IUSE Mentored Grant Writing Program

As part of the Transformative Education 2.0 Purdue Move, and with generous financial support from the Lilly Endowment, the Office of the Provost/Innovation Hub (the Hub) and the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research (OEVPR) invite applications for a mentored proposal-writing experience target the NSF IUSE program (National Science Foundation – Improving Undergraduate STEM Education). The Hub is an engine and incubator for innovation in teaching and learning, supporting the Provost’s goal of making Purdue the most innovative residential learning program in the US among large research universities. The OEVPR supports the research enterprise and works to enhance Purdue’s success in attracting federal funding. Together, the Hub and the OEVPR see an opportunity to support teaching and learning innovation at Purdue by promoting large-scale proposals for NSF funding, particularly in the IUSE program.

The NSF IUSE program supports advances in undergraduate STEM education via grants on two tracks (Engaged Student Learning/ESL, and Institutional and Community Transformation/ICT) at three levels (Level 1: up to $300k; Level 2: up to $600k; Level 3: up to $3M). NSF anticipates funding 35 Level 2 and Level 3 projects from the overall IUSE budget ($63M) each year. This mentored writing program will not support proposers applying to the capacity-building, conference, or Level 1 avenues of the IUSE program.

Important Information

All faculty and staff on the West Lafayette campus who are eligible to serve as PI on a federal award can apply to this program.
This program focuses on Level 2 and Level 3 IUSE proposals.
Mentored Grant Writing Program proposal due date: March 10, 5 pm (EST)

Program Description

Program priorities and goals. Participants with proposal ideas in any area supported by the IUSE program are welcome, and for this mentored writing program there is no preference for any specific discipline or idea. The goal of this program is to support Purdue researchers seeking higher-level funding for their work in undergraduate STEM education. Participants must be well positioned to propose a larger-scale research project to the IUSE program (at Level 2 or 3), per the eligibility requirements listed above.

Program parameters and expectations. The cohort will include up to 6 PIs who are ready to submit an IUSE proposal at Level 2 or Level 3. This cohort-based program targets the July 19, 2023 deadline for IUSE Level 2 and Level 3 proposals. The cohort will meet in-person as a group every 3 weeks starting the week of March 27, 2023. The goal of the cohort meetings is to promote disciplined ideation and project definition, writing accountability, and improved likelihood of funding. The draft cohort schedule is shown in the table below. Cohort members are expected to keep up with the writing schedule and expectations, and peer review of proposal sections will play a central role in the experience. Note: the entire proposing team of PI and co-PIs is welcome to attend the cohort meetings.