For Fiscal Year 2023, the U.S. National Science Foundation is developing a new initiative: Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity. GRANTED focuses on addressing systemic barriers within the nation’s research enterprise by improving research support and service capacity at emerging, developing and underserved research institutions.

GRANTED is a whole-of-NSF approach that will transform NSF and the science and engineering community to develop the collective knowledge, skills, talents and desire to serve within the nation’s science and engineering enterprise.

Principal investigators from emerging and developing research institutions — including R2, R3, minorityserving and primarily undergraduate institutions and community colleges — often lack the support to help develop meritorious ideas, contact federal program staff, keep updated on federal funding priorities, and assist in the pragmatics of grant submission and award management. This puts talented PIs at these institutions at a disadvantage and prevents the nation from benefiting from numerous impactful scientific advances and the advancement of STEM talent.

There are many individuals across the nation with specialized skills and knowledge to build grant-writing capacity at emerging research institutions. They are usually not principal investigators on grants. Instead, they are often staff — almost exclusively employed at the nation’s R1 institutions — with the know-how to help investigators develop competitive ideas and ensure that progress is made on funded projects. Empowering these individuals to play a role in building research capacity at emerging and developing research institutions will bridge gaps and broaden participation within existing networks of research service professionals across the nation.