NSF ITEST: Innovative Technology Experiences
What This Grant Funds
The National Science Foundation's ITEST program funds research and development of innovative approaches to engaging K-12 students in STEM, computing, and technology experiences that build pathways to STEM careers. ITEST grants support developing and testing new educational approaches, scaling programs that have shown early evidence of effectiveness, and building understanding of how students develop interest and skills in technology fields. Coding, AI literacy, physical computing, and project-based STEM are all areas ITEST has funded.
Who Is Eligible in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania universities, research organizations, school districts, and nonprofits can apply, typically in partnerships. NSF ITEST grants almost always require collaboration between researchers and educators. Pennsylvania's strong university infrastructure, including Penn State, Pitt, Temple, Carnegie Mellon, and Drexel, provides multiple pathways for school districts to find research partners for ITEST proposals.
Funding Amounts
ITEST grants range from $500,000 to $1,500,000 over three to five years. The largest awards go to scale-up projects building on evidence from smaller earlier-phase grants. New projects in the development phase typically receive $500K to $1M.
How Forward Education Products Qualify
Forward Education's micro:bit curriculum and MicroChat AI tools can serve as the intervention being studied in an ITEST research project. Universities and nonprofits can partner with Forward Education to study how our tools affect student interest in computing, teacher confidence in CS instruction, or student learning outcomes in coding and AI literacy. We are open to research partnerships and can provide product access, curriculum documentation, and implementation support for grant-funded research projects.
How to Apply and Timeline
NSF ITEST releases solicitations through Grants.gov and the NSF website periodically. Applications require a full research proposal, evaluation plan, and partnership documentation. Competition is significant, and applications benefit from prior relationships between the researcher and educator partners. Contact NSF program officers early to discuss project fit before investing in a full proposal.
Search NSF funding opportunities for the current ITEST solicitation and application requirements.
