2025 NSF Scholarships in STEM Network (S-STEM-Net)
These instructions are for VU investigators. VUMC investigators should visit the OOR funding opportunity site.
Vanderbilt University may submit one S-STEM Hubs proposal, either as single institution, subawardee, or member of a collaborative research project, to the NSF Scholarships in STEM Network (S-STEM-Net) program.
Internal deadline: May 22, 2025
S-STEM Research Hubs
The primary goal of each S-STEM Research Hub is to support and carry out high-quality, innovative research on the factors, structures or interventions involved in supporting and promoting the success of domestic low-income undergraduate and graduate STEM students, regardless of other demographic factors. Proposers who wish to focus on specific underrepresented demographic groups regardless of income status might consider applying for an NSF INCLUDES Alliance, or other NSF funding opportunities. Collaborations between S-STEM-Hubs and other NSF-funded initiatives, such as NSF INCLUDES, could be appropriate as long as the S-STEM Research Hub focuses their research activities on the success of low-income students. In addition, proposals aiming to investigate other STEM-related questions or issues but not focused on low-income student success, including those focused on the development of new STEM curriculum or academic programs, or specific research opportunities for undergraduates in some STEM-related topic, are not appropriate for the S-STEM-Hub funding opportunity and will be returned without review.
Research Hubs coordinate groups of researchers engaged with S-STEM projects to explore methodologies, data streams, and opportunities for new research directions. Consequently, the Research Hub must conduct activities that will foster new and innovative collaborative research activities involving researchers from beyond the host institution. It is anticipated that the activities in which the hub engages may evolve. Thus, it is important that a Research Hub leverages its interinstitutional nature and builds a flexible structure that could facilitate such changes over its lifespan.
Activities required of all S-STEM-Hub projects:
Regardless of focus, all Research Hubs must propose and budget for activities to:
- identify, develop, and support promising innovative research ideas that generate valuable new knowledge on the US higher education enterprise in general and the S-STEM community in particular;
- gather, analyze, and utilize the data and insights resulting from the experiences of those participating in S-STEM projects to share information about what works and what does not under given circumstances, regarding low-income STEM student achievement;
- share and leverage effective practices on a national scale to improve the achievement and success of domestic low-income students pursuing careers in STEM (including veterans, graduate students, and students in rural areas, if appropriate);
- provide intellectual infrastructure for collaborations with potential to expand the knowledge base about support for domestic low-income, high-achieving STEM students;
- develop mechanisms for dissemination of successful practices, the context in which they work and research results; and,
- ensure that the Research Hub’s activities are inclusive of the broad collection of institutions with S-STEM projects in the research focus of interest including, but not limited to, 2-year colleges, PUIs, minority-serving institutions, and/or research-intensive universities, as appropriate.
Award Information
A maximum of $3 million over a period of five years will be awarded to support up to five (5) S-STEM-Hubs for a total investment of $15 million.
See the solicitation for more information.