Funding Opportunities over $1M
The Office of Research Advancement and Partnerships has curated a list, updated weekly, from our Pivot database of potential collaborative opportunities with available funding greater than $1,000,000 available from six of WSU’s largest federal funders.
To receive more personalized funding opportunities, we encourage you to create a profile in Pivot to have a list delivered weekly to your in-box. Please reach out to us at or.orap.servicedesk@wsu.edu if you require assistance with Pivot or with developing your proposal.
The following list is a snippet of funding opportunities over $1M from the Department of Agriculture/USDA. You can find more USDA opportunities over $1M in the Pivot database.
Updated: Week of 7/15/2024| Title | Agency Deadline | Amount | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assisting Specialty Crop Exports, Sustainable Packaging Innovation Lab (ASCE-SPIL) | 7/17/2024 | $5,000,000 | The Assisting Specialty Crop Exports Sustainable Packaging Innovation Lab (ASCE-SPIL) project seeks to support research and implementation projects that advance U.S. specialty crop exports by developing innovative solutions to emerging foreign regulatory requirements for packaging and labeling of specialty crops. The recipient will act as the Managing Entity of ASCE-SPIL. In this capacity, the recipient will establish the ASCE-SPIL and develop, select, and manage a portfolio of subawards for industry and academic researchers working on sustainable packaging R&D and commercialization pilot activities to support U.S. exports of specialty crops. A key premise of the ASCE-SPIL is collaborative research through partnerships. To accomplish the goals of this innovation lab, the recipient must identify high-quality research activities, focusing on industry-identified priorities that will advance the objectives outlined below. Provide support to research activities developing sustainable packaging solutions to comply with emerging foreign regulations. Identify and address key R&D challenges impacting new formats of sustainable packaging. Conduct commercial pilots of innovative packaging systems including, but not limited to, compostable packaging, packaging that minimizes the use of plastic, packaging systems free of single-use plastics, innovative transport packaging, and reusable packaging systems. Facilitate collaboration between domestic and international researchers and producers of sustainable packaging. Identify the carbon footprint and food loss impacts of single-use plastic and alternative packaging. |
| Assisting Specialty Crop Exports: APEC Import MRL Guidelines Implementation Program | 7/17/2024 | $3,000,000 | The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, Trade and Regulatory Capacity Building, announces this funding opportunity to support the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) Initiative. This opportunity is intended to promote the export of U.S. specialty crops to current and prospective foreign markets. The Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS)/Trade and Regulatory Capacity Building Division (TRCBD) administers projects that increase U.S. trading partners' understanding and implementation of science-based obligations under the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS). Through technical assistance, regulatory reform, targeted short-term training, and strategic partnerships, TRCBD projects strengthen the rules-based trading system and reduce the risk that U.S. agricultural exports will be subject to arbitrary detention or denial of entry. TRCBD has a long-standing history of working with domestic and international regulatory authorities, research institutions, international standard-setting bodies, private sector, and regional economic communities. TRCBD workstreams in the past have included, but are not limited to, adoption on new Codex Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), registration of crop protection tools, risk assessment methodologies, risk communication, and development of regional guidelines for pesticide registration and MRL deferral pathways. The goal of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support the establishment of import MRLs through the adoption and implementation of the official “Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Import MRL Guideline for Pesticides” in APEC member economies. APEC members are important trading partners for U.S. fresh fruits, berries, vegetables, nuts and other specialty crops. Priority should be given to establishing import MRLs for specialty crops that benefit U.S. specialty crop producers and exporters. Recipients will not be expected to work in all APEC member economies; rather, target markets and commodities will be prioritized based on consultations with U.S. specialty crop industry stakeholders and coordination with FAS. |
| Assisting Specialty Crop Exports: Regional Alignment of Pesticide Regulatory Systems and Trade Facilitative MRLs | 7/29/2024 | $10,000,000 | The Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS)/Trade and Regulatory Capacity Building Division (TRCBD) administers projects that increase U.S. trading partners' understanding and implementation of science-based obligations under the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS). Through technical assistance, regulatory reform, targeted short-term training, and strategic partnerships, TRCBD projects strengthen the rules-based trading system and reduce the risk that U.S. agricultural exports will be subject to arbitrary detention or denial of entry. TRCBD has a long-standing history of working with domestic and international regulatory authorities, research institutions, international standard-setting bodies, private sector, and regional economic communities. TRCBD workstreams in the past have included, but are not limited to, adoption on new Codex Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), registration of crop protection tools, risk assessment methodologies, risk communication, and development of regional guidelines for pesticide registration and MRL deferral pathways. The Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) Initiative seeks to expand specialty crop exports by helping U.S. exporters address non-tariff trade barriers. One of the barriers identified by U.S. industry is missing or misaligned MRLs. As such, this project will address existing and potential MRL trade barriers affecting U.S. specialty crops exports and promote foreign understanding and support of Codex and U.S. risk-based pesticide regulatory systems. Ongoing industry engagement is critical to the success of the ASCE Initiative. Upon approval of funding, the recipient and USDA/FAS, together and individually, will solicit and receive feedback and information from U.S. specialty crop stakeholders intended to enhance the quality, focus and reach of the project. Specialty crops that are eligible for this project are those listed in the definition provided by USDA/Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The award recipient will be expected to coordinate with USDA/FAS on priorities and programming throughout the life of the agreement. |
