Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grants in Engineering (BRIGE)
Foundation seeks proposals that are innovative and transformative in terms of engineering research and promoting diversity in the fieldsof engineering. While both the Intellectual Merit and the Broader Impacts of the research proposal will be important in the review ofthe proposal, of equal importance will be the Broadening Participation Plan presented by the PI.
National Science Foundation (NSF) Opportunity:
The Directorate for Engineering (ENG) promotes diversity in all aspects of its programs in ENG. The BRIGE program is intended tobe a vehicle to promote the participation of engineers from all segments of the engineering community, especially from under-represented groups. These BRIGE grants provide an opportunity to support engineering researchers who share NSF's commitmentto diversity early in their careers in the following ways:
Fund engineering research projects that use innovative ways to attract and retain members of underrepresented groups tocareers in engineering.
Increase the number of engineering researchers at minority serving institutions actively and competitively engaged inresearch as independent investigators, thereby creating new research opportunities for students from underrepresentedgroups.
BRIGE seeks proposals that are innovative and transformative in terms of engineering research and promoting diversity in the fieldsof engineering. While both the Intellectual Merit and the Broader Impacts of the research proposal will be important in the review ofthe proposal, of equal importance will be the Broadening Participation Plan presented by the PI.
PIs will be expected to present a Broadening Participation Plan that describes activities that will broaden the participation ofindividuals from underrepresented groups in the engineering disciplines supported by ENG. Additionally, the BRIGE proposal shoulddemonstrate the potential of the research initiation activities to produce sufficient preliminary results to serve as the basis for a futurecompetitive research proposal to ENG.
The BRIGE awards are for beginning investigators (see full proposal Additional Eligibility Information in proposal) to undertake research activities, suchas exploratory investigations, acquisition of preliminary data, or development of collaborations. It is ENG's intent that these activitieswill lead beginning investigators to formulate future competitive grant applications. Investigators are encouraged to develop futurelong-term research goals. Research proposed in this program must be within the scope of areas supported within the Directorate forEngineering.
The Broadening Participation Plans developed for BRIGE proposals should describe activities that will broaden the participation ofindividuals from underrepresented groups in the engineering disciplines supported by ENG. These activities should involveengineering research projects that use innovative ways to attract and retain members of underrepresented groups to careers inengineering. Additionally, the PIs will be expected to serve as role models and mentors for members of underrepresented groupsthat will make up the new generation of engineers.
The purpose of the BRIGE program is to broaden the participation of and increase opportunities for all engineers, including thosefrom underrepresented groups in the engineering disciplines, and to encourage individuals to become actively and competitively
independent investigators. A specific goal of this BRIGE program is to make ENG programs more inclusive in the future. Thus, one measure of success of thisprogram will be the number of future proposals received by ENG from awardees of BRIGE grants and from members ofunderrepresented groups influenced or mentored by BRIGE awardees.
