Research Coordination Networks in Undergraduate Biology Education | 18 510

Opportunity Information: Apply for 18 510

The National Science Foundation (NSF) opportunity titled Research Coordination Networks in Undergraduate Biology Education (RCN-UBE) is a discretionary grant program designed to strengthen undergraduate biology education by building new, theme-driven networks of collaborators. The central idea is that meaningful change in a field often happens faster and spreads farther when investigators and educators coordinate their efforts across institutions, disciplines, regions, and even countries. Rather than funding individual projects in isolation, RCN-UBE supports the organized communication, planning, and shared work that helps a community move together toward improved teaching and learning in biology.

RCN-UBE sits within NSF's broader Research Coordination Networks (RCN) program, whose overarching goal is to advance a field or open new directions in research or education through coordination and collaboration. RCN-UBE began as a distinct track to catalyze positive changes in undergraduate biology education and is jointly supported by NSF's Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR). It aligns with national calls to transform undergraduate biology, particularly the priorities described in the Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education movement, which emphasizes modernizing curriculum, improving student learning outcomes, and adopting evidence-based teaching practices.

Projects proposed to RCN-UBE must be organized around a clear theme that gives the network coherence and purpose. The topic can be any area likely to advance undergraduate biology education, as long as the proposal uses the network model to generate broader impact. Past and expected outcomes of these networks include developing and sharing education research resources and instructional modules, creating new collaborations among educators and researchers, and distributing best practices that can scale beyond a small set of institutions and remain sustainable over time. These networks typically involve a broad mix of participants such as faculty, students, education researchers, and other stakeholders who influence biology education.

A key feature of the program is its emphasis on building new collaborations and exploring innovative ways to connect people and institutions. RCN-UBE encourages interdisciplinary approaches, international partnerships, experimentation with novel networking strategies, the use of collaborative technologies, and work toward community standards that help the field coordinate more effectively. At the same time, the program draws firm boundaries around what it will not fund: it does not support primary research as the main activity, and it does not provide funds simply to continue or maintain networks that already exist or to subsidize ongoing activities of established collaborations. The core value is in catalyzing new coordination that would not happen without the award.

Because the program focuses on undergraduate biology education, it is intentionally aligned with NSF's Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) initiative. Applicants are encouraged to consider whether their idea is better suited to IUSE or to RCN-UBE depending on scope and intent. In practical terms, RCN-UBE is the better fit when the main objective is to create or strengthen a collaborative network that coordinates educators and investigators around shared goals, while IUSE may be more appropriate when the project centers on implementing and studying specific educational interventions or reforms.

The opportunity information associated with this solicitation identifies NSF as the sponsoring agency, with activity categorized under science and technology research and development and CFDA listings 47.074 and 47.076. The original solicitation referenced an expected number of awards (12) and an application deadline of January 30, 2018, reflecting the specific cycle described in the source text. The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the provided record, which typically indicates that applicants must consult the full solicitation for budget constraints and appropriate award sizes rather than relying on a fixed cap in the summary record. Eligibility is described broadly and refers applicants to additional eligibility details in the full announcement.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Coordination Networks in Undergraduate Biology Education" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.074, 47.076.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 01, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 30, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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