Research Experiences for Undergraduates | 22 601

Opportunity Information: Apply for 22 601

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is a grant opportunity designed to expand hands-on research opportunities for undergraduate students across the full range of fields that NSF supports. The central idea is straightforward: undergraduates should not just learn about research in the classroom, but actively participate in real research as contributing members of a project team. REU activities are expected to place students into meaningful roles, either by embedding them in existing, ongoing NSF-funded research efforts or by creating research projects that are specifically structured for undergraduate participation. In practice, this often includes mentored research, professional development, training in research methods and ethics, and opportunities for students to communicate results through presentations, papers, or poster sessions.

This opportunity provides support through two main funding mechanisms. The first is an REU Site, which is funded through an independent proposal whose purpose is to run a coordinated research experience for a group of undergraduates. REU Sites typically bring together multiple students for a defined program period (often in the summer, though academic-year models can also exist), and they are organized around a coherent research theme. A Site can be housed in a single department or discipline, or it can be interdisciplinary and involve multiple departments, labs, or research centers. NSF also notes that proposals with an international dimension are welcome, meaning a Site may incorporate international collaboration, comparative work, or a structured global component when appropriate and feasible under NSF rules.

The second mechanism is an REU Supplement. Supplements are add-on funds requested by investigators who already have an NSF award (or who are submitting a new or renewal NSF proposal) and want to support one or more undergraduates to participate in that specific NSF-funded research project. Instead of running a stand-alone program like a Site, a Supplement usually places students directly into a research group working under an existing grant or cooperative agreement. This route is commonly used when a principal investigator wants to expand undergraduate involvement in a specific line of work without building the broader structure required for a full Site.

A key eligibility point is that undergraduate participants supported through either REU Sites or REU Supplements must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States. Another important feature is that students do not apply to NSF directly to participate. For REU Sites, students apply to the universities or organizations operating the Sites, following each Site's recruitment and selection process. For REU Supplements, students are typically recruited and selected by the NSF-funded investigator or research group receiving the supplement. Students looking for opportunities are directed to NSF's online directory of active REU Sites, which helps applicants find programs by topic, location, and institution: https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reusearch.cfm.

From the funding opportunity record, the program is a discretionary NSF grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 22-601) within the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category, and it is associated with multiple CFDA listings (47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083, 47.084), reflecting NSF's broad disciplinary reach. The opportunity record lists an award ceiling of $500,000 and an expected number of awards of 1,850, which signals a large, widely distributed program footprint across many institutions and research areas. The opportunity was created on June 8, 2022, with an original closing date of September 6, 2022, and it is administered by the National Science Foundation. Eligibility for applicants is listed generally as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which is typical for NSF programs where universities and other qualified organizations submit proposals, while student eligibility is handled through the participation rules described above.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Experiences for Undergraduates" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083, 47.084.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 08, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 06, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1,850 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 22 601

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: