Innovation through Institutional Integration (I³)

OUTREACH AND INFORMATION WORKSHOPS ON THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION’S INNOVATION THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRATION (I-CUBED) EFFORT   AUGUST 2008

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the QEM Network will be conducting a series of workshops focused on the NSF Innovation through Institutional Integration (I³) effort. The first workshop will take place on Friday-Saturday, September 26-27, 2008 in Washington, DC. The overall goal of this QEM initiative is to increase, through regional workshops, the participating institutions’ knowledge and understanding of the Foundation’s I³ effort and to broaden participation in the submission of I³ proposals. The workshops are designed to ensure that minority-serving institutions (MSIs) are more aware of the I³ effort and to offer assistance in the development of their ideas for FY 2009 I³ proposals.

I³ awards are continuing grants of up to $200,000 per year for up to five years, for a total of $1million, with funding for years four and five depending on successful progress and availability of funds. In FY 2008, applicants could apply for I³ awards through six EHR programs:

- Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST)
- Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)
- Math and Science Partnership (MSP)
- Research in Disabilities Education (RDE)
- Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce)
- Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP)

It is anticipated that in FY 2009, the HBCU-UP program solicitation also will include I³ projects as an option. Institutions that previously submitted unsuccessful I³ proposals are especially encouraged to participate in the QEM workshops.

Fall 2008 Regional I³ Workshops:

Invitations to participate in the workshops are being extended to MSIs that have at least three active STEM-focused projects on campus funded by the National Science Foundation, other federal agencies, private organizations or foundations and that are interested in submitting an I³ proposal to NSF in FY 2009. A team’s campus (alone or in combination with potential collaborators) must have at least three STEM projects that would be involved in the I³ initiative, at least one of which must be an NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR)-supported STEM project (unless the proposed initiative is to focus solely on research).

Each regional workshop is designed to accommodate 12 institutional two-person teams. An institution’s two-person team is to consist of an institution’s chief academic officer, who would be expected to serve as principal investigator of an I³ initiative, and a STEM faculty member who would be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the proposed initiative. At the workshop, each institutional team will be asked to discuss the potential integration of their active STEM projects. Each institutional team is to bring to the workshop a list of active STEM-focused projects on campus, with a brief description (no more than three lines) of the overall goal of each such project. This list and brief descriptions will facilitate the identification and discussion of potential integrative themes.

See frequently asked questions about I³

The registration form should be completed and returned electronically at smmcbay1@qem.org by the deadline date noted above for the respective workshops.

Spring 2009 Regional I³ Workshops:

For more information on the QEM I³ Initiative please contact Shirley McBay, Project Director, at (smmcbay1@qem.org) or by telephone at 202/659-1818.

Created and Maintained by:
The Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network
1818 N Street, NW, Suite 350  •  Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202/659-1818  •  Fax: 202/659-5408
Updated: September 2008
For questions or comments email us at qemnetwork@qem.org