The CREST Program supports the creation of research centers that will lead to strong societal impacts through 5-year awards. The projects focus on the enhancement of the research capabilities of Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) through the establishment of centers that effectively integrate education and research. CREST Center awards promote the development of new knowledge, the increase in the research productivity of individual faculty, and the expanded engagement of students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines.

A CREST award is expected to catalyze institutional transformation through the development of research capabilities aligned with the institution’s mission and long-term goals. Demonstrated leadership in the involvement of groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM is expected at all levels – students, postdoctoral researchers when applicable, and faculty. The research activities supported by CREST are expected to enable the full participation of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates in a nationally competitive research enterprise.

A competitive CREST proposal will include a meaningful, coherent plan for building sustainable research capability. Formulation of such a plan requires time and resources, which may not otherwise be available to some and thus could constitute a barrier to preparing a CREST proposal. Through this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), EDU/EES and MPS/CHE jointly encourage the submission of planning proposals for CREST centers with a focus on chemistry research (CREST-CHE), to help mitigate potential barriers to the preparation of competitive CREST proposals for the proposing institutions and PIs.

Prospective PIs must send an initial concept outline (no more than one page) by email no later than March 1, 2024, to one of the Program Officers listed below to verify that the proposal topic fits with the research areas of the Division of Chemistry. An invitation from at least one NSF Program Officer to submit a full planning proposal must be uploaded by the PI in the “Program Officer Concurrence Email" section in Research.gov. Planning proposals submitted in response to this DCL for consideration in FY 2024 are welcome through May 1, 2024, but earlier submission is strongly encouraged.