Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology

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The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program makes resources available to enhance the research capabilities of minority-serving institutions through the establishment of centers that effectively integrate education and research. CREST promotes the development of new knowledge, enhancements of the research productivity of individual faculty, and an expanded presence of students historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. HBCU-RISE awards specifically target HBCUs to support the expansion of institutional research capacity as well as an increase in the production of doctoral students, especially those from groups underrepresented in STEM, at those institutions. The CREST/HBCU-RISE Program intends to support the following types of projects:CREST Center awards provide multi-year support (typically 5-year, $5M) for eligible minority-serving institutions (MSI) that demonstrate a strong research and education base, a compelling vision for research infrastructure improvement, and a comprehensive plan with the necessary elements to achieve and sustain national competitiveness in a clearly defined and focused area of science or engineering research. These Centers will demonstrate a clear vision and synergy with the broad goals of the CREST Program and the Human Resource Division with respect to development of a diverse, advanced STEM workforce. CREST Centers are expected to provide leadership in the involvement of groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM at all levels (faculty, students, and postdoctoral researchers) within the Center. Centers use either proven or innovative mechanisms to address issues such as recruitment, retention and mentorship of participants from underrepresented groups. CREST Partnership Supplements support the establishment or strengthening of partnerships and collaborations between existing CREST centers and nationally or internationally recognized research centers in areas of mutual research interest and high priority for the CREST institution. HBCU Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering (RISE) awards support the development of research capability at Historically Black Colleges and Universities that offer doctoral degrees in science and engineering disciplines. Supported projects must have a unifying research focus in one of the research areas supported by NSF, a direct connection to the long-term plans of the host department(s) and the institutional mission, and plans for expanding institutional research capacity as well as increasing the production of doctoral students, especially those underrepresented in STEM. CREST Broadening Participation Research awards (new track) will be investigator-initiated empirical research projects that seek to advance the understanding of how enhanced research capacity at MSIs affects the differential participation and success of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty from groups underrepresented in STEM. The relationship of these issues to the development of research capacity and to the conduct of a nationally competitive scholarly research enterprise will be at the core of these projects.SBIR/STTR Phase IIa Diversity Collaboration Supplements provide an opportunity for existing SBIR/STTR Phase IIa projects to initiate collaborations with minority-serving institutions that have existing CREST and HBCU-RISE awards. These supplemental proposals are administered by and co-funded with the NSF Directorate for Engineering, in the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (ENG/IIP).

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