The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Research on Innovative Technologies for Enhanced Learning (RITEL) program supports early-stage research that explores innovative technologies for teaching and learning in real-world educational settings. The program’s scope includes technologies that enhance learning and teaching in STEM fields, along with skills foundational to STEM education, such as literacy, collaboration, creativity, and socio-emotional skills. RITEL encourages projects involving artificial intelligence, robotics, immersive technologies, and other emerging areas that can be applied across various learning contexts—formal, informal, and workplace settings—and for diverse learner populations. The program emphasizes accessibility, equity, and cost-effectiveness for under-resourced educational institutions, including school districts, community colleges, and universities.

RITEL seeks interdisciplinary, theory-driven research that advances both the fields of learning (or teaching) and technology. The program requires research to be informed by convergence across fields, including learning sciences, computer science, behavioral science, engineering, and cognitive science. Examples of areas suitable for RITEL projects include AI-driven technologies, immersive learning environments, multimodal modeling, and learning analytics. All projects should involve partnerships with relevant stakeholders, such as educators, students, and families, to co-design research solutions that address practical educational challenges. Research must meet an authentic need in an educational environment and should not merely focus on developing or implementing an existing technology but on advancing understanding and generating new, impactful technologies.

The program provides up to $900,000 in funding for each project over three years, contingent on the availability of funds, with an anticipated total budget of $25 million. Approximately 20 to 25 awards will be made, depending on proposal merit and funding availability. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based two- and four-year institutions of higher education, non-profit research organizations, and Tribal governments. Proposals must be submitted by a single institution, although collaborative, multi-institutional teams are encouraged. Each individual may participate in only one proposal per submission cycle as a PI, co-PI, or other senior personnel.

Full proposals must comply with NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and can be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov by 5:00 p.m. local time on the due dates. The next submission deadlines are January 24, 2024, November 5, 2024, and November 4, 2025. Proposals should include a list of project personnel, letters of collaboration from all project partners, and a one-page collaboration and management plan that describes team roles, expertise, and project coordination mechanisms.

Proposals will be evaluated on NSF’s core criteria: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. Intellectual Merit assesses the potential of the project to advance knowledge within STEM or education fields, while Broader Impacts considers the societal benefits of the project, including contributions to STEM education, equity, workforce development, and public engagement. Proposals should clearly describe objectives, methodologies, the potential for transformative impact, and mechanisms for success measurement. Additionally, RITEL projects should align with NSF’s priorities in broadening participation among underrepresented groups in STEM fields.

Annual project reports, including a project outcomes report for public dissemination, are required for multi-year awards. RITEL also mandates that project budgets include travel costs for PIs to attend an annual PI meeting in Washington, D.C. Grantees must adhere to the Buy America provisions outlined in Executive Order 14005 and other federal reporting requirements. For support with proposal preparation, NSF staff contacts and helpdesk information are provided.