IES Announces Five Grant Competitions, More to Come

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has launched the first of three rounds of FY 2027 research grant competitions, including two National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) opportunities: Research Training Programs and a new competition using state longitudinal data to support special education policymaking. 

IES plans to focus special education research funding on four priority areas—literacy, strengthening systems for evidence-based practice, the special education workforce, and low-incidence disabilities—and expect these priorities to continue through FY 2029. Future competitions will increasingly be guided by research agendas that identify specific questions intended to build a coordinated evidence base, while IES research networks and hubs will play larger roles in identifying research needs and synthesizing evidence. The approach represents a shift toward more targeted, cumulative federal investment in special education research, with coordinated programs of research designed to address persistent problems of practice and policy rather than a collection of largely independent studies.

The announcement was made in an August 6 blog post by Acting Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Director Matthew Soldner, available here.