U.S. Department of Education
Funding Status PerformanceFrequently Asked Questions
Overview:Q1-Q3
Eligibility:Q4-Q7
Priorities:Q8
Technical Assistance:Q9
Match Requirements:Q10-Q11
Funding:Q12-Q14
Performance Reporting & Measures:Q15-Q16
Application Logistics:Q17-Q24
The purpose of the RDI program is to provide Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) including Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (ANNH), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTIs), and/or Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), or consortia led by an eligible institution, with funds to implement transformational investments in research infrastructure, including research productivity, faculty expertise, graduate programs, physical infrastructure, human capital development, and partnerships leading to increases in external funding.
2. When is the application due?
September 16, 2024
3. How long is the grant period?
Up to 48 months
4. Who is eligible to apply?
In this competition, eligibility is limited to TCCUs as defined in the notice inviting applications (NIA).
5. Can applicants partner with other non-eligible institutions?
Eligible applicants may apply individually or as lead applicants of a consortium with other eligible applicants, and/or with other partners such as an institution of higher education with an R1 Carnegie Classification, a community college, a non-profit, industry or philanthropy.
6. Are there limitations on the grant awards?
The Department will only make awards to applicants that are not the individual or lead applicant in a current active grant from the RDI grant program.
7. Why aren’t HBCUs and MSIs eligible for this year’s competition?
The Department will make awards from unfunded applications submitted by HBCUs and MSIs from the FY2023 RDI program grant competition with the remaining FY2024 available funds.
8. How will you define transformative research capacity initiatives?
The grant will support institutions that propose to improve their research and development activities, including infrastructure, faculty development, and academic programs.
9. Will there be a pre-application technical assistance webinar?
Individuals who wish to receive the link to this webinar, should complete the pre-registration form at https://forms.office.com/g/jBWEwsn7Fv.
10. Is there a matching requirement for this Program?
Yes, all grantees will need to provide a 1:1 match, which can include in-kind donations.
11. Can the matching requirement be waived?
Yes, institutions seeking to waive the matching requirement must provide the outlined waiver request information within their application. Please refer to the NIA for more details.
12. What can grantees use the funds for?
The program has a wide range of allowable uses which are specified in the NIA. These include (1) Providing for the improvement of infrastructure existing on the date of the grant award, including deferred maintenance, or the establishment of new physical infrastructure, including instructional program spaces, laboratories, and research facilities relating to the fields of science, technology, engineering, the arts, mathematics, health, agriculture, education, medicine, law, and other disciplines, (2) Hiring and retaining faculty, students, research-related staff, or other personnel, including research personnel skilled in operating, using, or applying technology, equipment, or devices to conduct or support research, (3) Supporting research internships and fellowships for students, including undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral positions, which may include providing direct student financial assistance and other supports to such students. Note: Under 20 U.S.C. 1138(d)(1), funds made available under FIPSE may not be used to provide direct financial assistance in the form of grants or scholarships to students who do not meet eligibility criteria under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), (4) Creating new, or expanding existing, academic positions, including internships, fellowships, and post-doctoral positions, in fields of research for which research and development infrastructure funds have been awarded to the grantee under this program, (5) Creating and supporting inter- and intra-institutional research centers (including formal and informal communities of practice) in fields of research for which research and development infrastructure funds have been awarded to the grantee under this program, including hiring staff, purchasing supplies and equipment, and funding travel to relevant conferences and seminars to support the work of such centers, (6) Building new institutional support structures and departments that help faculty learn about, and increase faculty and student access to, Federal research and development grant funds and non-Federal academic research grants, (7) Building data and collaboration infrastructure so that early findings and research can be securely shared to facilitate peer review and other appropriate collaboration, (8) Providing programs of study and courses in fields of research for which research and development infrastructure funds have been awarded to the grantee under this program, (9) Paying operating and administrative expenses for, and coordinating project partnerships with members of, the consortium on behalf of which the eligible institution has received a grant under this program, provided that grantees may not pay for the expenses of any R1 institutions that are members of the consortia, (10) Installing or extending the life and usability of basic systems and components of campus facilities related to research, including high-speed broadband internet infrastructure sufficient to support digital and technology-based learning, (11) Expanding, remodeling, renovating, or altering biomedical and behavioral research facilities existing on the date of the grant award that received support under section 404I of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 283k), (12) Acquiring and installing furniture, fixtures, and instructional research-related equipment and technology for academic instruction in campus facilities in fields of research for which research and development infrastructure funds have been awarded to the grantee under this program, (13) Providing increased funding to programs that support research and development at the eligible institution that are funded by the National Institutes of Health, including through their Path to Excellence and Innovation program, (14) Faculty professional development, and (15) Planning purposes.
13. Are there any requirements for the materials grantees use for infrastructure projects?
This program is subject to the Build America, Buy America Act domestic sourcing requirements. See NIA for more details.
14. When will applicants be notified of whether they will be awarded a grant?
Before December 31, 2024.
15. What are the performance measures for this program?
TCCUs awarded in this competition will have the following program-level performance measures: (1) the annual research and development expenditures in (i) science and engineering and (ii) non-science and engineering and (2) annual faculty development expenditures.
16. What are the reporting requirements for this program?
Grantees will be required to submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information. At the end of the four-year project period, grantees must submit a final performance report including financial information.
17. How long should the abstract be?
Typically abstracts are one (1) page.
18. Is the absolute priority included as part of the recommended page limit of 50 pages?
19. Does everything have to be double-spaced and 12-point font?
No, only the project narrative and responses to the chosen absolute priority and CPP, if addressed, must be double-spaced and 12-point font. The abstract, charts, tables, logic model, and other attachments may be single-spaced and 12-point font. Citations, footnotes, and references do not have to be double-spaced or 12-point font.
20. Is it acceptable to use the landscape orientation for the tables that address the design, management plan, and logic model?
Yes. Applications will not be ineligible due to formatting issues.
21. Are references included in the 30-page limit?
No, references should be in a separate attachment as stated in the application booklet.
22. Are letters of support required?
They are not required but if you consider them important to your proposed grant, you can add them under “Other” attachments.
23. Is there an expectation for the percentage of time expended by the Project Director? Generally, it is at least 5%, but this solicitation does not seem to have a requirement.
We do not determine the time and effort of directors. You should set the percentage based on what you deem appropriate and explain why.
24. If seeking to hire a graduate student as part of the project team, can a portion of their tuition be supported through the grant? If so, where in the budget form ED 524 would it be comprehended?
Yes, graduate student tuition assistance is permissible for students who are eligible to receive Title IV funding. If using grant funds for graduate tuition assistance, the category of “Other” should be used.