The Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Excellence in Research (HBCU-EiR) program aims to provide opportunities for both public and private HBCUs to stimulate sustainable improvement in their research and development capacity. The program supports capacity building by funding research projects aligned with NSF's research programs. The key aspects of this opportunity include: * The program is established in response to direction provided in the Senate Commerce and Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Report. * The program aims to establish stronger connections between researchers at HBCUs and NSF's research programs. * Proposals may only be submitted by accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that have faculty members who conduct research in science and/or engineering and/or STEM education. * The Principal Investigator for an Excellence in Research Project must be a full-time faculty member or researcher at the HBCU from which the proposal is submitted. * The program provides funding for research projects aligned with NSF's research programs. * The estimated funding for this opportunity is $28,000,000, with 35 awards expected.