September 7, 2023

Dear Colleagues:

This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) seeks to inform the community about cost share requirements for the EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems Research Infrastructure Improvement (E-CORE RII) Program (NSF 23-587) and EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence Research Infrastructure Improvement (E-RISE RII) Program (NSF 23-588). While inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited in initial awards made through these programs, recipients submitting renewal proposals in these programs will be required to meet the mandatory cost sharing requirement specified in the original solicitation. This requirement is supported by the long-term successful impact of the cost share mechanism in the EPSCoR RII Track-1 Program. Additionally, the 2009 NSB report "Investing in the Future: NSF Cost Sharing Policies for a Robust Federal Research Enterprise" provides a recommendation to allow cost sharing for NSF EPSCoR programs to build regional, state, or institutional capacity, and promote sustainability beyond NSF funding (Recommendation 5). NSF’s implementation of the Board’s recommendation is contained in Chapter II.D.2 and Chapter VII.C of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG ).

E-CORE RII (NSF 23-587) and E-RISE RII (NSF 23-588) aim to build jurisdiction-wide research competitiveness and research sustainability beyond NSF EPSCoR funding. These programs consist of an initial funding period of four years followed by either a three-year (E-RISE RII) or four-year (E-CORE RII) renewal award.

NSF acknowledges that a cost share requirement may sometimes be an unintended barrier for new and underrepresented institutions’ participation in the E-CORE RII and E-RISE RII Programs. To mitigate potential barriers for these and other groups’ participation in EPSCoR solicitations, while still leveraging the benefits of a cost share commitment within the jurisdiction, cost share will be required for the renewal award in E-CORE RII and E-RISE RII rather than as an eligibility requirement for submission to NSF 23-587 (E-CORE RII) and NSF 23-588 (E-RISE RII).

Additional specifics regarding the amount of the cost share requirement during the renewal period will be detailed in future guidance on submission of renewal proposals for these programs. In the interim, both E-CORE RII and E-RISE RII proposers are encouraged to begin early preparation for meeting the cost sharing requirements for renewal proposals.

Sincerely,

Sandra Richardson
Section Head, EPSCoR
National Science Foundation

Alicia Knoedler
Office Head, Office of Integrative Activities
National Science Foundation