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 Ethical and Responsible Research (ER2) grant program focuses on funding research projects with the goal of identifying effective factors in the formation of ethical STEM researchers and developing these factors across all STEM fields supported by the NSF. ER2 encourages proposals that explore the nature and principles of responsible conduct for research (RCR), the effect of cultural and institutional contexts on promoting ethical STEM research, and practices that contribute to ethical cultures within academic settings. Key consideration points include honor codes, professional ethics codes, an ethic of service, life-long learning, and the influence of academic institutions and programs on fostering academic integrity and research ethics. Notably, ER2 seeks proposals with a comparative dimension that offer plans for interventions to enhance the effectiveness of identified ethical factors in research settings. It advocates for the inclusion of minority-serving institutions and encourages international collaborations that bolster the proposed research's merit.