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Grants / National Science Foundation / U.S. National Science Foundation

NSF 24-597: U.S. National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) Program

Closed Closed September 8, 2026 Opportunity NSF 24-597

This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of U.S. National Science Foundation notices from 2024.

U.S. National Science Foundation offered grants of up to $3.0 million (at least $2.0 million) to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make about 20 awards worth $53.0 million in total. Applications closed on September 8, 2026.

From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed September 17, 2025. Checked November 7, 2026.

Key dates

PostedAugust 17, 2024
DeadlineSeptember 8, 2026
Archived by Grants.govOctober 8, 2027

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of sub-awards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus. *Who May Serve as PI: Track 1 and Track 2: The PI must be on the faculty of the submitting institution.

Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program seeks proposals that explore ways for graduate students in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas, through a comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs. Proposals are requested that address any interdisciplinary or convergent research theme of national priority, as described in section II.D below. The NRT program addresses workforce development, emphasizing broad participation, and institutional capacity building needs in graduate education. The program encourages proposals that involve strategic collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science centers, and academic partners. NRT especially welcomes proposals that reflect collaborations between NRT proposals and existing NSF Eddie Bernice Johnson Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) Initiative, Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP), NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM), and NSF STEM Ed Organizational Postdoctoral Fellowship program (STEM Ed OPRF) projects, provided the collaboration will strengthen both projects. Researchers at minority serving institutions and emerging research institutions are strongly encouraged to submit proposals. Collaborations between NRT proposals and existing NSF INCLUDES projects should strengthen both NRT and INCLUDES projects.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Who has won Mathematical and Physical Sciences grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Mathematical and Physical Sciences (47.049) awarded $8.5 billion across 14,898 grant awards, an average of $568,976 per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.Arizona22$725 million
Associated Universities IncVirginia18$646 million
California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia148$316 million
Cornell UniversityNew York179$256 million
Florida State UniversityFlorida92$228 million

Top states: California ($1.2 billion), Arizona ($814 million), Virginia ($777 million), New York ($719 million), Illinois ($475 million).

Who has won STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources) grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources) (47.076) awarded $6.7 billion across 7,210 grant awards, an average of $932,576 per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
The Regents of the University of CaliforniaCalifornia47$137 million
The Leland Stanford Junior UniversityCalifornia16$123 million
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts12$122 million
University of Wisconsin SystemWisconsin64$92.1 million
North Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina79$91.2 million

Top states: California ($896 million), Massachusetts ($453 million), Texas ($450 million), New York ($446 million), Pennsylvania ($284 million).

Who has won Geosciences grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Geosciences (47.050) awarded $5.4 billion across 7,605 grant awards, an average of $710,829 per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
University Corporation for Atmospheric ResearchColorado78$725 million
Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionMassachusetts288$627 million
Texas a & M Research FoundationTexas3$287 million
University of California San DiegoCalifornia170$223 million
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York160$193 million

Top states: Colorado ($905 million), Massachusetts ($785 million), California ($646 million), Texas ($442 million), New York ($304 million).

Other programs behind this notice

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.

Questions people ask

Is NSF 24-597 still open?

No. It closed on September 8, 2026.

Who can apply for U.S. National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) Program?

U.S. National Science Foundation accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

What is the deadline for U.S. National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) Program?

Closed September 8, 2026. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $3.0 million each. About $53.0 million in total across about 20 awards.

Who has won Engineering grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Georgia Tech Research Corp, Purdue University, Regents of the University of Michigan. The program made 11,244 awards worth $4.3 billion in that time.

Similar open grants