Graduate Student Measurement Science and Engineering (GMSE) Fellowship Program | 2021 NIST GMSE 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for 2021 NIST GMSE 01

The Graduate Student Measurement Science and Engineering (GMSE) Fellowship Program is a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) funding opportunity designed to expand hands-on, lab-based research experiences for masters and doctoral students in STEM fields. Through this program, NIST aims to pair graduate students with projects inside NIST laboratories so they can build practical measurement science and engineering skills while contributing to research aligned with NIST mission areas. A core emphasis of the program is collaboration: the funded recipient is expected to work closely with NIST to build and maintain research relationships that connect NIST researchers, participating graduate students, and the students academic institutions, creating a structured pathway for students to engage in federally relevant R and D work while remaining tied to their degree programs.

Funding is offered through a cooperative agreement, which typically means NIST expects substantial involvement in the project rather than acting as a hands-off funder. The organization that receives the award is responsible for developing and managing the fellowship program itself, including organizing how students are selected and supported, coordinating placements or experiences within NIST labs, and ensuring the fellowship structure delivers both financial assistance and meaningful laboratory experiences. The intent is not simply to fund isolated student projects, but to support an organized, well-managed program that can reliably place masters and doctoral students into NIST laboratory environments and facilitate productive research engagement.

Eligibility is broad but limited to non-Federal entities located in the United States and its territories. Eligible applicants include accredited institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, commercial (for-profit) organizations, and state, local, and Indian tribal governments. Individuals are explicitly not eligible, and neither are unincorporated sole proprietors, because the application must come from an organization that qualifies as a non-Federal entity. Federal entities cannot receive funding under this notice, but they may participate as collaborators without receiving funds, which allows agencies or federally affiliated groups to contribute expertise or coordination while keeping the award itself with an eligible non-Federal recipient.

Applications must be submitted by institutions rather than by individual graduate students. NIST is not accepting applications from individual graduate-level researchers seeking to conduct work at a NIST campus; instead, the competition is for organizations capable of administering the fellowship structure and partnering with NIST to deliver the student lab experiences. An applicant organization may apply on its own or may propose a team arrangement through subawards or contracts, effectively forming a consortium to carry out different components of program management, recruitment, administration, and coordination. While not required, applicants are encouraged to include underrepresented minorities among the students selected to participate, reflecting an interest in strengthening diversity and access within advanced STEM training.

Key opportunity details from the notice include: the title Graduate Student Measurement Science and Engineering (GMSE) Fellowship Program; funding opportunity number 2021 NIST GMSE 01; agency National Institute of Standards and Technology; instrument type cooperative agreement; activity category science and technology and other research and development; CFDA number 11.620; and an original closing date of March 23, 2021 (with the posting created February 4, 2021). The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source data, which means applicants would typically need to consult the full notice for budget limits, program scale expectations, and any additional administrative or technical requirements.

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Graduate Student Measurement Science and Engineering (GMSE) Fellowship Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.620.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-02-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-03-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 2021 NIST GMSE 01

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