NSF NRT: Tracks, Eligibility and How It Works

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program funds institutions, not individual students, to build interdisciplinary graduate training programs in STEM. As described on the official NSF pages on 2026-10-29, the current solicitation is NSF 24-597, and that page states the program is awaiting a new solicitation and is not currently accepting proposals. This guide explains how the program is structured, who may apply, and what the solicitation requires, so a research office can judge readiness before the next call appears.

Is the NRT open right now?

No call is open. The solicitation page, as of 2026-10-29, says the program is awaiting a new solicitation. NSF 24-597 listed deadlines of November 14, 2024 and September 8, 2025, then September 8 annually thereafter, at 5 p.m. submitter local time. Those dates describe the superseded cycle and should not be read as a current deadline. Check the NRT program page for any new solicitation before planning around a date.

What it is and who runs it

The NRT is a National Science Foundation program that supports graduate training in research-based master’s and doctoral STEM programs. Proposals must address an interdisciplinary or convergent research theme of national importance (Section II.D of NSF 24-597). Trainees must be in research-based degree programs that require a thesis or dissertation (Section II.B).

The NSF program page describes the NRT as supporting interdisciplinary, evidence-based traineeships and, as stated on 2026-10-29, reports more than 5,000 trainees, 194 funded projects (202 awards) and over $400 million invested. Partnerships with industry, NGOs, government agencies and national laboratories are encouraged, and the page links the NRT to NSF’s INCLUDES, REU, LSAMP and S-STEM programs. Minority-serving institutions and emerging research institutions are strongly encouraged to apply. For the S-STEM side of that list, see the CASRAI guide to NSF S-STEM.

Eligibility (summary, with the official source)

Eligibility is set out in Sections II and IV of NSF 24-597. The points that most often decide whether an institution can submit:

Track 1: open to US institutions of higher education, including two-year and community colleges, that award research-based STEM master’s or doctoral degrees.
Track 2: limited to non-R1 institutions. The solicitation states that Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1) are not eligible for Track 2 consideration.
Two proposals per institution: the solicitation states that an eligible institution may participate in only two proposals per NRT competition, as lead or as a collaborative non-lead. Track 1 and Track 2 proposals count toward the same total; planning proposals are excluded. Proposals over the limit are returned without review, whether the institution is lead or non-lead.
One proposal per person: the number of NRT proposals per PI or co-PI is limited per annual competition, and the PI must be faculty of the submitting institution.
Stipend recipients: trainees funded by NRT stipends must be US citizens, nationals or legal permanent residents.

What it funds or requires

Item	Track 1	Track 2
Maximum budget	Up to $3,000,000	Up to $2,000,000
Maximum duration	Up to 5 years	Up to 5 years
Who may submit	US institutions of higher education awarding research-based STEM master’s or doctoral degrees	Non-R1 institutions only

NSF 24-597 also describes Track 2 planning grants of up to $100,000 per year, including indirect costs, for up to two years. A planning proposal requires prior contact with an NRT program officer; if approved, the program officer invites submission by email, and that email must be uploaded in the Program Officer Concurrence Email section of the proposal.

The solicitation states that NSF’s minimum contribution to NRT stipends is $37,000 per year for a 12-month appointment per stipend-funded trainee. It lists anticipated total funding of $53,000,000 for the competition. The number of awards is stated differently in different parts of the NSF materials, so check the current solicitation rather than relying on a count. Because stipends and tuition interact with how the budget is built, the CASRAI note on tuition remission is a useful companion.

