Research and Innovation Office

Extramural Coordinated Funding


UM Submission Instructions: Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) 2024

Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF),National Science Foundation (NSF)
Award Title: Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines)
Amount:
Each NSF Engine can receive funding for up to 10 years. The initial two years of funding will support a ramp-up period. Continued support for an NSF Engine will be contingent upon its overall performance, including meeting its annual performance goals. During the ramp-up period, an NSF Engine can be funded for a total of $15,000,000 over two years. The total amount of an NSF Engine award will not exceed $160,000,000 from NSF (over a period not exceeding ten years).
UM Deadline: 05/15/2024
Sponsor Deadline: 06/18/2024
Description: The NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program creates regional-scale, technology-driven, inclusive innovation ecosystems throughout the United States by accelerating key technologies, addressing regional, national, societal, and/or geostrategic challenges, driving economic growth, creating and retaining quality jobs, expanding equitable pathways into careers, and strengthening national competitiveness and security. Each NSF Engine represents a formal coalition of regional partners, led by a full-time Chief Executive Officer (CEO), tasked to carry out an integrated and comprehensive set of activities spanning use-inspired research, translation of innovation to practice, entrepreneurship, workforce development, community engagement, and ecosystem building, to nurture and accelerate the growth of regional innovation ecosystems grounded in technological innovation and regional, national, societal, and/or geostrategic challenges. The mission of an NSF Engine must be clearly rooted in regional interests and reflect the aspiration that a regional innovation ecosystem can help build strong communities where all residents can thrive. This includes the equitable development of regional talent, intentional community engagement, and attention to impacts on a region’s identities and cultures. The NSF Engines program is a placed-based innovation funding initiative, where the emphasis on “regions” expresses NSF’s aim to stimulate innovation-driven economic growth within a particular place or region of service. The emphasis of the NSF Engines program further includes creating new business and economic growth in sectors that are critical to American competitiveness and in those regions of America that have not fully participated in the technology boom of the past several decades.
Number of Applicants University is Allowed to submit: 1
Additional Requirements: None
Sponsor Guidelines: https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/nsf-regional-innovation-engines-nsf-engines-0
UM Nominations Process: Those interested in submitting a project for this limited submission review should follow the instructions below carefully. Faculty and research staff at UMD should skip to the bottom of this section and review the footnote (*).

1) Inform our RIO office by 4PM Friday, May 3, 2024, if you believe you will be participating in this limited submission by emailing collabor@umn.edu and sharing:
a. the topic area, and
b. the region of service for your innovation engine.
This will help us ensure we can be prepared with sufficient review panel members.

2) Download a copy and complete an application using the template provided at this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cIayEf85wqzZlwcjjeA8A01-5eE_pLHq/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=100207803516514002310&rtpof=true&sd=true

3) Provide an abbreviated CV for the lead PI.

4) Submit the completed application (step 2) + abbreviated CV (step 3) materials as a single pdf document to collabor@umn.edu no later than 4PM Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

We understand this is a high-stakes competition for which only one application can be selected. If your proposal is not picked during our limited submission review process, we encourage you to consider other partnership opportunities with external collaborators and explore all avenues to advance your project.

RIO's target date for selecting an application: by May 31, 2024.

Any questions can be submitted to collabor@umn.edu.

(*) For UMD Faculty and Research Staff only: NSF treats UMD as a separate institution for solicitations with limited submissions. Faculty and research staff at UMD interested in submitting to the ENGINES program should notify UMD Research Administration (umdspa@d.umn.edu) by 12:00 noon on 8 May 2024. At that time, they will be provided with an internal pre-proposal template, due by 5:00 pm on 15 May 2024, that will be reviewed in consultation with an ad hoc expert panel. PIs will be notified of results before 31 May 2024.
Peer Review Coordination: Research and Innovation Office contact email
Status: No longer accepting applications.
Please note: To be considered for peer review and internal selection, faculty must follow the above submission guidelines and meet the UM deadline as set by the office coordinating the peer review for this opportunity.


General Information

  • Each posting has information about the external sponsor and opportunity as well as the internal application instructions.
  • Opportunities can be sorted by column headings; just click on the heading to re-sort by that column.
  • When a link redirects you to another site, it opens in a new browser window.
  • If you know of an opportunity that is not on the list, please contact Kristin Mead.
Internal Requirements

  • Sponsor: Name of funder.
  • Award Title: Funding opportunity nameAmount: Range/Maximum dollar amount awarded.
  • UMN Deadline: Submission deadline for internal proposal as determined by the coordinating office.
  • Sponsor Deadline: External deadline identified by the sponsor.
  • Description: General information about the sponsor and the funding opportunity. Usually describes the purpose of the funding opportunity, overview of what the sponsor is looking for, including distinctive criteria. This is not meant to take the place of the sponsor guidelines; please read the sponsor guidelines before deciding to apply.
  • Number of Applicants University is Allowed to Submit: The maximum number of applications the sponsor will allow the university to submit.
  • Additional Requirements: Identifies any special requirements such as cost sharing, partners, etc.
  • Sponsor Guidelines: Link to the sponsor’s funding opportunity website.
  • UMN Nominations Process: Contains specific internal submission requirements including internal proposal instructions, deadline, eligibility, internal nomination process, contact information.
  • Peer Review Coordination: The name and contact email of the office coordinating the funding opportunity. RIO coordinates most limited submissions, but opportunities coordinated by other offices or programs are also posted on this webpage.
  • Status:
    • Open: UM deadline has not passed and the opportunity is open for application.
    • Forecasted: The funder has not yet formally published the opportunity. The deadline has yet to be determined.
    • Archived: The opportunity has been archived by the funder.
    • Spots Remaining: UMN deadline has passed, with some applicant spots still available. Contact collabor@umn.edu if interested
    • First-Come, First-Served: Applicants accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact collabor@umn.edu if interested
    • Contact Us: The internal deadline has passed, but no applicants were selected. Please contact the office coordinating the peer review for more information.
    • In Review: Peer review process is in progress for the opportunity.
    • PI Selected: The PI(s) have been selected as the official UMN nominees.
    • Closed: UMN is no longer accepting applications.
UMN Selection Process

  • Once the internal deadline has passed, if the number of applicants is less than or equal to the number of spots the university is allowed to send forward, the applicants automatically become the UMN nominee(s).
  • If the status of an opportunity is "First-Come, First-Served", there was not time to hold an internal review. Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • If there are no applicants, the status will change to "Contact Us". At this point, the opportunity changes to a first-come, first-served opportunity.
  • If there are multiple applicants, the office coordinating the nomination will determine the review criteria and coordinate the review process. The status will change to "In Review".
  • Once the review has been completed all parties will be notified via email.
  • Nominees will be provided with an email from RIO (or the designated coordinating office) indicating that they are the university's nominee. This letter should accompany the nominee's proposal.
  • SPA is notified of the university's nominee(s) and the status is updated to "PI(s) Selected".


*If you have questions about the University's process related to extramural funding opportunities requiring nomination or if you have any technical issues with the site, contact collabor8@umn.edu.

For questions, please contact RIO's Research Advancement group.