About the event
The U.S. National Science Foundation will hold an informational webinar at 3:00 pm ET on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, about the NSF Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE) and associated NSF-Lemelson Initiative (NSF 24-028) funding opportunities. RFE proposals may be submitted at any time.
About the Program
The NSF Engineering Directorate (ENG) hosts a multi-year initiative on the Professional Formation of Engineers: to create and support an innovative and inclusive engineering profession for the 21st Century. Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) refers to the formal and informal education and value systems by which people become engineers, and includes the ethical responsibility of practicing engineers to sustain and grow the profession.
The NSF Research in Engineering Formation funding opportunity seeks to advance our understanding of professional engineering formation. It welcomes proposals in two categories: Research Projects (which address fundamental questions of professional formation), and Design and Development Projects. These are described more in the Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development (see p. 12 in particular).
In addition, NSF is partnering with The Lemelson Foundation to support the integration of environmental and social sustainability into the education of future engineers, described in Dear Colleague Letter NSF 24-028.
Research or Design & Development projects related to this DCL may focus on addressing societal challenges; developing case studies and sustainability engineering content; exploring engineering identities and beliefs about sustainability; integrating sustainability with engineering design; and other related areas. (Design & Development projects focused solely on undergraduate students relating to non-Lemelson topics should consider submitting to the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program.)
Join the Webinar
NSF program officers from the Directorate for Engineering Division of Engineering Education and Centers will discuss key goals of the funding opportunity, requirements, and some best practices, and they will host a question-and-answer session. Cindy Cooper, a program officer at The Lemelson Foundation, will join them for this webinar. Please review the RFE program description (PD 24-1340) and the NSF-Lemelson Initiative DCL prior to the webinar.
Register for the June 10 RFE webinar
Live captions will be available via Zoom. For other reasonable accommodations, please email eer-programs@nsf.gov in advance. The webinar will be recorded and posted online; people who register for the webinar will receive a link to the webinar recording.