Application or compliance steps

Confirm a solicitation is open and that your institution has not already committed its two proposals.
Choose a track. Track 2 is available only to non-R1 institutions.
For a Track 2 planning grant, contact an NRT program officer first and wait for the emailed invitation.
Prepare the Project Summary with the labeled sections Overview, Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts, and 5-10 keywords that include the track.
Write the Project Description within 20 pages, including tables and illustrations. It covers core participants (up to 10), the theme, goals and training model, communication, teamwork and ethics skills, the research, broader impacts, recruitment, organization, evaluation, an independent advisory committee and prior NSF support.
Add the required supporting documents: a two-page institutional support letter, letters of collaboration and a Data Management and Sharing Plan, plus the five-year demographic table of enrollment, retention and graduation.
Submit through Research.gov or Grants.gov. Separate-submission collaborative proposals go through Research.gov only. There is no letter of intent or preliminary proposal, and NSF advises starting a Grants.gov submission at least five business days before the deadline. For the systems themselves, see eRA Commons vs. Research.gov.

How proposals are reviewed

Section VI.A of the solicitation applies the National Science Board criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts, plus NRT-specific considerations: integration of research and education, interdisciplinarity or convergence, professional development, integrating diversity into NSF programs, and evaluation. The CASRAI overview of the NSF panelist role explains who reads proposals, and the broadening participation entry covers the related NSF vocabulary.

Typical timeline phases

NSF 24-597 had no letter of intent or preliminary proposal stage, so the NRT cycle runs in these phases rather than on fixed calendar dates:

A new solicitation is posted and the institution’s two-proposal limit is allocated internally.
Optional Track 2 planning-grant contact with a program officer, before any planning proposal is submitted.
Proposal development, including the demographic table, support letters and advisory committee.
Submission by the deadline in the solicitation, at 5 p.m. submitter local time.
NSF compliance check, merit review and award decision. Awards run up to five years.

Common mistakes

Treating a superseded deadline as live. The listed deadlines belong to NSF 24-597; the program is awaiting a new solicitation.
Counting only lead roles. Non-lead collaborative roles count toward the institution’s limit of two.
Submitting an R1 institution to Track 2. It is not eligible.
Exceeding 20 pages in the Project Description, which results in the proposal being returned without review.
Omitting the five-year demographic table, which the solicitation also treats as grounds for return without review.
Submitting a Track 2 planning proposal without the program officer’s emailed invitation.
Leaving Grants.gov to the last day despite the five-business-day advice.

Related programs

The NSF materials point to the programs below as related. They serve different purposes, and the NRT funds institutional training programs rather than individual awards.

Program	Relationship stated on the NRT page	CASRAI page
S-STEM	Linked NSF program	NSF S-STEM
INCLUDES, REU, LSAMP	Linked NSF programs	None yet
GRFP (individual fellowship, for contrast)	Not an NRT relationship; individual graduate award	NSF GRFP eligibility
CAREER (individual early-career award, for contrast)	Not an NRT relationship; individual faculty award	NSF CAREER Award

For the wider picture of NSF funding, see the NSF grants overview.

FAQ

Is the NSF NRT accepting proposals?

Not according to the NSF solicitation page as of 2026-10-29, which says the program is awaiting a new solicitation. Watch the NRT program page for a new announcement.

What are the NRT tracks?

NSF 24-597 describes Track 1 (up to $3,000,000, open to US institutions awarding research-based STEM master’s or doctoral degrees) and Track 2 (up to $2,000,000, non-R1 institutions only), each for up to five years, plus Track 2 planning grants.

Can R1 universities apply to Track 2?

No. The solicitation states that R1 institutions are not eligible for Track 2 consideration.

How many NRT proposals can one institution submit?

Two per competition, counting both lead and non-lead collaborative roles. Planning proposals are excluded.

How much is the NRT stipend?

The NSF minimum contribution is $37,000 per year per stipend-funded trainee for a 12-month appointment. Stipend-funded trainees must be US citizens, nationals or permanent residents.

Does the NRT require a letter of intent?

No. The solicitation requires no letter of intent or preliminary proposal.

Sources

NSF, NSF 24-597: U.S. National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program, checked 2026-10-29.
NSF, National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program, checked 2026-10-29.
NSF, New program solicitation: NSF Research Traineeship (NRT), checked 2026-10-29.

NSF Research Traineeship (NRT): Tracks, Eligibility and How It Works