Eddie Bernice Johnson Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science Initiative (NSF INCLUDES)

Overview

With this solicitation, NSF invites proposals for five types of projects (described below)that connect and contribute to the National Network: (1) Design and Development Launch Pilots, (2) Collaborative Change Consortia, (3) Alliances, (4) Network Connectors, and (5) Conferences. Investigators planning to submit a proposal are strongly encouraged to submit a one-page description of their proposal idea to [email protected] at least three months prior to proposal submission. An INCLUDES program director with related expertise will review and provide feedback on the alignment of the idea with the solicitation.

Proposals that address broadening participation challenges not yet represented in the INCLUDES portfolio of projects are encouraged. Proposals that focus on broadening participation in STEM innovation and entrepreneurship are especially encouraged. 

1.Design & Development Launch Pilots (DDLPs) explore new strategies and models for collaborative approaches to broadening participation in STEM. Successful proposals will identify a specific broadening participation challenge to address, measurable objectives, and collaborative partners, with explanation of the role of each partnering individual or organization. Successful pilot projects will test and deliver models that enable new collaborative efforts or new approaches to advance equity and broaden participation in STEM.

DDLP activities should engage appropriate communities in testing the feasibility of a process for change, building infrastructure for collaborative change, and identifying potential mechanisms for sustaining the efforts. Teams of organizations might come together locally, regionally, nationally, by disciplinary focus, or by other multisector categories. Early in the first year, partners are expected to refine their collective commitment to a common set of objectives and plans to achieve them. No later than the second year, successful teams are expected to carry out and report on results and share findings with the National Network and other stakeholders.

DDLPs should facilitate innovative partnerships, networks, and theories of action for broadening participation in STEM, with the goal of establishing future alliances, centers, or other large-scale networks. DDLPs can explore and build capacity for the development of collaborative infrastructure. Submissions from a broad range of diverse institutional partnerships, principal investigators, and contexts are encouraged.

The INCLUDES Initiative will not consider “planning grant” proposals in this solicitation. Ideas for projects formerly funded by the INCLUDES Initiative as planning grants should be submitted as DDLP proposals.

2. Collaborative Change Consortia are networks that implement, study, and scale up systemic strategies that address a critical broadening participation challenge in STEM. Collaborative Change Consortia build the infrastructure necessary to: 1) foster collaboration, 2) broaden participation in STEM at city, state, or regional levels of impact by operationalizing the five design elements of collaborative infrastructure, and 3) contribute rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base about broadening participation in STEM. These projects should result in research findings and sustainable, replicable models for city, state, and/or regional implementation and impact.

Consortium partners work to achieve common goals through well-defined, common objectives and use lessons learned, promising practices, evidence-based mechanisms, the science of broadening participation, and research and evaluations from past and present efforts to transform systems in order to broaden participation in STEM at scale and provide new research.

Consortium proposals must include:
• a shared vision and strategy for broadening the participation of an identified population(s) in STEM, along with relevant metrics of progress and key milestones/goals to be achieved during the funding period and beyond;
• multi-sector partnerships and plans to build infrastructure to achieve progress on the project’s goals;
• a framework for continuous communication, data management, capacity building, networking, expansion, sustainability, and visibility of the project network;
• a plan for contributing rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base on broadening participation in STEM;
• a plan for contributing project evaluations, data, new scientific findings/discoveries, and promising practices to the INCLUDES National Network;
• planned connections and contributions to the National Network online community and the INCLUDES Coordination Hub;
• a logic model or other heuristic that identifies outcomes reflecting the implementation of systemic change at scale and progress toward developing an inclusive STEM enterprise.

Collaborative Change Consortia may, but are not required to, build on the work of current or previously-funded INCLUDES projects. A Consortium award is not a required prerequisite to a proposal for other INCLUDES project types.

3. Alliances are large-scale networks that implement, study, and scale up systemic strategies that address a critical broadening participation challenge in STEM. Like Collaborative Change Consortia, Alliances build the infrastructure necessary to foster collaboration and broaden participation in STEM, but for Alliances, the level of impact should be national and supported by a backbone organization. Alliances engage partners to operationalize the five design elements of collaborative infrastructure; work to achieve common goals through well-defined, common objectives; contribute rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base about broadening participation in STEM; leverage NSF’s broadening participation investments; and use lessons learned, promising practices, evidence-based mechanisms, the science of broadening participation, and research and evaluations from past and present efforts to transform systems and broaden participation in STEM at scale.
 