| Cross-Border Plant Health Support in Africa | 8/9/2024 | $2,000,000 | The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is a trade agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) with the mission to promote U.S. agricultural exports. FAS seeks to liberalize global agricultural trade by supporting the global development of a strong rules-based trading system. Building on years of collaboration, USDA partners with the African Union (AU) to help develop and operationalize continental Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) systems, to include collaboration with the Regional Plant Protection Organization (RPPO), the African Union Inter-African Phytosanitary Council (AU-IAPSC). Supported projects will further the implementation of the AU SPS Policy Framework and Plant Health Strategy for Africa (PHSA) and will build on prior activities aligning pesticide regulatory guidelines, implementing electronic (ePhyto) certification, and risk-based border inspection. The projects will improve phytosanitary communication and knowledge to strengthen institutional capacity and coordination for plant health systems. Activities will boost risk- and science-based phytosanitary policies and standards that facilitate trade through the strengthening of, and collaboration with, AU-IAPSC and/or RECs. This includes but is not limited to: Providing technical expertise in the implementation of trade facilitating AU-IAPSC and REC programs and activities Partnering with RECs to implement trade facilitating phytosanitary activities in support of the AU SPS Policy Framework, PHSA and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Expanding on ongoing work related to risk-based phytosanitary border inspection and ecertification through working with AU-IAPSC, RECs, and the AfCFTA Secretariat as appropriate Providing technical support to AU-IAPSC and connecting with other ongoing initiatives such as the African Phytosanitary Program Supporting the development of continental and regional phytosanitary guidelines and policies in partnership with AU-IAPSC and RECs |
| Mobile Payments Solution for SNAP Authorized Framers | 8/15/2024 | $3,000,000 | The USDA Food and Nutrition Service plans to award the Mobile Payments Solution for SNAP Authorized Farmers, Cooperative Agreement. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to enable SNAP-authorized Direct Marketing Farmers (DMFs) and Farmers Markets (FMS) , as necessary) to determine, at no or little cost to them, whether adding SNAP to their business model has a positive cost-benefit value, and to provide SNAP recipients with greater access to DMFs operating at physical FM locations and via other direct marketing avenues (e.g., roadside stands, pick-your-own). The cooperator will use resources from this cooperative agreement to facilitate the development of a shared vision and set of approaches for supporting DMFs in becoming SNAP authorized; enabling the processing of EBT transactions through a secure SNAP Mobile Transaction Processing Application (The App); and assisting under-served farmers with direct marketing opportunities that result in connections with SNAP households and families and participants in other Federal nutrition assistance programs. |
| Broadband Technical Assistance | 8/20/2024 | $1,000,000 | The Rural Utilities Service (RUS or the Agency), a Rural Development (RD) agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces the acceptance of applications for Broadband Technical Assistance (BTA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. Broadband Technical Assistance provides competitive cooperative agreement funding to eligible entities to receive or deliver broadband technical assistance and training that promotes the expansion of broadband. Program funds must be used to support broadband technical assistance activities that promote the expansion of broadband into rural areas. Examples of broadband technical assistance projects may include conducting feasibility studies, completing network designs, and developing broadband financial assistance applications. The Agency encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance the following key priorities. Assisting rural communities recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure; Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to RD programs and benefits from RD funded projects; and Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities. |
The following list is a snippet of funding opportunities over $1M from the Department of Defense. You can find more DOD opportunities over $1M in the Pivot database.
Updated: Week of 7/22/24The following list is a snippet of funding opportunities over $1M from the Department of Education. You can find more Department of Education opportunities over $1M in the Pivot database.
Updated: Week of 7/22/2024| Title | Agency Deadline | Amount | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical Assistance on State Data Collection: National Technical Assistance Center To Improve State Capacity To Collect, Report, Analyze, and Use Accurate IDEA Part B Data CFDA Number 84.373Y | 8/8/2024 | $6,250,000 | The purpose of the Technical Assistance on State Data Collection program is to improve the capacity of States to meet the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) data collection and reporting requirements. Funding for the program is authorized under section 611(c)(1) of IDEA, which gives the Secretary authority to reserve not more than one-half of one percent of the amounts appropriated under Part B for each fiscal year to provide TA activities, where needed, to improve the capacity of States to meet the data collection and reporting requirements under Parts B and C of IDEA. The maximum amount the Secretary may reserve under this set-aside for any fiscal year is $25,000,000, cumulatively adjusted by the rate of inflation. Section 616(i) of IDEA requires the Secretary to review the data collection and analysis capacity of States to ensure that data and information determined necessary for implementation of section 616 of IDEA are collected, analyzed, and accurately reported to the Secretary. It also requires the Secretary to provide TA, where needed, to improve the capacity of States to meet the data collection requirements, which include the data collection and reporting requirements in sections 616 and 618 of IDEA. In addition, the Secretary may use funds reserved under section 611(c) of IDEA to “administer and carry out other services and activities to improve data collection, coordination, quality, and use under Parts B and C of the IDEA.” Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, Public Law 118-47, Division D, Title III, 136 Stat. 138, 460 (2024). The Data Center will provide TA to help States to (1) effectively and efficiently respond to IDEA-related data submission requirements; (2) improve the analyses of IDEA data to the extent these analyses respond to critical policy questions that will facilitate program improvement and compliance accountability; and (3) comply with applicable privacy requirements, including the privacy and confidentiality requirements under IDEA and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g) and its regulations at 34 CFR part 99. |
| School Choice and Improvement Programs (SCIP): Stronger Connections Technical Assistance and Capacity Building (SCTAC) Grant Program, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.424H | 8/26/2024 | $1,000,000 | The purpose of the SCTAC grant program is to advance the mental health and well-being of early learners (as defined in this notice), school-age children and youth, and educators and other school staff, by making grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to provide technical assistance and capacity building to high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) (as defined in this notice). |
The following list is a snippet of funding opportunities over $1M from the Department of Energy. You can find more DOE opportunities over $1M in the Pivot database.
Updated: Week of 7/22/2024| Title | Agency Deadline | Amount | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geothermal Resources’ Value In Implementing Decarbonization (GRID) | 7/24/2024 | $1,500,000 | GTO's Data, Modeling, and Analysis (DMA) Subprogram provides a critical supporting and enabling function toward advancing the entire GTO research portfolio. The goal of the DMA Subprogram is to identify and address barriers to geothermal adoption in the U.S. and validate and assess technical progress across the geothermal sector to inform the direction and prioritization of GTO RD&D. A primary technical objective of GTO’s DMA Subprogram is to accurately capture the value of geothermal energy resources in grid models and electricity market valuation. This FOA seeks applications to address the potential contribution of geothermal power in supporting an equitable transition to a future decarbonized grid. |
| Smart Manufacturing Technologies for Material and Process Innovation LIMITED: You must submit an internal cover letter | 8/1/2024 - Internal Deadline | $3,000,000 | |
| TECHNOLOGIES TO EMEND AND OBVIATE SYNTHETIC NITROGEN’S TOLL ON EMISSIONS (TEOSYNTE) | 8/13/2024 | $10,000,000 | |
| Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboraives LIMITED: You must submit an internal cover letter | 8/15/2024 - Internal Deadline | $20,000,000 | |
| Nuclear Energy Waste Transmutation Optimized Now (NEWTON) | 8/16/2024 | $10,000,000 | |
| Promoting Domestic and International Consensus on Clean Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Technologies | 8/20/2024 | $10,000,000 | The U.S. energy portfolio and U.S. economy depend heavily on fossil fuels and other sources of GHG emissions today, spanning sectors like power generation, industry, heat and transportation fuels. Advancing clean energy, carbon capture with durable storage in both the power and industrial sectors and CDR are imperative for achieving net-zero GHG goals. FECM envisions enabling the demonstration and ultimately deployment of technologies for carbon management and mitigating challenges of fossil fuel use in a just and sustainable way, with the goal of achieving net-zero GHG emissions by mid-century. As previously stated, one of the key missions of the Office of Fossil Energy is to, “minimize the environmental impacts of fossil fuels while working towards net-zero emissions.” To accomplish this mission, it is imperative that FECM provide outreach and education to many stakeholders, including the general public in order to allow them to make educated choices about energy. Towards this end, FECM seeks to partner with organizations with similar goals to help improve understanding and develop cooperative action on CDRs by reaching out to additional international and national organizations to conduct a series of co-related tasks that mutually serve the mission of the public as well as FECM. |
| Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) - Methane Emissions Reduction Program Oil and Gas Methane Monitoring and Mitigation | 8/26/2024 | $300,000,000 | This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) aligns with DOE’s Office of Resource Sustainability’s Methane Emissions Mitigation and Quantification Program to minimize emissions of methane during production, processing, and transportation across the oil and natural gas industry, with the goal of eliminating methane emissions from carbon-based fuel supply chains by 2030. Effective methane emissions mitigation strategies are dependent upon accurate quantification of both intentional and fugitive emissions from all elements across the natural gas infrastructure, including low producing oil and gas wells. Therefore, there is a continual need to maintain a state-of-the-industry understanding methane emissions mitigation opportunities and operation performance, through collection of empirical data, across oil and natural gas production and delivery regions of the United States. This is to maximize the value of these efforts to the public with the goals of reducing GHG emissions and improving environmental health and engagement of the affected public, (largely in disadvantaged or frontline communities). The FOA objective is to make funds available to a variety of entities for the purpose of mitigating methane emissions from marginal conventional wells (MCWs) and other oil and natural gas assets; accelerating the commercialization, scale-up and application of innovative methane emissions reduction technologies; and advancing the characterization and reduction of methane emissions through multi-scale, measurement-informed data collection and analysis. |
| Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) - Clean Fuels & Products Shot: Supporting Carbon Utilization Products via Electrochemical Conversion and Refinery and Petrochemical Facilities Retrofitting | 8/27/2024 | $2,666,667 | This program will provide funding to support the Department’s Clean Fuels & Products Shots initiative, which was established to support the national goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 by developing the sustainable feedstocks and conversion technologies necessary to produce crucial fuels, materials, and carbon-based products that are better for the environment than current petroleum-derived components. This FOA seeks applications to address carbon conversion challenges across two areas: engineering-scale electrochemical conversion with a focus on system durability and feasibility studies for refinery and petrochemical facility retrofits. Topic Area 1: “Engineering-Scale Testing of Electrochemical Systems for the Conversion CO2 into Value-Added Products” Topic Area 2: “Feasibility Studies for Retrofitting of Refineries and Petrochemical Facilities for Carbon Conversion” |
| Promoting Domestic and International Consensus on Clean Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Technologies | 9/30/2024 | $10,000,000 | The U.S. energy portfolio and U.S. economy depend heavily on fossil fuels and other sources of GHG emissions today, spanning sectors like power generation, industry, heat and transportation fuels. Advancing clean energy, carbon capture with durable storage in both the power and industrial sectors and CDR are imperative for achieving net-zero GHG goals. FECM envisions enabling the demonstration and ultimately deployment of technologies for carbon management and mitigating challenges of fossil fuel use in a just and sustainable way, with the goal of achieving net-zero GHG emissions by mid-century. As previously stated, one of the key missions of the Office of Fossil Energy is to, “minimize the environmental impacts of fossil fuels while working towards net-zero emissions.” To accomplish this mission, it is imperative that FECM provide outreach and education to many stakeholders, including the general public in order to allow them to make educated choices about energy. Towards this end, FECM seeks to partner with organizations with similar goals to help improve understanding and develop cooperative action on CDRs by reaching out to additional international and national organizations to conduct a series of co-related tasks that mutually serve the mission of the public as well as FECM. |
| Integrated University Program - Scholarship and Fellowship Support | 10/14/2030 | $3,000,000 | Consistent with USAID's Private Sector Engagement Policy, the focus of this APS is proactive engagement of and collaboration with the private sector in the identification and definition of key business and development problems and opportunities; the development and co-creation of market-based and market-oriented approaches to solve those problems and seize those opportunities; and the facilitation and implementation of such approaches. The GDA APS is designed to describe and provide a process through which the private sector, USAID and other organizations can work together to build Global Development Alliances (GDAs) that leverage private sector expertise to identify, develop and pursue market-based solutions to key development challenges. The GDAs created through this APS should advance and achieve: a) private sector led development; b) core business interests and objectives; c) USAID's strategic priorities and objectives; and d) the ongoing and sustainable generation of valuable development outcomes, results and impact. The GDA APS is not a Request for Applications (RFA) or a Request for Proposals (RFP). Instead, the GDA APS requests Global Development Alliance concept submissions. Based on those concept submissions, which must demonstrate extensive engagement of and co-creation with the private sector, USAID will determine whether to continue with the co-creation process set forth under this GDA APS. Depending on the results of that process, USAID may request a full application from an appropriate partner in a proposed GDA or proceed directly to award. |
The following list is a snippet of funding opportunities over $1M from the National Institutes of Health. You can find more NIH opportunities over $1M in the Pivot database.
Updated: Week of 7/15/2024| Title | Agency Deadline | Amount | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic, Non-Communicable Diseases and Disorders Across the Lifespan: Fogarty International Research Training Award (NCD-LIFESPAN) (D43 Clinical Trial Optional) | 7/13/2024 | $1,250,000 | This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) encourages applications for the Chronic, Non-Communicable Diseases and Disorders Across the Lifespan: Fogarty International Research Training Award (NCD-LIFESPAN) D43 program for institutional research training programs in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs, as defined by the World Bank classification system). Applications may be for collaborations between institutions in the U.S and an eligible LMIC or may involve just LMIC institutions if there is a previous track record of externally funded research and/or research training programs by the lead LMIC institution. The proposed institutional research training program is expected to sustainably strengthen the NCD research capacity of the LMIC institutions, and to train in-country experts to develop and conduct research on NCDs across the lifespan, with the long-range goal of developing and implementing evidence-based interventions relevant to their countries. Interdisciplinary research training that cuts across NCDs is encouraged. However, for more topical applications, the main focus of research training covered in the application must be relevant to the mission and/or interests of at least one of the participating NIH ICs, other than FIC, as stated by each in this FOA. Other NCD topics and types of training may be included as secondary and complementary focus areas. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) allows appointment of Trainees (D43) proposing to serve as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial; or proposing a separate ancillary clinical trial; or proposing to gain research experience in a clinical trial led by another investigator, as part of their research and career development. Components of Participating Organizations: Fogarty International Center (FIC) National Institute on Aging (NIA) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) All applications to this funding opportunity announcement should fall within the mission of the Institutes/Centers. The following NIH Offices may co-fund applications assigned to those Institutes/Centers. Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) |
| Tailoring HIV Curative Strategies to the Participant (UM1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | 7/30/2024 | $2,000,000 | The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support the development of clinical research platforms that will enable future clinical trials to determine whether combinations of HIV cure strategies can be effective when optimally tailored to the participants. The ultimate goal is for the results of such proof-of-concept clinical studies to inform the development and prioritization of more broad-based curative strategies that will be effective in all people living with HIV. This NOFO will support multidisciplinary teams to conduct coordinated basic and pre-clinical research to profile participants intact, rebound-competent HIV reservoirs and immunologic backgrounds and use that information to develop and test combinations of HIV curative approaches that are specifically tailored to those participants. |
| Center of Excellence for Systems Modeling of Infection and Immunity across Biological Scales (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | 7/30/2024 | $3,125,000 | The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to support the establishment of one (1) Center of Excellence (CoE) to coordinate the research community of infectious and immune-mediated disease (IID) computational modelers and advance IID modeling research across biological scales. The CoE must include three (3) Coordinating Cores and two (2) Research Projects to advance and integrate bridge models across scales in the context of IID, including HIV/AIDS. The CoE will accelerate multi-scale model development, sharing and re-use, and support collaboration to benefit the entire IID research community. This NOFO requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP), which will be assessed as part of the scientific and technical peer review evaluation. Applications that fail to include a PEDP will be considered incomplete and will be withdrawn. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the NOFO instructions carefully and view the available PEDP guidance material. |
| Avenir Award Program for Research on Substance Use Disorders and HIV (DP2 Clinical Trial Optional) | 8/15/2024 | $1,500,000 | Avenir means future in French. Accordingly, the Avenir Award Program for research on Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and HIV looks towards the future by supporting early stage investigators (ESI) proposing highly innovative studies at the intersection of HIV and substance use. Applications responding to this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) must clearly describe the nexus of HIV and substance use and propose research that aligns with NIH HIV/AIDS Research Priorities NOT-OD-20-018. This FOA aims to support broad spectrum of approaches spanning both basic and clinical research that have the potential to benefit substance using populations with or at risk for HIV. Some examples of research areas of interest to NIDA are reducing HIV incidence, optimizing therapies for HIV and SUD, minimizing the the impact of comorbidities, and achieving long-term suppression of HIV in the absence of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy. |
| Centers for Collaborative Research in Fragile X and FMR1-Associated Conditions (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) | 8/20/2024 | $1,200,000 | This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites new applications for Centers for Collaborative Research in Fragile X and FMR1-Associated Conditions (hereafter termed "Fragile X Centers"). Despite many remarkable advances in fundamental knowledge about FMR1-associated conditions, there remains a need to: (1) identify, characterize, and/or model factors that predict subgroup- or individual-level differences in clinical features (“phenotypic heterogeneity”) and/or responses to specific interventions among affected individuals; (2) identify novel mechanisms and targets for intervention that modulate symptom severity or therapeutic efficacy; and (3) identify and validate translatable biomarkers and/or outcome measures for potential use in clinical trials. All centers will be required to identify an overarching theme directed at broadening our understanding of one of these three research priority areas in FMR1-associated conditions. Successful Fragile X Centers will be composed of multidisciplinary teams of basic, translational, clinical, and/or data science investigators collaborating to address complex, difficult-to-solve problems within specific research priorities identified in the NIH FMR1 Strategic Plan. This NOFO includes specific requirements about inclusion of research on human subjects or human phenotypic data; diversity of participants; sources of materials being studied; and the types of allowable clinical trials. Applications that do not adhere to these requirements will be considered nonresponsive to this NOFO and will be withdrawn. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP). Components of Participating Organizations: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) |
| Fogarty HIV Research Training Program for Low-and Middle-Income Country Institutions (D43 Clinical Trial Optional) | 8/22/2024 | $1,400,000 | The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage applications for research training programs to strengthen the scientific capacity of institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to conduct HIV research relevant to the evolving HIV epidemic in their country. This FOA can support training for conducting research in a broad range of HIV research areas across HIV prevention, treatment, care, and quality of life continuum. This includes basic, epidemiologic, clinical, behavioral and social sciences, data science, community-based, implementation, operations, health services, and health systems research. Cross-disciplinary research as well as HIV associated comorbidities and coinfections affecting the HIV epidemic will be supported under this FOA. An application should focus the proposed training program to strengthen research capacity in a defined high priority HIV scientific area aligned with NIH HIV/AIDS research priorities (NOT-OD-20-018) at a specific LMIC institution and collaborating LMIC partner institutions. This FOA allows qualified Trainees to serve as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial; or to propose a separate ancillary study to an existing trial under the mentorship of an appropriate clinical researcher or to gain research experience in a clinical trial led by another investigator, as part of their research and career development. Components of Participating Organizations: Fogarty International Center (FIC) National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) National Cancer Institute (NCI) All applications to this funding opportunity announcement should fall within the mission of the Institutes/Centers. The following NIH Offices may co-fund applications assigned to those Institutes/Centers. Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) |
| NEI Translational Research Program for Therapeutics (R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | 8/24/2024 | $1,000,000 | The purpose of this NOFO is the rapid and efficient translation of innovative laboratory research findings into therapeutics for use by clinicians to treat visual system diseases or disorders. Multidisciplinary teams of scientists and clinicians must focus on generating preclinical data that will lead to the development of biological, pharmacological, medical device and/or combination product interventions. The ultimate goal of this program is to make new technological, biological and pharmacological resources available to clinicians and their patients. The steps towards this goal should be clearly delineated in a series of milestones that support the development of a therapeutic or device that will lead to an Investigational New Drug (IND) or Investigational Device Exception (IDE) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or testing in a clinical trial. The R33 is to focus on advancing a single therapeutic candidate through IND/IDE -enabling studies, filing an IND package with the FDA, and designing future clinical trials. Applicants pursuing early stage applied research should consider the companion (R61/R33) NOFO PAR-23-200. |
