage undergraduates and to interest them in pursuing further studies as in bioengineering or other STEM fields relevant to NIBIB’s scientific mission. The over-arching goal is for student participants to ultimately pursue a doctoral degree and a subsequent research career in bioengineering or NIBIB-relevant field. To accomplish this goal, this FOA will support educational activities with a primary focus on:

• Research Experiences: For example, to provide hands-on exposure to bioengineering research or physical/computational sciences research within the scope of NIBIB’s scientific interest.
• Courses for Skills Development: For example, to provide preparation for hands-on exposure to research for freshmen and sophomores. At a minimum, this preparation must include a summer bridge program (or summer bootcamp) for incoming freshmen and additional activities during the freshman and sophomore academic years, including, but not limited to, seminars and/or workshops that enhance skills in the basic sciences, computation, and scientific communication as well as introduce students to the laboratory environment. 

The program is open to incoming freshmen at the applicant institution or community college students starting their first or second year, if a collaboration with a community college is proposed. At the applicant institution, participation in ESTEEMED would begin with a Summer Bridge Program for incoming freshman and continue with two years of academic year activities followed by summer research experiences. Following the completion of the ESTEEMED program at the end of the summer after the sophomore year, participants are expected to join an honors program at the applicant institution that prepares students for graduate studies.

After completing the two-year ESTEEMED program, the students are expected to join an honors program and complete a bachelor’s degree program at the applicant institution. 

A program supported by this FOA must contain the following elements:

1. Summer Bridge Program 

A Summer Bridge Program is to occur before the start of the freshman year to prepare student participants, in bootcamp-style, for their first year of college. 

2. Academic Year Activities

The Academic Year Activities should help participants maximize their academic performance and prepare them for summer research experiences and eventual entry into an honors program. Academic year activities should include, but are not limited to, courses, journal clubs, individual development plans for each participant, seminars/workshops, and professional development programs.

3. Summer Research Experience

At the end of their freshman and sophomore years, participants are required to take part in hands-on summer research experiences that involve a defined research project and includes a final oral presentation and written report of their work. 

4. Mentoring

The program is expected to provide not only technical expertise, but advice, individual coaching, professional development, and career guidance to the participants. For institutions with graduate programs, Ph.D. candidates may also participate as mentors.

5. Honors Program

The ESTEEMED program to be supported with this FOA is intended to expose students to bioengineering research in their freshman and sophomore years and interest them in pursuing advanced studies in bioengineering or a related field. In their junior and senior years, the students are expected to enter an honors program that promotes graduate study in STEM fields. . The availability of the honors program makes it possible for ESTEEMED participants to have a full four years of research preparation throughout their undergraduate education. 

NSF Full Proposal Deadline: 01/17/2025

Link to FOA Here: NIH ESTEEMED 

PI Eligibility:  Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as a Principal Investigator (PI) are invited to work with their organizations to develop an application. Individuals from underrepresented groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply.  

Institutional Limit: Only one (1) application per institution is allowed.

Application Information:  All UD limited submission white papers must use this template found on the Research Office limited submission webpage. Applications not adhering to this requirement will be returned without review.

Merit Review Criteria: Summaries will be reviewed based on the criteria detailed in the solicitation.