Alliances are required to:

• Develop a shared vision and strategy for broadening the participation of an identified population(s) in STEM, along with relevant metrics of progress and key milestones/goals to be achieved at a national level, during the funding period and beyond;
• Establish multi-sector partnerships and build infrastructure to achieve progress on the project’s goals;
• Contribute rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base on broadening participation in STEM;
• Establish a "backbone" (i.e., support) organization that provides a framework for continuous communication, data management, capacity building, networking, expansion, sustainability, and visibility of the project network beyond a single city, state, or region;
• Advance a logic model or other heuristic that identifies Alliance outcomes, reflecting the implementation of change at a national scale and progress toward developing an inclusive STEM enterprise;
• Collaborate with the INCLUDES Coordination Hub to share project evaluations, data, new scientific findings/discoveries, and promising practices with the INCLUDES National Network and build critical knowledge that enables measurable progress toward INCLUDES goals;
• Participate in a network of peer alliances and the INCLUDES National Network to achieve INCLUDES goals; and
• Work to build connections to other organizations and broadening participation stakeholders to join in and expand the INCLUDES National Network.

4. Network Connectors initiate or maintain linkages to the INCLUDES National Network for projects or partnerships that are not currently funded by the INCLUDES Initiative. Network connector proposals may be submitted by existing NSF-funded and non-NSF funded projects seeking funding to provide or participate in: 

• new collaborations that expand the impact of active or previously-funded INCLUDES projects;
• new opportunities for collaboration across the INCLUDES National Network; 
• novel ideas to bring a community of NSF-funded projects into the INCLUDES National Network; 
• efforts to equitably scale up innovative and evidence-based approaches to broadening participation in STEM; 
• NSF-funded research activities with the goal of broadening participation in STEM; 
• development of shared goals, measures, and mutually reinforcing activities to build collaborative infrastructure for broadening participation in STEM; 
• communicating knowledge and results from the NSF broadening participation portfolio of programs and projects, NSF Center-scale activities, or other major Foundation investments; 
• or communicating findings from the science of broadening participation research community to the INCLUDES National Network, especially pertaining to new efforts to translate basic research into practice. 

Network Connectors implement connections to NSF-funded or other existing projects and evidence-based approaches. A letter of collaboration from a leader of the existing project is needed. Institutions and organizations that are new to the National Network who are looking to adopt or adapt evidence-based practices that emerged from current or previously-funded INCLUDES projects are encouraged to apply.

5. Conferences provide platforms for new collaborations or exchange of ideas that strengthen the INCLUDES National Network. Conference proposals may be submitted by current or former INCLUDES awardees or organizations that are not currently part of the INCLUDES portfolio. 

The INCLUDES Initiative will consider conference proposals on an ongoing basis. Please note that although Conference proposals may be accepted at any time, proposals received after the second Tuesday in May target date each year may not be reviewed until the next fiscal year.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
An organization may serve as a lead organization on only one proposal per project type, not including conferences. Proposals that exceed the organizational limit will be returned without review. No exceptions will be made.

For Network Connectors, Design and Development Launch Pilots, and Conferences, full proposals must be submitted as a single submission from a lead organization, with other collaborating organizations included as subawardees.
-------
Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI:
An individual may serve as a PI or Co-PI on only one INCLUDES proposal per annual due date, not including conferences. Proposals that exceed the PI or Co-PI limit will be returned without review. No exceptions will be made.

A PI or co-PI of an active INCLUDES Alliance may not be a PI or co-PI on a proposal under this solicitation, if the Alliance would still be active at the start of the new award. This limit does not include conference proposals.

Deadlines:
• Design and Development Launch Pilots, Collaborative Change Consortia, Alliances, and Network Connectors: Oct. 22, 2024
• Conferencess: May 14, 2024
------
Anticipated Funding Amount: $5,500,000
for all project types in each competition year.

• Design and Development Launch Pilot proposals may request up to $300,000 per year for up to two years. Prior INCLUDES support is not required to be eligible for a DDLP award. A DDLP award is not a required prerequisite to a proposal for other INCLUDES project types.

• Collaborative Change Consortium proposals may request up to $1,000,000 per year for up to five years.

• Alliance proposals may request up to $2,000,000 per year for up to five years.

• Network Connector proposals may request up to $250,000 per year for up to two years. Requests that exceed $250,000 may be considered, depending on the description of need in the proposal and the proposed activities.

• Conference proposals may request up to $100,000 for one year. Please refer to the instructions in Section V.A. and in PAPPG Chapter II.F.9 for additional guidance on preparing conference proposals.
--------
The Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) is a new NSF Directorate that participates in NSF's Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES Initiative. TIP engages the nation's diverse talent in strengthening and scaling use-inspired and translational research. The INCLUDES Initiative encourages the submission of proposals that focus on scaling up broadening participation innovations and entrepreneurship in STEM.

Letters of Intent are no longer required for proposal submissions.

Internal competition (InfoReady) link: https://asu.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1931835