Engineering Research Initiation (ERI)

The NSF Directorate for Engineering (ENG) seeks to build engineering research capacity across the nation by investing in new academic investigators who have yet to receive sufficient research funding from Federal Agencies. The Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) program will support new investigators as they initiate their research programs and advance in their careers as researchers, educators, and innovators. This funding opportunity aims to broaden the base of investigators involved in engineering research and is limited to investigators that are not affiliated with 'very high research activity' R1 institutions. ERI provides resources to enable impactful scientific work that will improve the research and scientific training environment at the institution through the conduct of fundamental research. Research activities may include efforts that catalyze new research partnerships, disseminate results, and/or lay a foundation to support preparation for future grant competitions. NSF strongly encourages participation by PIs from the full spectrum of diverse talent in STEM, including new investigators from historically under-represented or under-served populations, diverse institutions including Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), and two-year colleges.