National Defense Education Program

Mission— National Defense Education Program (NDEP)

This program supports the Department's strategy to Build Sustainable and Long-Term Advantage and Cultivate the Workforce that the DoD needs. The National Defense Education Program (NDEP) supports the National Defense Science & Technology Strategy in ensuring the foundations for research and development have the workforce it needs now and into the future, through investments at every level of education. NDEP: (1) Fosters and enhances the Department of Defense’s (DoD) ability to develop and access high-quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent vital to national defense; (2) Is executed by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)); (3) Aligns to the Federal STEM Strategy, and addresses critical STEM education and talent development challenges across the PreK-20 education continuum through evidence-based approaches; (4) Activities align with the Department’s vision of a diverse STEM talent pool readily accessible to serve our Nation and evolve the Department’s competitive edge; (5) Activities engage in assessment and evaluation practices as outlined by the Office of Management and Budget and the Government Accountability Office; and (6) Aligns to the DoD STEM Strategic Plan in support of the National Defense Strategy and the DoD science and technology (S&T) critical technology areas. NDEP is part of the broader Department-wide effort under DoD STEM, which works collectively with partners from academia, industry non-profit organizations, defense research laboratories and engineering centers, and other government entities to: (1) build strong foundations for STEM literacy; (2) increase inclusion, diversity, and equity in STEM; and (3) prepare the STEM workforce of the future. NDEP activities provide authentic learning experiences through a variety of education and outreach initiatives in the form of scholarships, internships, enrichment activities, project/research-based competitions, and mentorships through strategic partnerships. The NDEP programs span across all age groups, including Pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade (PreK-12) students and teachers, and postsecondary, undergraduate, and graduate students. The NDEP’s portfolio includes: the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship-for-service program; STEM Education and Outreach (E&O) efforts including the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC); and specific Congressionally directed programs, to include the Manufacturing Engineering Education Program (MEEP) per 10 U.S. Code 4843 and broader NDEP funding opportunities in STEM education and workforce development. The SMART Program enables the Department to transform its STEM workforce while addressing near-term workforce demands. Per 10 U.S. Code 4093, the SMART program awards highly competitive scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students in any of the 24 STEM academic disciplines critical to national security, and hires the students, upon graduation, into DoD's civilian workforce. As part of the SMART experience, scholars engage in internships that allow for relevant hands-on research and work experiences in DoD facilities and international partner research institutions, thereby enhancing their educational experience. The SMART program ensures the Department has a steady infusion of high-quality technical talent, prepared in areas of critical importance, and ready to apply their technical knowledge, skills, and abilities to fulfill the DoD mission. Through an annual competitive SEED grant, SMART offers transitioning Ph.D. scholars an opportunity to establish a foundational research and engineering effort in their area of expertise aligned with a DoD mission or critical technology area and supporting their development into subject matter experts. Additionally, per FY 2021 NDAA Sec. 250, SMART also offers a competitive funding opportunity through the Creative Research & Engineering Advancing Technical Equity in STEM (CREATES) Grant to expand and enhance connections and opportunities between the SMART program, SMART scholars, SMART sponsoring facilities, and students and faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Minority Institutions (MI), Minority Service Institutions (MSI), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) and Women’s Colleges (WC). Since its inception in FY 2005, SMART has awarded approximately 5,200 scholarships to students pursuing undergraduate and graduate STEM degrees. To date, over 3,400 scholars have completed their academic pursuit and transitioned into DoD employment. More than 1,300 scholars are currently pursuing their SMART-funded degrees. Over 2,000 participants have successfully completed the program through their DoD Service commitment. NDEP’s STEM E&O activities will continue to engage military-connected students in collaboration with the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), external partners, and other stakeholders to support the preparation of dependents of members of the armed forces for careers in STEM as enacted under 10 U.S. Code 2192(b). Additionally, where feasible, NDEP activities will also support the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act, enacted in FY 2020. Per 10 U.S. Code 2192, NDEP’s STEM E&O activities support a cohesive and coordinated approach by providing a continuum of preK to career opportunities for students, educators (formal and informal), administrators, and schools, especially for military-connected students. The primary effort under NDEP STEM E&O is the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC), which is a consortium-model approach, leveraging a collaborative ecosystem of partners that aims to develop America’s STEM workforce of the future ready to support the national security mission and the Warfighter. The DSEC is a multi-year investment through a cooperative agreement award comprised of a consortium of program partners that have a national reach, as well as regionally focused activities leveraging evidence-based approaches. In FY2025, about 40% of SMART Scholarship recipients previously participated in preK-12 programs such as those funded under DSEC. DSEC is designed to evolve over time, enabling the Department and the consortium the flexibility to bring in new strategic partners to address emerging issues in STEM education and talent development, and to align to DoD’s priorities. The Biotechnology Education and Workforce Development (BIOTECH) efforts will be consolidated into the STEM E&O beginning in FY 2026 and establishes new educational programs that align with biotechnology priorities through competitive grants and internal call for proposals.

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (3)