U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), Scholarship and Fellowship Education Grant, Faculty Development Grant, and Trade School and Community College Scholarship Grant, Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 | NRC HQ 84 16 FOA 0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for NRC HQ 84 16 FOA 0001

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Fiscal Year 2016 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) (Funding Opportunity Number NRC HQ 84 16 FOA 0001; CFDA 77.008) is a discretionary grant program focused on strengthening the U.S. nuclear workforce pipeline. The overall purpose is to build and sustain the talent needed to design, construct, operate, and regulate nuclear facilities, as well as to ensure the safe handling of nuclear materials. Across all tracks, the FOA emphasizes support for nuclear science, nuclear engineering, nuclear technology, and closely related disciplines, with the expectation that the benefits extend broadly across the nuclear sector rather than serving a narrow or purely local interest.

A major component of the FOA is support for scholarships. These scholarship funds are intended to help students pursue academic training in nuclear-related fields, reducing financial barriers and encouraging more students to enter and complete programs that feed into nuclear industry, national laboratory, and regulatory careers. The idea is straightforward: by expanding access to education in key disciplines, the NRC helps grow the number of qualified graduates prepared for real-world roles tied to nuclear safety, operations, and oversight.

The FOA also includes fellowships, which similarly aim to develop highly trained individuals in nuclear science, engineering, technology, and related areas. Fellowships typically align with more advanced study and professional preparation, helping recipients deepen expertise that can translate into specialized work supporting nuclear facility design and construction, plant operations, safety analysis, and nuclear materials management. Like the scholarship component, the fellowship track is framed as workforce development that supports the nuclear field broadly.

Another core track is faculty development, which targets the instructional and research capacity of academic institutions. This portion is designed to attract and retain highly qualified educators and early-career academics in nuclear-related departments, with a specific focus on probationary tenure-track faculty in their first six years and new faculty hires. Priority areas called out include Nuclear Engineering, Health Physics, Radiochemistry, Probabilistic Risk Assessment (Levels 2 and 3), Seismology, and related disciplines. The FOA indicates that awards may help newer faculty strengthen their trajectory as professors and researchers, including support to develop new research proposals or continue research programs in their area of expertise. The intent is to reinforce the university infrastructure that trains students and produces knowledge that ultimately improves nuclear safety, performance, and regulation.

In addition to university-centered support, the FOA explicitly includes trade school and community college scholarships. This recognizes that the nuclear workforce is not limited to advanced degree pathways; it also depends on technicians and skilled professionals trained through two-year programs and trade-focused education. By supporting scholarships at these institutions, the NRC aims to expand the pipeline for hands-on operational, technical, and compliance-related roles that are essential to safe nuclear facility work and responsible handling of nuclear materials.

Eligibility is broad across higher education types. While the source data lists public and state-controlled institutions of higher education as eligible applicants, the FOA description also references private institutions of higher education and a wide range of Minority Serving Institutions, including Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions. This framing signals an interest in reaching diverse institutions and, by extension, widening participation in nuclear-related careers.

On funding parameters, the opportunity is offered as a grant with an award ceiling of $450,000. The NRC anticipated making around 50 awards under this announcement. The original closing date for applications was February 1, 2016, and the FOA record indicates a creation date of December 1, 2015. Overall, the program is structured as a workforce and capacity-building investment: funding students through scholarships and fellowships, strengthening early-career faculty and academic programs, and supporting technical education pathways through trade schools and community colleges, all tied to the NRC mission areas of nuclear safety and effective regulation.

• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), Scholarship and Fellowship Education Grant, Faculty Development Grant, and Trade School and Community College Scholarship Grant, Fiscal Year (FY) 2016" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 77.008.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-12-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-02-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $450,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 50 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

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