| AIDS Research Center on Mental Health and HIV/AIDS (P30 Clinical Trial Optional) | 8/25/2024 | $1,500,000 | The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Division of AIDS Research (DAR) encourages applications for Center Core Grants (P30) to support HIV/AIDS Research Centers (ARCs). These Research Centers are intended to provide infrastructural support that facilitates the development of high impact science in HIV/AIDS relevant to the NIMH mission. The NIMH ARCs support innovative, interdisciplinary research in several areas, including basic, neuro-HIV, behavioral and social, biostatistics and data science, and integrated biobehavioral, clinical, translational, and implementation science. |
| Utilizing Equipment to Study Environmental Extrinsic Factors and Enhance Rigor and Reproducibility of Animal Research (R24, Clinical Trials Not-Allowed) | 9/25/2024 | $1,600,000 | The Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) invites grant applications from core facilities, resource centers, animal vivaria, or individual investigators of other shared resources to systematically study the roles of critical environmental extrinsic factors in biological, behavioral, and treatment studies using animal model species, with the objective of enhancing the rigor and reproducibility of animal research. The research area must be broadly applicable to the scientific interests of two or more NIH Institutes or Centers (ICs) and must evaluate the biological processes that impact multiple organ systems in order to align with the ORIP’s NIH-wide mission and programs. The program supports the acquisition or update of modern equipment for measuring, monitoring, recording, and reporting environmental, biological or biobehavioral variables. The equipment requested must be capable of recording and reporting multiple parameters simultaneously. |
| NIDA Research Center of Excellence Grant Program (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) | 9/25/2024 | $10,000,000 | This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to provide support for research Centers that (1) conduct substance use and addiction research in any area of NIDA’s mission, including the intersection of substance use/addiction and HIV, (2) foster outstanding innovative science, (3) are multidisciplinary, thematically integrated, synergistic, and (4) serve as national resource(s) to provide educational and outreach activities to relevant research communities, educational organizations, the general public, and policy makers. It is expected that a Center will transform the scientific fields of focus. New and creative directions, but not incremental work, should be the focus of Center activities. The P50 Center of Excellence is expected to mentor and foster the career development of new and early career investigators by providing meaningful roles in the Center projects and research activities. The overarching goal of this program is to create NIDA Centers that will serve as the national resources to advance research relevant to substance use and SUDs by facilitating collaborations, sharing of data, research tools and reagents. |
| Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (ESI) (R35 - Clinical Trial Optional) | 10/3/2024 | $1,250,000 | The Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provides support for a program of research in an early stage investigator's laboratory that falls within the mission of NIGMS. For the purpose of this NOFO, a program of research is a collection of projects in the investigator's lab that are relevant to the mission of NIGMS. The goal of MIRA is to increase the efficiency and efficacy of NIGMS funding. |
| Research Collaboration Network in Structural Racism Measurement and Modeling (U24 Clinical Trial Optional) | 10/5/2024 | $1,000,000 | This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites applications to form an interdisciplinary network of scholars from a variety of disciplines to collaborate with each other in the measurement and modeling of structural racism to facilitate research on life course health and aging. Applicants should propose activities that include the following: Expansion of structural racism measures and methods through input from the broader research community and development of a publicly available data repository for use by researchers, community members, and policy makers through a data portal to facilitate research on life course health and aging. Support of activities that bring together scholars in the behavioral/sciences, humanities, education, political science, and the public health sciences to improve measurement and methods for the study of structural racism in life course health and aging research. Engagement with national and international scientific organizations to promote further advances in measurement and methods of structural racism in research on life course health and aging. Pilot projects on measurement and methods of structural racism in life course health and aging research, incorporating interdisciplinary approaches from the behavioral/social sciences, humanities, education, and political science with the public health sciences. Collaboration with NIA Centers and other NIA research networks on measurement and methods for the study of structural racism. Serving as a central resource for the organization of meetings and other educational activities (e.g., intensive summer institutes, series of workshops, advanced seminars on methodology, or short-term residential opportunities) on measures and methods of structural racism for aging research. Components of Participating Organizations: National Institute on Aging (NIA) National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) All applications to this funding opportunity announcement should fall within the mission of the Institutes/Centers. The following NIH Offices may co-fund applications assigned to those Institutes/Centers. Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) |
| Collaborative Opportunities for Multidisciplinary, Bold, and Innovative Neuroscience (COMBINE) (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional) | 10/8/2024 | $1,500,000 | The Collaborative Opportunities for Multidisciplinary, Bold, and Innovative Neuroscience (COMBINE) program is designed to support integrated efforts of three to six PDs/PIs to pursue a bold, impactful, and challenging goal with defined 5-year outcomes within the scope of this program and the NINDS mission. This defined research goal must only be achievable by an interdisciplinary team approach involving innovative combination of distinct disciplines and/or intellectual viewpoints, synergy in expertise and approaches, and well-managed team interactions. Proposed research must not represent a collection of individual efforts or parallel projects, but rather an integrated effort from all PIs to achieve a single, transformative research goal. This program is distinct from the NINDS P01 and parent R01 in that it will support a single, focused goal instead of multiple aims. |
