IES has established the Early Career Development and Mentoring Program for Education Research (Early Career Program) in FY 2024 to prepare and support early career researchers at academic and non-academic research institutions and organizations to conduct high-quality education research that advances knowledge within the field of education sciences and addresses issues important to education policymakers and practitioners.
The Early Career Program provides support to early career faculty employed by institutions of higher education or early career researchers at non-academic research organizations who are developing education research careers. Each award will provide an early career faculty member or researcher with support for research (including salary for protected time to conduct research) and career development that includes training under the guidance of an experienced mentor or mentors. This program is part of IES's larger effort to develop a pipeline of talented education researchers who bring fresh ideas, approaches, and perspectives to addressing the issues and challenges faced by the nation's diverse students and schools. IES seeks to support principal investigators' (PIs) preparation to conduct the type of research IES funds in its research grant programs.
FY 2025 Funding Opportunities:
For FY 2025, the Early Career Program serves all early career applicants. Last year's early career programs (Early Career Development and Mentoring Program for Education Research and Early Career Development and Mentoring Program for Faculty at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)) have been merged to simplify the application and review process. R2 institutions (including MSIs) in the territorial United States may request additional funds to support the cost of grant administration and management.
Early Career grant applications will be due March 7, 2025. Additional details on the Early Career Program requirements and how to apply are available in the Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences (ALN 84.305B) Request for Applications.