News Archive

10 May 2022
NRC Awards $9 Million in Academic Grants to Support Nuclear Science and Engineering Fields

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced on 4 May 2022 that it has awarded 25 grants to 20 academic institutions, including two minority-serving institutions, in 20 US states, totaling more than $9 million. Recipients include four-year universities and colleges, two-year trade schools, and community colleges.

The University Nuclear Leadership Program (UNLP), authorized by Congress, directed the NRC to provide federal funding opportunities to qualified US academic institutions. The UNLP aids in bolstering nuclear engineering and related programs to ensure the next generation of scientists and engineers are prepared for evolving future challenges.

These grants include four undergraduate scholarships, one trade scholarship, nine graduate fellowships, and 11 faculty development awards. Each undergraduate scholarship provides up to $20,000 in financial support to students over the course of the two-year program, and each graduate fellowship provides up to $200,000 over the course of the four-year program.

The NRC's trade and community college scholarships provide financial support of up to $10,000 to students over the course of the two-year program, and faculty development awards provide up to $450,000 over a single three-year period.

Since the grant program's inception in 2009, the NRC has awarded 598 educational grants totaling more than $192 million, of which 106 were awarded to minority-serving institutions. This amount includes funding for 166 faculty development grants, 146 scholarship grants, 173 fellowship grants, and 86 trade school and community college scholarship grants. These grants have been awarded to more than 165 individual faculty members and 4,500 students located in 38 states and Puerto Rico.

The complete list of grants awarded and general information regarding the grant program are available on the NRC's public website. The NRC announces grant opportunities on www.grants.gov, which enables the public to find and apply for federal funding opportunities. The NRC will issue its next Notice of Funding Opportunity for educational grants in July 2022.