Professional Formation of Engineers
Can you apply?
This grant is for institutions and researchers seeking to improve engineering education and workforce development. Eligible applicants typically include universities, colleges, and research institutions with engineering programs. Projects must focus on professional formation—how people learn to become engineers—through formal education, internships, maker spaces, apprenticeships, or workplace training.
The grant supports research and educational initiatives at all levels. These range from one-on-one mentoring to large-scale online programs. Projects may examine pathways into engineering, transitions between academia and industry, and credentialing systems.
Interdisciplinary teams combining engineering and social science expertise are encouraged. Proposals should address how to develop an ethical, globally-minded engineering workforce prepared for evolving technology and global competition.
Program description
The Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) initiative integrates engineering research and education to improve and expand the nation’s engineering workforce. PFE is defined as the formal and informal processes and value systems by which people become engineers. The goal of PFE is to create an ethical engineering workforce with a global outlook and the ability to adapt to the rapidly evolving technical environment. This will help build a future engineering workforce with the skills to compete in the global marketplace, support emerging technologies, and grow U.S. industry.
PFE supports projects in the ENGINEER program relating to future and current engineers’ training and education in many contexts, including formal classrooms, informal maker spaces, clubs and co-curricular activities, and workplaces. Such training encompasses cooperative education and internships, community-based experiences, and research labs. It also involves many scales of analysis, from mentor/mentee relationships to large-scale online learning and professional development experiences. Engineers must develop and maintain these learning opportunities with clear pathways to and through the profession. Such pathways include formal and informal education, apprenticeships, credentialing, and licensure, and consider relationships with other professionals, technical workers, and community members. Finally, such opportunities include transitions across and within academia and industry. To understand and improve this system requires expertise in both engineering and the social sciences.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- Proposal narrative
- Project description with objectives and methodology
- Budget and budget justification
- Biographical sketches of key personnel
- Letters of support (if collaborators involved)
- References and relevant literature citations
Program contact
- 👤 U.S. National Science Foundation
- 📧 grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov
- 📞 703-292-4203
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 47.041 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$41,946,862
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$39,061,846
-
$38,277,956
-
$37,936,436
-
$36,940,111
-
$36,277,271
-
$36,183,087
-
$32,471,912
-
$32,414,114
-
$31,561,058
Top States by Funding
- TX 3 awards $90.6M
- CA 7 awards $85.0M
- IL 4 awards $70.2M
- AZ 2 awards $68.7M
- NC 2 awards $61.1M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 47.041). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $752,230,000 | |
| 2025 | $727,730,000 | |
| 2026 est. | $181,990,000 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Universities, colleges, and research institutions with engineering programs can apply. Interdisciplinary teams combining engineering and social science expertise are encouraged.
What types of projects are funded?
Projects examining how engineers are trained and educated in all contexts—classrooms, internships, maker spaces, apprenticeships, research labs, and online learning. Studies of career pathways and credentialing systems are also eligible.
Is cost sharing required?
No cost sharing is required for this grant. Your institution only needs to commit internal resources that align with project goals.
What is the typical award amount?
Specific award ranges are not published, but NSF engineering education grants typically range widely. Check the program solicitation for current funding guidance.
When is the deadline?
This program uses rolling review, meaning proposals can be submitted at any time. Check NSF's website for any target dates or program-specific deadlines.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Focus your proposal on how engineers learn and develop professionally, not just technical skills. Emphasize ethical development and global perspectives.
- Include both engineering and social science perspectives in your team. Interdisciplinary approaches are highly competitive and strengthen your research design.
- Be specific about your context—whether formal education, internships, maker spaces, or industry settings. Avoid generic workforce development language.
- Address clear pathways for participants. Show how your project creates or improves transitions into engineering, through credentials, licensure, or apprenticeships.
- Demonstrate broader impact on the nation's engineering workforce. Connect your work to global competitiveness and emerging technology needs.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Proposals focused solely on engineering content knowledge without addressing professional formation or workforce development principles. Failure to include social science expertise or interdisciplinary collaboration in project design or team composition. Vague descriptions of target populations or learning contexts without specific details on how engineers are formed.
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