Regional Resilience Innovation Incubator | 24 595

Opportunity Information: Apply for 24 595

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional Resilience Innovation Incubators (R2I2) program is a cross-directorate funding opportunity led by the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) and the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP). Its central goal is to help communities and researchers work together in team-based, community-engaged projects that turn recent advances in climate change and Earth system science into practical, high-impact solutions to climate-related challenges. The emphasis is on co-designing solutions with the people and institutions who will actually use them, so that outcomes are grounded in local knowledge, real decision needs, and realistic pathways to deployment rather than staying at the purely research or planning stage.

R2I2 is structured as a two-phase effort. Phase 1, which is the focus of this solicitation, funds pilot projects specifically for concept creation and refinement. In other words, Phase 1 is meant to incubate and sharpen solution concepts: building the partnership, defining the regional climate problem in a concrete way, translating science into usable decision support or technology directions, and demonstrating early feasibility so the idea is ready for real-world implementation. NSF expects to run a separate Phase 2 solicitation in fiscal year 2026 (contingent on funding). A key point is that only Phase 1 awardees will be eligible to apply for Phase 2, and Phase 2 selections will depend both on the merit review of the Phase 2 proposal and on how well the team performed during Phase 1.

Regionally, projects are expected to focus on climate challenges tied to one or more of the ten U.S. climate regions identified in the Fifth National Climate Assessment: Northeast, Southeast, U.S. Caribbean, Midwest, Northern Great Plains, Southern Great Plains, Northwest, Southwest, Alaska, and Hawaii and U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. NSF notes that it will consider geographic diversity when building its award portfolio, but that does not guarantee a set number of awards per region; it may fund multiple projects in one region and none in another depending on proposal quality and fit. Projects may also propose solutions that apply across more than one of these regions if the rationale is strong.

In addition to funding multiple regional incubator pilot projects, the solicitation includes support for a separate award to create a R2I2 National Office (RNO). The purpose of this national office is to support coordination and collective implementation across the overall R2I2 set of awards, helping align activities, share lessons learned, and strengthen the program as a coherent network rather than a collection of isolated projects.

Eligibility is broad across sectors, reflecting the program's focus on applied, community-linked solutions. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based for-profit organizations (including small businesses) with strong research or education capabilities and an innovation focus; non-profit, non-academic organizations such as museums, observatories, independent research labs, and professional societies; state and local governments; U.S.-accredited two-year and four-year institutions of higher education (including community colleges); federally recognized Tribal Nations; and NSF-sponsored Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), provided they do not charge costs already covered by other federal funds. If a proposal routes funds to an international branch campus of a U.S. institution (including via subawards or consultants), the proposal must clearly explain why that work must be performed at the branch campus and what specific benefits it brings compared to doing the work at the U.S. campus.

The Principal Investigator (PI) and any co-PIs must be appointed at an eligible submitting organization. Looking ahead to Phase 2, at least one PI or co-PI from the Phase 1 award must be included as a PI or co-PI on the related Phase 2 proposal. The Phase 1 PI does not have to remain the PI for Phase 2, but any changes in PI/co-PI roles should be clearly justified in the Phase 2 submission.

From the funding notice details provided, this is an NSF discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 24-595) in the science, technology, and research and development category, associated with CFDA numbers 47.050 and 47.084. The opportunity was created on 2024-08-09 and has an original closing date of 2025-01-16. The listed award ceiling is $2,000,000.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Regional Resilience Innovation Incubator" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.050, 47.084.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-08-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-16. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 24 595

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: