• The National Science Foundation funds science and engineering graduate students directly and indirectly.solar cell research image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com
  
  The National Science Foundation funds research opportunities for graduate students in engineering and the sciences, including mathematical and physical sciences, computer sciences and biological sciences. An independent federal agency, the NSF directly offers grant funding to graduate students in the form of traineeships, fellowships and grants. The foundation also indirectly funds graduate study by disseminating funding to organizations that support graduate students, including colleges, universities and scientific institutions.
  
  

Graduate Research Fellowship Program

• The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program supports successful applicants for three years.science image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
  
  The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program provides financial support to graduate students who show exceptional potential. The program supports master's and doctoral students in the United States and overseas. The program's alumni include famous authors, visionaries and Nobel Prize-winning scientists. The program's benefits last for three years and include a $30,000 stipend, $10,500 worth of educational support, a $1,000 travel allowance and access to some of the world's most advanced research facilities. The successful GRFP applicant applies early, displays strong academic qualifications and research experience, and conducts research that makes a meaningful impact on society.
  
  

Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants in the Directorate for Biological Sciences (DDIG)

• Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants have funded research into the genetics of lizards.lizard 3 image by Michael Bronza from Fotolia.com
  
  The NSF funds doctoral students studying animal behavior and related fields through Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants in the Directorate for Biological Sciences. The grants are designed to improve the level of research that a graduate student is capable of carrying out. Acceptable uses of funding include conducting research, expanding on current research or traveling to and taking part in scientific conferences and professional gatherings. The grant falls under the purview of the NSF Division of Environmental Biology. Funding will not be awarded for proposals that do not focus on relevant fields of study. The program provides grants for research as diverse as that into butterfly and lizard genetics and the coexistence of species. Previously awarded grants fall into the areas of behavioral systems including animal behavior and many categories of environmental biology, including evolutionary genetics, evolutionary ecology and phylogenetic systematics.
  
  

East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for U.S. Graduate Students

• If you're interested in scientific study in Japan, consider the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for U.S. Graduate Students.Japan image by Angelika Bentin from Fotolia.com
  
  The NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for U.S. Graduate Students support students from the United States in experiencing eight to 10 weeks of research in Japan, China, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand, among others. Successful students receive exposure to scientific study in the selected country and an introduction to that country's language, people and culture.
  
  

Developing Global Scientists and Engineers

• The Developing Global Scientists and Engineers program is geared to scientists and engineers interested in international research.scientist professor experimenting image by Canakris from Fotolia.com
  
  The NSF's International Research Experiences for Students and Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Projects are research-focused grants administered through the Office of International Science and Engineering. IRES grants are designed to fund U.S. students, graduate or undergraduate, doing research in groups with international scientists. DDEP grants focus on supporting a doctoral researcher collaborating with a foreign scientist on dissertation research.