Community colleges are critical for America to build an inclusive innovation economyand ensure that public investments in emerging technology leadership lead to a renewal of the hollowed-out middle-class.

Recognizing that fact, the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships Directorate launched the Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) grant funding program. The funding was made possible by the CHIPS & Science Act of 2022.

EPIIC is new funding for partnerships that build the capacity of community colleges, minority-serving institutions, and emerging research universities to support technology-based economic development and to gain experience winning and managing NSF grants.

Colleges can win up to $400,000 to partner with research universities, industry, and other R&D-focused organizations. The partnerships should promote career pathways that relate to emerging technology fields.

Since launching in 2022, NSF EPIIC has made ninety-six grant awards. Forty-four awards are cooperative agreements, and fifty-two are standard grant awards. That is noteworthy because cooperative agreements allow NSF to have more direct involvement and closer partnership and collaboration with the recipients. Standard awards provide financial support with less direct involvement from NSF.

With a cooperative agreement award format, NSF provides both funding and strategic insights to support project implementation. That's a value-add for community colleges new to NSF grants.

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