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FIRST Awards is sponsored by Nebraska EPSCoR (funded by National Science Foundation infrastructure grants). This competitive grant program provides assistance to early-career, tenure-track faculty at Nebraska colleges and universities without Carnegie R1 status to initiate their research programs and compete more effectively for NSF CAREER grants. Any project that could be supported by an NSF competitive research grant is eligible.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Early-career, tenure-track faculty (assistant professor in the first four years of their current academic appointment) at Nebraska colleges and universities without Carnegie R1 status are eligible. Faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) are not eligible. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows up to $40,000 (requires 25% institutional match for a total of up to $50,000). Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
FIRST Awards is funded by Nebraska EPSCoR (funded by National Science Foundation infrastructure grants). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
This opportunity targets applicants in Nebraska. If your organization operates elsewhere, check the official notice for location requirements.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
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NSF's E-CORE program funds up to 15 awards of up to $10 million over four years to help EPSCoR jurisdictions build the infrastructure cores — administration, cyberinfrastructure, workforce pipelines — that make research competitive. It's an institution-level award, not a lab grant, and the July 21, 2026 deadline rewards a fundamentally different proposal than most NSF competitions. Here's how it works.
Read articleNSF EPSCoR E-CORE funds jurisdiction-wide research ecosystems in 28 EPSCoR-eligible states and territories with awards up to $10M over four years. The July 21, 2026 deadline funds up to 15 new hubs from a $37.5M pool. Here's who qualifies, what a research ecosystem actually means, and how to compete.
Read articleNSF 25-523 (E-CORE) puts up to $10 million over four years behind jurisdiction-wide research infrastructure cores — research administration, cyberinfrastructure, STEM pathways, broadening participation — in EPSCoR-eligible states and territories. Here is how E-CORE differs from E-RISE, who can lead a proposal, and how a jurisdiction should think about the July 21 deadline.
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