The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is designed to fulfill the mandate of the NSF to promote scientific progress nationwide. 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, R&D capacity, and hence, its R&D competitiveness.

EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Program: EPSCoR Research Fellows (ERF) directly aligns with NSF EPSCoR strategic goal of establishing sustainable Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professional development pathways that advance workforce development in STEM and effects engagement in STEM at national and global levels. ERF 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. The fellowship provides opportunities to establish strong collaborations through extended or periodic collaborative visits to a selected host site. Through collaborative research activities with the host site, Fellows will be 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. The benefits to the Fellows are also expected to improve the research capacity of their institutions and jurisdictions more broadly. 

The ERF provides opportunities for the participation of one trainee, who must be an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled full-time in an accredited degree program, or a postdoctoral researcher from an EPSCoR jurisdiction. Staff members, such as technicians or lab assistants could be considered as trainees when properly justified.

UD is only eligible to submit to the EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF Track of this solicitation. The EPSCoR Research Fellows: @NASA Track is not open to UD. 

Internal white paper deadline: February 13, 2026

NSF Full Proposal Deadline: April 14, 2026

Link to FOA Here

Eligibility:  

Principal Investigators must either:

• Be in an early-career, or mid-career-track position at an eligible non-degree-granting organization or
• Hold a non-tenured or tenured faculty position at the Lecturer, Research Faculty, Assistant or Associate Professor rank (or in an equivalent position) at an institution of higher education.

Additional guidance on eligibility includes:

• For the faculty category of the PI, the faculty ranking should be determined by the faculty rank at the proposal's deadline date.
• The PI must be positioned to build sustainable research capacity at the home institution during and beyond the fellowship, which generally takes three years or more.
• Non-tenured research assistant professors or lecturers are eligible to apply for this opportunity if they have a long-term appointment.
•  A letter from an administrative manager at the home institution is required to verify PI eligibility.
• 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.
•  Previous or current Research Fellows are not eligible to apply for the EPSCoR Research Fellows program.

Any questions regarding PI eligibility should be directed toward the cognizant Program Officers listed in the FOA (see link above).

Institutional Limit: A maximum of four (4) EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF proposals may be submitted in response to this solicitation by any single organization in an RII-eligible jurisdiction.

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.  

Review Criteria: Internal white papers will be reviewed based on the merit review criteria found in the solicitation.