Advanced Technological Education
Last verified by NonDilute: 2026-06-08. Official notice and agency instructions control.
If you lead or partner with a two-year college or secondary school on technician workforce programs, NSF will fund significant curriculum and teacher development initiatives tied to high-tech industry demand.
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What this is
This NSF program awards $475K–$7.5M to support technician education in high-tech fields through curriculum development, professional development for faculty and teachers, and career pathway programs. Projects must be faculty-led, involve credit-bearing courses, and ideally partner with industry, economic development agencies, and K–12 institutions. The program particularly encourages applications from minority-serving institutions and those supporting underrepresented groups in STEM technician programs that award associate degrees.
Who can apply
Applicants must be academic institutions (two-year colleges, K–12 schools), non-profits, or organizations partnering with these entities; projects must be faculty-led with credit-bearing courses. Solo founders and traditional startups are not eligible; this is for educators and institutional partners in technician education.
Eligible applicant types
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Full description — from the agency
With a focus on two-year Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program supports the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation's economy. The program involves partnerships between academic institutions (grades 7-12, IHEs), industry, and economic development agencies to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians. It is strongly recommended that projects be faculty-led and required that courses and programs are credit-bearing, although materials developed may also be used for incumbent worker education. Materials may also be adapted and implemented as credit-bearing courses. The ATE program supports curriculum development; professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; career pathway development for both students and incumbent workers; and other activities including applied research projects that advance the knowledge base related to technician education. The ATE program encourages partnerships with other entities that may impact technician education. For example, with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEPs) (http://www.nist.gov/mep/index.cfm) as applicable to support technician education programs and the industries they serve; and Manufacturing USA Institutes(https://manufacturing.gov/) addressing workforce development issues. The ATE program encourages proposals from Minority Serving Institutionsas well as other institutions that support the recruitment, retention, and completion (certificate, degree, program)of the full spectrum of diverse talent that society has to offer, which includes underrepresented and underserved communities, in STEM technician education programs that award associate degrees.
Topics: technician education · curriculum development · two-year college · workforce development · stem education · faculty professional development
Public-source funding discovery only. This summary is generated from public agency data and may be incomplete or stale. NonDilute is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government agency. Official notices and agency instructions control. NonDilute does not determine eligibility, provide grant-writing advice, or guarantee funding.