The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) issued a new Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) encouraging Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to submit proposals for new Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST Center) addressing the social, political, cultural or cognitive dimensions of “advancing emerging technologies.”
CREST projects are five-year research awards that increase research capacity and infrastructure at MSIs.
Research areas
Research areas may include, but are not limited to:
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Artificial intelligence (AI)
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Large language models (LLM)
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Machine learning
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Smart and connected devices
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Virtual and augmented reality
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Cybersecurity
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Assistive and adaptive technology
Dear Colleague Letter
This DCL responds to White House initiatives to position the nation at the cutting edge of global science and engineering leadership by harnessing cross-cutting, interdisciplinary research at MSIs.
The Directorate for STEM Education’s Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM (EDU/EES) and the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) collaborated on this DCL.
Proposal instructions
Preliminary proposals are required and should follow CREST Centers program solicitation requirements (NSF 23-595). Prospective Principal Investigators (PIs) are strongly encouraged to discuss their project ideas with program directors before submitting preliminary proposals.
Preliminary proposals will be managed by a cross-disciplinary team of NSF program directors from EDU/EES and SBE.
Consult the full DCL.
