SPARK-ND 2026 Broadening Participation Research
The ND EPSCoR State Office’s mission is to support educational efforts across the state that result in increased STEM capacity and competitiveness and a stronger STEM pathway that produces our next generation workforce, educators, and researchers.
In support of this mission, ND EPSCoR and SPARK-ND invite multi-institutional teams to apply for planning or pilot grants of up to $30,000 (total costs) to support the development of collaborative research proposals focused on broadening participation in STEM. To build a more diverse and competitive STEM workforce in North Dakota, this program funds the early-stage development of cross-institutional teams. Funded projects must include substantial participation from at least one researcher at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI) or a Tribal College or University (TCU).
The primary objective of this seed funding is to enable these collaborative teams to gather pilot data, design interventions, and establish partnerships that will lead directly to a competitive submission for a specified, larger federal grant (such as NSF or NIH). Funds may be used for materials and supplies, student support (undergraduate and graduate), and operating services (e.g., recharge center fees for sample analysis).
Proposals must provide an introduction and justification for the research including fit within the current State Science & Technology Plan, description of the research and data to be collected, the specific federal agency RFP to which a proposal will be submitted, and a short biographical sketch (2 pages) for all participating researchers.
Program Description
Strengthening and broadening the STEM pathway is a core goal of ND EPSCoR. Proposals will be accepted that focus on research activities that broaden participation and increase retention and graduation rates of students in STEM. Of particular interest are activities that form the basis of a submission for external funding.
Proposals will be evaluated for fit with the missions of ND EPSCoR and SPARK-ND and the current North Dakota Science and Technology Plan.
Eligibility-limited submission
All institutions of higher education located in North Dakota are eligible to apply. Participants in SPARK-ND are eligible to participate and apply. This is a Limited Submission Opportunity. Only 1 application per institution as lead. Be certain applications are institutionally approved by an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) as the institution’s sole application prior to submission. A letter certifying selection from an institutional AOR must be included with the application. Applicants/collaborators with past due final report on any ND EPSCoR-awarded project are not eligible to compete.
Proposal Submission Deadline
Proposals must be submitted through the NDSU submission portal (link to Portal) no later than 5:00 pm CDT on September 30, 2026.
Submission of a proposal does not guarantee funding.
Funding Availability
Maximum award amount is up to $30,000 (direct and indirect costs). One to two awards may be offered. It is anticipated that Notice of Award will be issued by November 15, 2026. The period of performance can be up to 18 months.
Proposal Preparation Guidance
The proposal narrative should be no longer than five pages (double spaced with font no smaller than 10.0) and must include: 1) introduction and justification for the broadening participation research activity (i.e., is it grounded in a best practice); 2) description of the activity; 3) description of partner organization(s) and their role(s); 4) targeted funding source; and 5) how the proposed activities fit within the mission and goals of SPARK-ND, ND EPSCoR and the current North Dakota Science and Technology Plan.
In addition to the narrative, the application must also include a short bio sketch (2 page) of each individual leading the proposed research activity, a detailed budget on the ND EPSCoR RFP Budget form (budget form available in the NDSU Submission Portal, include separate budgets for each collaborating institution), a detailed budget justification (include a budget justification for each collaborating institution), a project timeline with milestones, and a letter from institution’s AOR stating submitted proposal was selected for this limited submission opportunity.
Proposal Submission
Proposals must be submitted through the NDSU submission portal no later than 5:00 pm CT on September 30, 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.
If you have questions, please contact Jim Doolittle at james.doolittle@ndsu.edu.
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 30 days of the award end date, and 4) signed photo releases for any images/figures in the final report as these figures may be used in ND EPSCoR reports and promotional materials.