FY26 Undergraduate STEM Research and Education

The ND EPSCoR State Office’s mission is to support efforts of participating institutions of higher education across the state that result in increased STEM research capacity and competitiveness; a stronger STEM pathway that produces our next generation workforce, educators, and researchers; and, an informed citizenry that values the STEM ecosystem and economy.

To assist in meeting this mission, the ND EPSCoR State Office is now accepting proposals to fund undergraduate STEM research activities at Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) and Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI) within our jurisdiction.

A. Two Proposal Categories

1. Equipment (Research and Education). Proposals will be accepted for pieces of equipment (up to $20,000 from ND EPSCoR) that help advance scientific inquiry, R&D, and education. Preference will be given to proposals that: 1) show collaborative use; 2) request equipment not currently available on the proposer’s campus; and 3) engage undergraduate and/or graduate students in research and education. Proposals narrative must contain (Limit 4 pages double spaced): 1) introduction, justification, and description of the equipment to be purchased; 2) users (i.e., institutions, colleges, departments, etc.) of the equipment including an approximate number of students who would be trained per year; 3) discussion of how this equipment would lead to more funded research projects and/or a higher number of students in STEM programs; and, 5) a price quotation for the purchase and installation of the equipment (quote not part of the 4 page narrative).

2. Undergraduate research. Data show that engaging undergraduate students in research leads to better retention and success of the student. The proposal narrative must contain (Limit 4 pages double spaced): 1) a short description of the research topic including significance; 2) goals and objectives of the specific proposed research; 4) approach/methods; and 5) references (additional page, single spaced). The student’s faculty advisor/mentor must provide a letter supporting the research and certifying that he/she will be providing space/resources and mentoring to the student during the course of the research. The faculty commitment letter is uploaded separately from the narrative. Awards up to $8,000/student will be provided. The faculty member must be the PI on the proposal and submit the proposal; however, the intended student researcher should write the proposal. The Undergraduate Student STEM Research Proposal Rubric to be used in evaluating submitted proposals is available through the proposal submission portal. If an IRB, IACUC, or IBC will be needed, proof of an exemption and/or active protocol number will be needed prior to releasing funds. Students hired under this award are required to complete responsible conduct of research (RCR) training in their first pay cycle. Certificates of RCR and IRB (if needed) training must be submitted to the ND EPSCoR State Office by the end of the first pay cycle.

B. Eligibility

Institutions in the ND Tribal College System, PUIs in the ND University System, and other PUIs in ND are eligible for this solicitation. An eligible institution may submit separate applications to each of the two proposal categories as long as the total combined requests do not exceed $36,000. This will require coordination among applicants at an institution and possibly a down-selecting process. If the total request of applications from an eligible institution exceeds $36,000, the submission time stamp will be used to determine which eligible applications will move forward in the review process. Applications causing institutional submission total to exceed the $36,000 limit for an eligible institution will be rejected without review. Applications from applicants with past due reports to the ND EPSCoR Office are not eligible to compete and will be rejected without review.

C. Priority

The intent of this funding is to build research and education infrastructure and capacity across the state.

D. Proposal Submission Deadline

Proposals are due to the ND EPSCoR office through the InfoReady submission portal at NDSU no later than 11:59 pm CST on February 9, 2026. A guide for accessing NDSU InfoReady can be obtained here. 

Please check with your institutional research office (or equivalent) for specific internal approval process before submission. Only submit institutionally approved applications.

Please follow your institution’s standard process for routing for institutional approval of a proposal prior to submission.

If you have any questions, please contact Jim Doolittle at james.doolittle@ndsu.edu.

E. Funding Availability and award limitations

The state office has $200,000 to award through this program. Awards to an eligible institution will not exceed $36,000 in direct costs. Indirect costs (F&A) are not allowable.

Submission of a proposal does not automatically guarantee funding.

F. Proposal Preparation Guidance

Applications must be submitted through the NDSU InfoReady Application Portal. In addition to the category-specific information noted for each category in section A, the application must also contain a description on how the research/activity fits into the North Dakota Science and Technology Plan. This description is not part of the category narrative and the 4-page limit. This is a separate 1-page document uploaded as part of the applications and should include references to specific strategies in the plan. The current ND Science & Technology Plan can be found on the ND EPSCoR website. Applications must also include a detailed budget utilizing the form available through the submission portal and a detailed budget justification. Be sure to include travel costs to present project results.

G. Proposal Evaluation

Proposals will be evaluated for fit with the ND EPSCoR State Office mission, the ND S&T Plan, and national priorities related to broadening participation in the STEM ecosystem. Student research applications will be evaluated utilizing the Undergraduate Student STEM Research Proposal Rubric available through the submission portal.

H. Award Requirements

All awards require: 1) acknowledgement of the ND EPSCoR State Office as the funder in any publications/presentations using the award acknowledgment guidelines published on the ND EPSCoR website, 2) presentation of the activity/results at the ND EPSCoR Annual State Conference (be sure to include travel for presentation(s) in the submitted budget) 3) a final report submitted to ND EPSCoR through the NDSU InfoReady portal within 60 days of the award end date, and 4) signed photo releases for any figures/images in the final report as these items may be used in ND EPSCoR reports and promotional materials.