| Comprehensive Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity (CPACHE) (U54 Clinical Trial Optional) | 10/9/2024 | $2,500,000 | This funding opportunity seeks to support the Comprehensive Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity (CPACHE) Program. The CPACHE Program develops and maintains comprehensive, long-term, and mutually beneficial partnerships between institutions serving underserved health disparity populations and underrepresented students (ISUPSs) and NCI-designated Cancer Centers (CCs). The program aims to achieve a stronger national cancer program and address challenges in cancer and cancer disparities research, education, and outreach, as well as cancer's impact on underserved populations. The institutions in each partnership are expected to work collaboratively to: 1) increase the cancer research and cancer research education capacity of the ISUPSs; 2) promote the diversity of the cancer research workforce; 3) improve the effectiveness of CCs in developing and sustaining research programs focused on cancer health disparities and increase the number of investigators and students conducting cancer health disparities research; and 4) develop and implement cancer-related outreach and education initiatives that benefit the surrounding underserved communities. |
| IDeA Clinical and Translational Research Development (CTR-D) Award (P20-Clinical Trial Optional) | 10/9/2024 | $1,500,000 | The purpose of the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Clinical & Translational Research Development (CTR-D) program is to support clinical and translational research, workforce development, and infrastructure enhancement at health research organizations in IDeA-eligible states that have limited clinical and translational research capacity. CTR-D awards are intended to build a foundation of clinical and translational research expertise and infrastructure that will enable recipients to conduct research on diseases and health challenges faced by the populations they serve. |
| Comprehensive Alcohol Research Centers (P60 Clinical Trial Optional) | 10/15/2024 | $7,000,000 | This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites applications for Comprehensive Alcohol Research Centers using the P60 mechanism which requires a dissemination core to initiate and expand community education related to the activities of the center. The overall purpose of the NIAAA Alcohol Research Center program is to provide leadership in conducting and fostering interdisciplinary, collaborative research on a wide variety of topics relevant to the Institute’s mission. These topics include, but are not limited to: the nature, etiology, genetics, epigenetics, diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment, and prevention of alcohol misuse, alcohol use disorder, alcohol-related end organ diseases and their biomedical, neurochemical, behavioral, psychosocial, and economic consequences across the lifespan and impacting racial and ethnic minority groups and other NIH-designated populations that experience health disparities. Centers also are regional or national resources that contribute to the development of new research methods, technologies and approaches that sustain innovative goal-directed research. This NOFO requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP), which will be assessed as part of the scientific and technical peer review evaluation. Applications that fail to include a PEDP will be considered incomplete and will be withdrawn. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the FOA instructions carefully and view the available PEDP guidance material. |
| D-START: Data Science Track Award for Research Transition (D/START) (R03-Clinical Trial Optional) | 10/16/2024 | $1,000,000 | This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) seeks to support investigators interested in applying cutting-edge data science techniques to address timely and challenging research questions related to substance use and/or substance use disorder (SUD) in all areas of research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). This NOFO requests Small Research Grant (R03) applications to support research projects that can be carried out in a short period of time with limited resources. |
| NCCIH Natural Product Early Phase Clinical Trial Award (R33 Clinical Trial Required) | 10/21/2024 | $1,050,000 | This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) encourages applications for investigator-initiated, early phase, clinical trials of natural products (i.e., botanicals, dietary supplements, and probiotics), which have a strong scientific premise to justify further clinical testing. For this NOFO, natural products include promising nutritional regimens that standardize the amount of a specific naturally occurring nutritional compound (e.g., omega-3 fatty acids, anthocyanidins, or polyphenols) and have compelling preliminary evidence. Under this NOFO, trials must be designed so that results, whether positive or negative, will provide information of high scientific utility and will support decisions about further development or testing of the natural product. This NOFO will provide up to 3 years support for studies to replicate the impact of the natural product on target engagement when used by humans, and assess whether there is an association between the degree of the impact on target engagement and functional or clinical outcomes in a patient population. Applications are encouraged to design studies to determine how to optimize the impact of the natural product on target engagement by optimizing the delivery of the natural product through examination of different doses or formulations. In addition, applications can be designed to combine the natural product with another treatment approach that is known to engage the same target; or study the impact of the natural product in a target population that is more responsive. Clinical trials submitted under this NOFO are expected to be hypothesis based, milestone-driven, and directly related to the research priorities and mission of NCCIH. This R33 funding mechanism is intended to accelerate the translation of emerging basic science findings about natural products into early-stage clinical testing to determine whether continued clinical research is warranted. This NOFO will not support efficacy or effectiveness trials, nor will it support trials to test natural products for the treatment or prevention of cancer. |
The following list is a snippet of funding opportunities over $1M from the National Science Foundation. You can find more NSF opportunities over $1M in the Pivot database.
