The U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories. NSF was established in 1950 by Congress to promote the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare, and secure the national defense.
The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to enhance graduate education in STEM fields. It supports proposals for innovative approaches to train graduate students, helping them develop a broad set of skills, knowledge, and competencies necessary for a wide range of careers. The grant focuses on establishing new master’s degrees, certificates, or tracks with high relevance to industry in specified focus areas through collaborations among non-R1 institutions (lead), institutions with ongoing or completed NRT projects, and industry partners. The goal is to stimulate collaborations that train the STEM workforce in critical areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum information science, robotics, disaster prevention, biotechnology, and more. The program encourages partnerships that include a non-R1 Institution of Higher Education as the lead, a non-lead IHE with relevant NRT experience, and two to three industry partners in the focus areas.