Ethical and Responsible Research | 24 604

NSF Ethical and Responsible Research (ER2) Program (Opportunity 24-604) FAQs

1. What is the NSF Ethical and Responsible Research (ER2) program?

The Ethical and Responsible Research (ER2) program is an NSF discretionary grant opportunity that funds projects aimed at strengthening what responsible and ethical research looks like in practice across STEM fields. ER2 focuses on improving research integrity and ethical decision-making not only at the individual level, but also across teams, organizations, and broader research communities.

2. What types of projects does ER2 fund?

ER2 funds projects that examine, develop, improve, and share research practices that promote integrity and ethical decision-making. Projects may address organizational and cultural factors that shape day-to-day research conduct, such as policies, incentives, norms, training structures, mentoring systems, supervision practices, and accountability mechanisms.

3. Does ER2 prioritize interventions or descriptive research?

ER2 places major emphasis on intervention-oriented work that produces actionable improvements. While projects may diagnose and document challenges that undermine ethical research, competitive projects are expected to test, pilot, implement, and/or assess strategies and interventions designed to prevent or reduce ethical risks.

4. What research environments or levels can ER2 projects focus on?

The program supports work at multiple levels, including within a lab group, across multi-lab teams, within an institution, across a professional community, or at the boundary between researchers and the public. ER2 encourages projects that consider how ethical practices develop, where they break down, and what helps them hold up under real-world pressures.

5. Can ER2 projects focus on multiple career stages?

Yes. ER2 supports projects that look across one or multiple career stages, including students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and practitioners.

6. What kinds of ethical or responsible research challenges are in scope?

The scope includes challenges that undermine ethical research, such as misaligned incentives, poor supervision, excessive competition, unclear authorship norms, weak accountability mechanisms, and communication failures. ER2 supports work that documents these issues and evaluates approaches to address them.

7. How does ER2 relate to inclusion, equity, and respect in research environments?

ER2 is framed around the idea that responsible research is closely tied to creating research environments that are inclusive, equitable, and respectful. Projects may focus on how organizational factors, policies, norms, and training/mentoring systems support or hinder these goals in practical research settings.

8. Are multidisciplinary collaborations and cross-sector partnerships encouraged?

Yes. ER2 explicitly supports interventions suited to multidisciplinary collaborations, inter-organizational partnerships, cross-sector or translational work, and other settings where responsible practice must be sustained across different roles, disciplines, or institutions.

9. Are international collaborations allowed or encouraged under ER2?

International collaborations are explicitly encouraged when unique expertise, resources, facilities, or locations outside the United States strengthen the project. Proposers are expected to follow NSF guidance in the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

10. What if project funding would go to an international branch campus of a US institution?

If a proposal routes funding to an international branch campus of a US institution (including via subawards or consultants), the proposal must clearly explain why activities need to occur at that branch campus and why the work cannot be done at the US-based campus.

11. Who is eligible to submit a proposal to ER2?

Eligibility is limited to two categories: (1) US-based non-profit, non-academic organizations directly tied to education or research activities (such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies); and (2) accredited US institutions of higher education, including two-year and four-year colleges (including community colleges), submitting on behalf of their faculty.

12. Are for-profit organizations eligible to apply directly?

The provided opportunity information limits eligibility to US-based non-profit, non-academic organizations tied to education or research, and to accredited US institutions of higher education. For-profit organizations are not listed among the eligible applicant categories in the provided details.

13. Does ER2 encourage proposals from certain institution types or jurisdictions?

Yes. The program signals a strong interest in broadening participation and institutional diversity in research on ethics and research culture. Proposals that come from, or include substantial collaboration with, organizations in EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions, minority-serving institutions, womens colleges, or organizations that primarily serve persons with disabilities are encouraged.

14. What kind of expertise does NSF expect from the project team?

Project leadership is expected to be genuinely interdisciplinary. NSF is looking for teams that blend STEM subject-matter expertise (relevant to the research environments being studied) with expertise in ethics, values, evaluation, or pedagogy. The intent is to ensure teams can credibly design and assess educational, cultural, or organizational change.

15. What is a Partnership for Transformational Research Project, and what leadership does NSF recommend?

For proposals submitted as Partnership for Transformational Research Projects, NSF strongly recommends that at least one senior administrator from each partner organization be part of the project leadership. This reflects the program emphasis on institutional commitment and decision-making authority for large-scale or durable change.

16. What is the opportunity number and official funding opportunity title?

The funding opportunity title is Ethical and Responsible Research, and the opportunity number is 24-604.

17. Which agency sponsors ER2?

The sponsoring agency is the National Science Foundation (NSF).

18. What is the funding mechanism and broad category for this opportunity?

The mechanism is a grant, and it falls under the broad category of science and technology research and development.

19. What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity lists multiple CFDA numbers: 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083, 47.084.

20. What is the application deadline for ER2?

The original closing date provided is January 23, 2025.

21. How many awards does NSF expect to make under ER2?

NSF anticipates making about 15 awards.

22. What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling) for ER2?

The award ceiling is not specified in the provided information. Applicants would need to consult the full solicitation and NSF budget guidance to understand typical award sizes and any constraints.

23. What is the core purpose ER2 is trying to achieve at institutions?

At its core, ER2 aims to help institutions build cultures that consistently support, value, and reward responsible and ethical research behaviors. This includes strengthening the practical conditions and systems that influence everyday research decisions and conduct.

24. Can ER2 projects focus on the boundary between researchers and the public?

Yes. ER2 indicates that projects can operate at the boundary between researchers and the public, as part of the broader scope of research communities and how responsible practices are maintained across that boundary.