National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) Program | 19 522

Opportunity Information: Apply for 19 522

The National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is a competitive NSF grant opportunity focused on reshaping how STEM graduate students are trained. Rather than simply funding research projects, NRT supports the design and implementation of new, potentially transformative training models for graduate education. The core idea is to help universities and their partners build modern traineeship programs that better prepare research-based masters and doctoral students for the realities of today s research environment and the full range of STEM careers, including roles in academia, industry, government, national labs, non-profits, and other sectors.

A central expectation of NRT is that proposals go beyond traditional single-discipline graduate training. The program is aimed at interdisciplinary or convergent research themes that are considered high priority at the national level. In practice, that means traineeships should be built around research and training experiences that cross departmental or disciplinary boundaries and intentionally develop skills that are transferable across multiple career paths. The program emphasizes a comprehensive traineeship model, meaning it is not only about coursework or only about lab work, but about a structured, evidence-based training ecosystem. This can include elements like cohort-based professional development, mentorship structures, experiential learning, and curricula designed around competencies such as communication, teamwork, data skills, ethical conduct of research, entrepreneurship, leadership, and career preparation.

NSF requests proposals in any interdisciplinary or convergent area of national priority, with special emphasis on themes aligned with NSF s Big Ideas. The opportunity description highlights several Big Ideas research areas as especially relevant anchors for traineeships, including Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR), The Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (FW-HTF), Navigating the New Arctic (NNA), Windows on the Universe: The Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (WoU), The Quantum Leap: Leading the Next Quantum Revolution (QL), and Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype (URoL). While proposals are not strictly limited to these areas, aligning a traineeship theme with them can help demonstrate national relevance and a clear connection to NSF priorities, particularly when the project makes a strong case for workforce demand and emerging research needs.

Workforce development is a defining feature of the NRT program. Proposals are expected to show how the training model responds to changing workforce conditions and evolving research practices, and how it will equip students with practical competencies that employers and research organizations value. NRT also emphasizes broad participation and institutional capacity building, meaning that proposals should pay serious attention to expanding access and opportunity in graduate education and strengthening the institution s ability to deliver high-quality interdisciplinary training over time. In this context, broad participation is not treated as an add-on; it is part of the program s intent to develop STEM talent from all sectors and groups in society.

Collaboration is strongly encouraged, especially partnerships that make the traineeship more connected to real-world settings and career pathways. The solicitation explicitly encourages strategic collaborations with private sector organizations, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science centers, and academic partners. These partnerships can support internships, co-mentoring arrangements, practitioner-informed curriculum, site-based training experiences, and exposure to diverse professional environments. NRT also especially welcomes proposals that align with or complement NSF INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science). Collaborations with existing NSF INCLUDES projects are encouraged as long as the partnership genuinely strengthens both efforts, which typically means clear shared goals, complementary activities, and a realistic coordination plan.

From the funding record provided, this opportunity is administered by the National Science Foundation as a discretionary grant program under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category. The funding opportunity number is 19-522, with a creation date of November 7, 2018, and an original closing date of February 6, 2019. The listing indicates an expectation of about 15 awards. The award ceiling is shown as 0 in the source data, which usually means the ceiling is not specified in that particular summary record and applicants would need to refer to the full solicitation for budget limits, project duration details, and any caps tied to tracks or institution types. Eligibility is listed as Others with additional clarification referenced in the full eligibility text, which typically implies that eligibility depends on specific institutional or organizational criteria described in the solicitation itself.

Overall, NRT is best understood as a grant for building or significantly rethinking graduate training systems around an interdisciplinary research theme, with an emphasis on measurable training outcomes, workforce-relevant skill development, inclusive participation, and partnerships that connect graduate education to a broader innovation and employment ecosystem.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) Program" 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.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 07, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 06, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 19 522

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