IHE APPLI Guidebook : a customizable model for embedding research development support within a grant competition
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Our nation’s security and economic prosperity are inextricably linked to the success and competitiveness of U.S.-based science; therefore, all available assets should be directed toward strengthening our leadership in research and innovation. Emerging research institutions (ERIs) include more than 2,600 colleges and universities. Yet, federally-funded research projects are increasingly concentrated at a small number of institutions with very high research activity (R1s). In order to engage the full range of academic and workforce resources, new grant-making and distribution approaches must be explored. In recognition of this need, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) launched the Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) program in 2023. The program’s key innovation was the utilization of brief, intensive research-development and proposal-preparation support during a live grant contest. Program officers worked with consultants, guest speakers and peer mentors to provide support in three phases: (1) Participant Selection; (2) Challenge Identification and Solution Design; and (3) Proposal Preparation and Submission. The first three cycles of EPIIC were conducted as an iterative design process. The first cycle served to demonstrate its feasibility, while the second and third cycles allowed for testing and refinement of content, pacing, and other aspects of programming. Factors affecting participant engagement and personnel responsibilities were also revised. Successful and broadly applicable aspects of the EPIIC program were documented in order to clarify and disseminate a new, customizable model that could be incorporated into other grant-making programs. The model was named Institution of Higher Education (IHE) Assistance with Proposal Preparation to Leverage Ingenuity (IHE APPLI). This document aims to share promising practices that make up the core components of the EPIIC program— and thus, of the IHE APPLI model. Emerging practices that can be explored as “encouraged” or “optional” enhancements to future applications of the model are also presented. Contents include quick-start resources; the rationale for exploring new award-making approaches; a detailed account of the EPIIC program, which established and tested the model; and advice for customizing the IHE APPLI model during future implementations. Together, these sections form a guidebook designed to enhance, inform, and encourage new approaches within grant programs that support institutional capacity building among ERIs. It is not intended to serve as a definitive publication on this topic. Rather, it is offered as a wayfinding resource to initiate and support further exploration into novel grant-making programs.