Conference: TMCF Aligning Black Colleges and the National Science Foundation (ABC-NSF)

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) provides support to strengthen STEM undergraduate education and research at HBCUs. The National Science Foundation’s mission, to advance scientific progress, national prosperity, health, welfare, and security, has led to the creation of targeted programs to build capacity at minority-serving institutions.

These initiatives play a key role in elevating Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ contributions to education and research, as these institutions lead the country in providing baccalaureate degrees to Black doctorate earners in sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics while being only 3% of all colleges. This working conference on “Aligning Black Colleges and the National Science Foundation (ABC-NSF)” aims to catalyze grantsmanship among Historically Black Colleges and Universities, promoting faculty competency, accelerating student learning, and increasing the quality and quantity of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics personnel.

The organization and execution of this conference will play a role in strengthening the STEM community and expanding the research capabilities at HBCUs in alignment with the goals outlined in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

Data suggests that there continues to be access and opportunity gaps in the training of underrepresented scholars in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. HBCUs are key institutions in creating opportunities for low-income and first-generation students, specifically African Americans. These institutions continue to advance the mission of the academia contributing to the nation’s research and development preeminence by performing innovative research in biomedical, nuclear, and geospatial sciences, among other emerging science and technology.

Historically, these schools have been underfunded resulting in fewer resources devoted to the research enterprise. The ABC-NSF working conference will build capacity to promote research advancements with a goal of increasing awareness of funding opportunities and resources across the eight NSF directorates. This project hopes to develop the STEM ecosystem by increasing access to research training opportunities for undergraduate students.

Twenty-five HBCUs reported over $8 million in 2021 research expenditures. Eleven are Research II universities, 16 are land-grant institutions, five are public, and three are private colleges. Senior administrators at the epicenter of education and research will provide a comprehensive overview of research at their schools, highlight ongoing work at research labs and centers of excellence, and provide an overview of public and private research partnerships.

To expand their research enterprise capacity, these institutions must create a comprehensive strategic research plan, dedicate more resources to their research ecosystem, make research an integral component of their academic mission. Several studies underscore that cultivating a research culture hinges on recognizing the intrinsic value of research, to be emphasized in university-wide strategic plans.

ABC-NSF will begin this process for the target schools. This convening will foster collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange among HBCUs, ultimately driving progress in the realm of STEM education and research.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.