Dear Colleagues:

With this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), the National Science Foundation's (NSF) newly established Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) announces the NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program. This program is a bold new initiative aimed at significantly expanding our Nation's innovation capacity by investing in key areas of national interest and economic promise in every region of the United States. To accomplish this ambitious goal, the NSF Engines program will fund the development of Regional Innovation Engines that will cultivate and sustain activities in use-inspired research and development; the translation of the resulting innovations to practice through entrepreneurship, stakeholder development, and meaningful partnerships; and workforce development at all levels including experiential learning leading to researchers, practitioners, technicians, innovators, entrepreneurs, and others. This program will enhance the Nation's economic and industrial competitiveness as well as national security by fostering and catalyzing such ecosystems.

Today, the U.S. is facing global competition for talent and leadership in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and STEM education. To ensure the U.S. remains in the vanguard of competitiveness, and to leverage emerging technologies to tackle large-scale societal and economic challenges, it is essential that the U.S. expand domestic innovation capacity. To do so requires taking full advantage of the diverse innovation potential and talent across the entire Nation and investing resources to enable all regions of the U.S. to become flourishing innovation ecosystems of STEM-based economic growth. The NSF Engines program will therefore prioritize geographic regions that do not currently have well-established innovation ecosystems or, of particular interest, regions of the country where prospective ecosystem members exist, but where innovation activities are only loosely connected.

Each NSF Engine's technical and innovation focus must be clearly rooted in its region of service – a geographical location within the U.S. that can range from a metropolitan area (including its adjacent rural regions) to an area spanning parts of several states. Additionally, each NSF Engine will be driven by a coalition of regional partners, comprising academic institutions, non-profits, for-profit companies, and government entities, among others. Each coalition will develop and implement a comprehensive strategic plan designed to produce a culture of innovation and diversity within the entire innovation ecosystem and will be required to demonstrate this through its leadership team, funding distribution among partners, and its activities. An NSF Engine's coalition of partners is expected to include a diversity of organizations and stakeholders that will enable the Engine to provide value to its entire region of service. For example, in the context of academic institutions, NSF Engines must engage the range of institution types in its region including those dedicated to communities under-served in STEM such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities, as well as two-year colleges, community colleges, vocational and technical colleges, and others. NSF recognizes the need for capacity building and technical assistance for certain organizations to fully engage and encourages proposals to incorporate such needs within their budgets and activities.

The NSF Engines BAA specifies timelines for both Type-1 and Type-2 proposals. Prior to submission of proposals, teams are required to submit a Concept Outline, which is due June 30, 2022, for both proposal types. Approval of a Concept Outline from a cognizant NSF Program Officer is required to submit a full proposal. Other program deadlines are noted in the BAA.

To access the BAA, visit the BAA website. Additionally, visit the NSF Engines program website for information about webinars, frequently asked questions, program announcements, and other program content. For any additional questions about this DCL or to submit your own questions about the NSF Engines BAA, contact the NSF Engines program team at: engines@nsf.gov.