Early Career Investigator Workshop

Proposal Instructions

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the NSF CREST/HBCU-RISE/PRP 2026 Workshop for Early Career Investigators. For this workshop, we ask you to submit a white paper consisting of a typical NSF-Style one-page summary along with a second page that contains a budget and budget justification. Your white paper will be reviewed by a selected panel with expertise in your research area, and an in-person workshop with an option to join virtually will be held to provide you with feedback and recommendations. The workshop will be part of the 2026 NSF CREST PI Meeting to be held in Washington, DC, and has been scheduled for Friday August 28, 2026, from 9:50 am to noon.

Investigators are asked to submit a proposal related to any NSF Program that they intend to submit in the near future. Proposed work is expected to provide transformative advances in fundamental chemistry, mathematics, physics, astronomy, materials research, engineering, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other related areas, enable exploration of novel and unique science and/or help solve important national challenges.

In the Intellectual Merit section, proposals need to include strong motivation, description of the current state of the field, comprehensive plan for growing and advancing the technology and application field, specific hypothesis to be tested, and description of methods and models used to analyze data when applicable.

In the Broader Impacts section, please describe the transformative nature and impact of proposed research on the discipline and society, integration of research and education, technology transfer, workforce development, and planned outreach efforts.

Project Description should include a research plan with expected results, dissemination methods, and a summary of project costs. The budget and budget justification (second page) should detail the project costs and provide a justification for each of the items included in the budget.

To assist you with your submission, an example white paper is provided for you to follow, and for budget preparation, please visit: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/proposal-budget

Please use Times New Roman 11 points, 1-line spacing, normal (1 inch) margins, Letter format.

Please format the proposal content as follows (see example provided):

NSF Directorate/Division and Opportunity Number
Title, PI, Institution, email
Summary
Intellectual Merit
Broader Impacts
Project Description

Total word count for the NSF-Style one-page summary must not exceed 600 words. Failure to follow all instructions as outlined in this document will result in the return of your white paper without a review. Reach out with any questions you may have.

Please submit your proposal as ONE PDF file attachment (2-page PDF) to mecis@utrgv.edu