ExLENT seeks to support experiential learning opportunities for individuals from all professional and educational backgrounds, resulting in increased access to, and interest in, career pathways in emerging technology fields (e.g., advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum information science, semiconductors, and microelectronics).
The ExLENT program will support experiential learning opportunities designed to provide cohorts of learners with the crucial skills needed to succeed in emerging technology fields and prepare them to enter the workforce ready to solve our Nation’s most pressing challenges. Furthermore, the ExLENT program will directly support NSF’s priority to enable all Americans the opportunity to become a part of the emerging technologies workforce, thereby assuring the Nation’s competitiveness in STEM.
Key goals of the program are to (1) expand access to career-enhancing experiential learning opportunities for all individuals, including adult learners interested in re-skilling and/or upskilling (e.g., those who face or who have faced significant barriers to accessing a formal STEM education); (2) promote cross-sector partnerships between organizations in emerging technology fields and those with expertise in workforce development; and (3) develop a workforce aligned with regional economies based on emerging technologies across the Nation, in alignment with the mission of the TIP Directorate.
Experiential learning is meant to refer to experiences in authentic workplace environments where individuals by engaging in the process of identifying and solving real-world problems. For example, this can include internships, co-operative programs, service-based learning, and research. Applicants are asked to address barriers to participation—such as limited opportunities, financial challenges, familial or community responsibilities, and the unavailability of support services like childcare and transportation—and to ensure participants have viable on-ramps into emerging technology careers.
The ExLENT program seeks to fund new and/or existing cross-sectoral partnerships to design engaging activities that provide individuals with (1) the opportunity to gain new skills and (2) the resources necessary to successfully navigate a career path into emerging technology fields, whether they are exploring new careers, striving toward career entry, or seeking to upskill or reskill their capabilities. Proposals should leverage evidence-based best practices in experiential learning to attract learners to emerging technology careers; establish pathways into emerging technology fields for all individuals across all geographies; and to further develop and hone the talent of workers in these rapidly evolving fields.
Applicants are encouraged to incorporate cross-sector partnerships that capitalize upon the expertise that each partner would bring to the program, resulting in a collaborative, coordinated effort.
The solicitation invites proposals in three tracks:
- Pivots: Attract and upskill individuals not currently enrolled in post-secondary educational programs and who have acquired useful skills such as time management, communication, and teamwork in non-emerging technology careers.
- Beginners: Provide individuals possessing some existing STEM competencies with experiential learning opportunities that deepen knowledge and skills in emerging technology fields.
- Explorations: Provide individuals with limited or no specialized STEM education with the inspiration and opportunity to explore the potential of a career path in emerging technology fields. This can include both those enrolled in traditional education pathways and those outside of these pathways who are inclined to seek these opportunities.
This program—which is a partnership between NSF’s Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, Directorate for STEM Education, and Micro Technology, Inc.—was previously offered as a Cooperative Agreement.
NSF expects to make 25–35 awards of up to three years duration with a total budget of up to $1,000,000 each.
The proposal deadline is 5:00 p.m. local time on February 24, 2025.
Additional Information:
- “Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT)” (NSF-25-511).
- “Dear Colleague Letter: Equitable and Transformative Approaches to Educating the Semiconductor Workforce (ETA-ESW)” (NSF 25-016), November 6, 2024.