National Defense Education Program (NDEP) for STEM Education, Outreach, and Workforce Development Initiatives
Solicitation Title: National Defense Education Program (NDEP) for STEM Education, Outreach, and Workforce Development Initiatives
Funding Amount: $3,000,000 over three (3) years
Sponsor Deadline: Monday, January 25, 2021
Solicitation Link: https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/opportunities/instructions/PKG00264446-instructions.pdf
Solicitation Number: CFDA 12.006
Overview
<p>STEM education and workforce development is a priority of the Department, and the DoD seeks methods in which it can more effectively cultivate a diverse, agile, and world-class STEM workforce. Through effective programming, the DoD supports the transformation of a STEM talent pool that will lead the Department and the Nation into the future. The Department fully encourages future workforce development initiatives that align with the strategic, operational, and tactical needs of our nation’s defense. By encouraging a broad range of innovative education and workforce development programs, the DoD hopes to put the 21st century STEM workforce in a position for success in an ever-changing and increasingly competitive world. <br> <br>Project scope may range in size and complexity. Efforts may have an emphasis on hands on problem based learning activities, mentor-centered programming, education outcomes, and/or an awareness of the multiple STEM disciplines, and/or career pathways/opportunities in DoD. The following efforts are especially encouraged: <br>- Engaging students where disciplines converges, including programs that meaningfully integrate science, technology, mathematics, and engineering within each individual STEM subject as well as other disciplines such as the arts & humanities (i.e. transdisciplinary learning); <br>- Innovative remote learning experiences, for Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) to teach mathematics, computer science, and data science; <br>- Students gaining real world experience in STEM fields relating to DoD S&T priority areas resulting in technical certifications; <br>- Mentorship opportunities at DoD for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students; <br>- Develop and implement activities that seeks to advance computational thinking and digital literacy. <br>- Encourage partnerships or consortia approaches to implement STEM education and outreach programs with a holistic approach to understanding real-world applications; <br>- Develop larger cohesive STEM education and outreach activities that strengthen the capacity of regional/local communities and stakeholders to leverage partnerships; <br>- Building strategic partnerships around local industry, connecting entrepreneurship and innovation, and/or invention education; <br>- Professional development in STEM disciplines for education majors, including students pursuing STEM degrees; <br>- Programming aimed to fill gaps in schools that lack necessary infrastructure and novel interventions to address student achievement gaps in STEM; <br>- Culturally relevant STEM curriculum; <br>- Develop and implement programs that seek to make STEM learning more meaningful and inspiring to students by focusing on complex real-world problems and challenges that require initiative and creativity; <br>- Develop and implement programs that support DoD Modernization priority areas (<a href="https://www.cto.mil/modernization-priorities/">https://www.cto.mil/mode…;); <br>- Implement a manufacturing education program at the pre-college level that prepares participants for realistic job previews. <br> <br>Additionally, applicants should address their efforts’ flexibility and adaptability in program delivery and execution in response to any disruption to the educational systems (e.g. global pandemic). <br> <br>Submissions are encouraged to consider including education and outreach activities that will support the future mission of the DoD; provide students and teachers with exposure to DoD research and career opportunities; and enhance the educational experiences of underrepresented, military dependent from pre-kindergarten – college students, their parents, and teachers, and student veterans.</p>
Other Information:<div>To be considered for the larger scale-up award level for STEM activities, applicants must complete an additional Scale-up Capacity section in the white paper and will be competitively selected and invited to apply for the scale-up award. Applicants not chosen to apply for the scale-up award level may still be invited to apply for the lower level award. Competitive applicants for the scale-up award must have an existing program with successfully proven outcomes. The program design must have the capacity to expand and can be scaled up to broaden its reach. Applicants must clearly illustrate the proposed effort’s historical program effectiveness with sound evaluation and/or assessment efforts and must articulate a comprehensive plan to scale efforts. Efforts may span any of the topics or scopes described above and can target any student demographic such as K-12, 2-year community college, or 4-year undergraduate education.</div> <div>Questions regarding white papers due January 6, 2021 by 11:59 pm Eastern.</div> <div>White papers should: <br>- Be innovative and novel to address the program description; <br>- Demonstrate potential to make a substantial impact as related to the objectives described above; <br>- Create meaningful content and participant experiences that meet DoD STEM education and workforce priorities including an awareness of DoD internships, fellowships, and STEM careers; <br>- Collect a set of program-specific measures of performance to include capture of participation rates and measures of effectiveness appropriate to the goals of the project; and, <br>- Contain a strategy for program sustainability, such that following the completion of DoD STEM’s investment under this funding opportunity, the effort will have a clear financial path and leave enduring organization capability.</div> <div>White papers are limited to 7 pages in length, excluding the CV of the PI and References, and must include the following sections: <br>- Cover Page (1 Page Maximum) <br>- Summary (1 Page Maximum) <br>- Technical Concept (3 Page Maximum) <br>- Rough Order of Magnitude Cost (1 Page Maximum) <br>- DoD STEM Relevance (1 Page Maximum) <br>- CV and References: The CV of the lead PI, as well as any accompanying references, should be included at the end of the document.</div>Last Updated:
RODA ID: 1214