FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2025
Contact: Shaunette Bishop
202-659-1818/sbishop@qem.org
QEM Hosts NSF-EAGER Technical Assistance Workshop for HBCUs
Building Bridges to Breakthroughs: QEM and NSF Invest in HBCU Potential
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Effective Today — The Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network has been awarded $300,000 to provide intensive technical assistance using a trusted advisor model for a pilot group of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This initiative specifically aims to promote scientific progress within innovation ecosystems and support the development of Regional Engine consortia for HBCU institutions, which were underrepresented in the initial round of the NSF Engines program competition.
This award will enable QEM to host two in-person convenings and offer intensive training and support in preparation for the 2025 Engines competition. Dr. Erin Lynch, who serves as President, will lead the EAGER: Technical Assistance in the Innovation Ecosystem and Regional Engine Consortium for HBCUs Workshops. Dr. Lynch shares, “The investment NSF has made into supporting HBCUs through this EAGER project reflects the value they see in HBCUs leading economic and scientific ecosystems.”
On July 25–26, 2025, the QEM Network successfully hosted the NSF-EAGER: Technical Assistance in the Innovation Ecosystem and Regional Engine Consortium for HBCUs Workshop, a two-day convening held in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The workshop brought together teams from four HBCUs—Alabama A&M University (AL), Central State University (OH), Hampton University (VA), and Virginia State University (VA)—to strengthen their capacity for developing competitive proposals for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines program.
Participants engaged in hands-on sessions facilitated by Terik Tidwell, Director of Inclusive Innovation at VentureWell, and Dr. Isaac McCoy, Dean of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Computational & Information Sciences at Stillman College. Workshop topics included:
- Building Engines-Aligned Proposals from HBCU Strengths
- Data-Informed Ecosystem Drivers
- Innovation Ecosystems and Cross-Sector Collaboration
- Roles of PIs, VPRs, and External Affairs in Consortium Building
- Proposal Development for NSF ENGINES
Dr. Majed El-Dweik, Vice President of Research and Economic Development at Alabama A&M University, shared his reflections: “The QEM team provided an outstanding workshop and training, along with helpful support materials for our AAMU NSF-ENGINES team. The outcomes from the first workshop will allow our team to connect with strategic partners and begin outlining our proposal.” This Greensboro convening marks the first of two planned workshops. The second, to be held in Dulles, Virginia in Fall 2025, will support participants in finalizing their proposals ahead of the 2025 NSF ENGINES funding cycle.
About QEM
Established in 1990, the QEM Network is a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C., dedicated to improving education throughout the nation. It is the successor
organization to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)-based QEM Project that was funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. With initial support from Carnegie and MIT, QEM began its operation as a focal point for the implementation of strategies to help realize the vision and goals set forth in the QEM Project’s January 1990 report: “Education That Works.” Learn more at QEM.org
###
(For print or broadcast interviews with QEM, please contact Shaunette Bishop,
202-659-1818 or sbishop@qem.org)
1818 N Street, NW, Suite 350,
Washington, DC, 20036
QEMNetwork.org
DISCLAIMER
Any articles, templates, or information provided by Smartsheet on the website are for reference only. While we strive to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the website or the information, articles, templates, or related graphics contained on the website. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.