November 15, 2022

Dear Colleague:

Fostering the growth of a globally competitive and diverse research workforce and advancing the scientific and innovation skills of U.S. students are strategic objectives of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Supporting the development of a skilled workforce in energy efficiency and renewable energy is a strategic objective of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The NSF and DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) have established a partnership to support internship and training opportunities to meet these strategic objectives with a focus on geothermal energy, technology, and application areas.

This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) describes this unique partnership with DOE EERE for submissions to the NSF INTERN Program, described in DCL NSF 21-013. DCL NSF 21-013 is often referred to as the "INTERN DCL". This DCL is referred to as the "Geothermal INTERN DCL". For more information on EERE's priorities for geothermal energy research, please see the GeoVision Report and the 2022-2026 multi-Year Program Plan.

NSF will consider supplemental funding requests in the area of geothermal energy that enable PIs (or Co-PIs) to request supplemental support of up to $55,000 and six months for graduate students supported on active NSF grants with the following goals:

1. To provide graduate students with the opportunity to augment their research assistantships or NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) fellowships with research internship activities and training opportunities that will complement their academic research training.
2. To allow graduate students to pursue new activities aimed at acquiring professional development experience that will enhance their preparation for multiple career pathways after graduation.
3. To encourage the participation of graduate students from groups underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), such as women, persons with disabilities, minorities, veterans, and persons from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Supplemental funding requests may be submitted at any time with a target date of April 15 for each Fiscal Year.