The U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories. NSF was established in 1950 by Congress to promote the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare, and secure the national defense.
The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program supports minority-serving institutions (MSI) to improve their research capabilities. It focuses on establishing centers that merge education with research, developing new knowledge, enhancing faculty research productivity, and increasing underrepresented students' presence in STEM fields. The HBCU-RISE component of CREST aims to expand institutional research capacity and the successful training of doctoral students, particularly from groups underrepresented in STEM, at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). HBCU-RISE projects must align with a unifying research area supported by NSF, correlate with the long-term plans and strategic mission of the host institution, and plan for expanding research capacity and doctoral student production in STEM. Only HBCUs that offer doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines are eligible to submit proposals.