Updated: Week of 7/15/2024| Title | Agency Deadline | Amount | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program LIMITED: You must submit an internal cover letter | 8/7/2024 - Internal Deadline | $3,180,000 | The NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP) provides an opportunity for applicants who received the distinction of GRFP Honorable Mention no more than three years before the proposal due date to be named NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellows and obtain financial support for their graduate education at an institution in an EPSCoR jurisdiction. EGFP aims to enhance the capacity and competitiveness of EPSCoR jurisdictions by providing funding to graduate degree-awarding institutions to support NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellows as they pursue graduate degrees in the disciplines specified by the NSF Directorates and Office that are participating in the EGFP funding program. Fellows may pursue degrees in field that differ from the field or sub-field of study that the GRFP Honorable Mention recipients previously listed in their GRFP application. EGFP awards will be made to institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions. Awards will provide three years of stipend and associated cost-of-education allowance for each NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellow. Stipends must be budgeted at the level of $37,000 per year per Fellow and cost-of-education allowances must be budgeted at the level of $16,000 per year per Fellow. A total of three years of support must be budgeted per Fellow. Each Fellow must be given up to five years to utilize the support. Awardees will administer the awards such that the Fellows receive the full stipend amount and the institution retains the full cost-of-education allowance during the three years that each Fellow receives support. All submissions must request support for a minimum of three Fellows. |
| EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence Research Infrastructure Improvement Program (E-RISE RII) | 8/13/2024 | $11,500,000 | The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) fulfills the mandate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to promote scientific progress nationwide. NSF EPSCoR facilitates the establishment of partnerships among academic institutions, government, industry, and non-profit sectors that are designed to promote sustainable improvements in the research infrastructure, Research and Development (R&D) capacity, and R&D competitiveness of EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions (i.e., states, territories, and commonwealths). The E-RISE RII program supports the incubation of research teams and products in a scientific topical area that links to research priorities identified in the submitting jurisdiction's approved Science and Technology (S&T) Plan. E-RISE RII invites innovative proposals that will lead to development and implementation of sustainable broad networks of individuals, institutions, and organizations that will transform the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research capacity and competitiveness in a jurisdiction within the chosen field of research. E-RISE RII projects must be designed to incubate (i) areas of research capacity building within a chosen research topic; (ii) development of a skilled workforce that is relevant to the project and its outcomes; (iii) promotion of diversity, equity, access, and a culture of inclusion of different types of academic institutions (see below) and non-academic sectors (e.g., industry and government); (iv) integration of the research with societal impacts in a time-bound manner; and (v) sustainability of a clear pathway towards preserving the resulting research incubator's team and products beyond E-RISE RII funding. |
| Advanced Computing Systems & Services: Adapting to the Rapid Evolution of Science and Engineering Research LIMITED: You must submit an internal cover letter | 8/13/2024 - Internal Deadline | $5,000,000 | The intent of this solicitation is to request proposals from organizations who are willing to serve as resource providers within the NSF Advanced Computing Systems and Services (ACSS) program. Resource providers would (1) provide advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI) resources in production operations to support the full range of computational- and data-intensive research across all of science and engineering (S&E), and (2) ensure democratized and equitable access to the proposed resources. The current solicitation is intended to complement previous NSF investments in advanced computational infrastructure by provisioning resources, broadly defined in this solicitation to include systems and/or services, in two categories: Category I, Capacity Resources: production computational resources maximizing the capacity provided to support the broad range of computation and data analytics needs in S&E research; and Category II, Innovative Prototypes/Testbeds: innovative forward-looking capabilities deploying novel technologies, architectures, usage modes, etc., and exploring new target applications, methods, and paradigms for S&E discoveries. Resource Providers supported via this solicitation will be incorporated into NSF’s ACSS program portfolio. This program complements investments in leadership-class computing and funds a federation of nationally available HPC resources that are technically diverse and intended to enable discoveries at a computational scale beyond the research of individual or regional academic institutions. NSF anticipates that at least 90% of the provisioned resource will be available to the S&E community through an open peer-reviewed national allocation process and have resource users be supported by community and other support services. Such allocation and support services are expected to be coordinated through the NSF-funded “Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support” (ACCESS) suite of services, or an NSF-approved alternative as may emerge. If this is not feasible for the proposed resource, proposers must clearly explain in detail why this is the case and how they intend to make the proposed resource available to the national S&E community |
| EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement-Focused EPSCoR Collaborations Program (RII-FEC) LIMITED: You must submit an internal cover letter | 8/17/2024 - Internal Deadline | $10,000,000 | The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is designed to fulfill the mandate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to promote scientific progress nationwide. EPSCoR eligibility status is yearly updated and reported in the EPSCoR website (see EPSCoR eligibility). Through this program, NSF establishes partnerships with government, higher education, and industry that are designed to affect sustainable improvements in a jurisdiction's research infrastructure, Research and Development (R&D) capacity, and hence, its R&D competitiveness. The RII-FEC program (formerly known as "EPSCoR Track-2 program") builds inter-jurisdictional collaborative teams of EPSCoR investigators in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) focus areas consistent with the current National Science Foundation Strategic Plan. Projects are investigator-driven and must include researchers from at least two EPSCoR eligible jurisdictions with complementary expertise and resources necessary to address challenges, which neither party could address as well or as rapidly independently. RII-FEC projects have a comprehensive and integrated vision to drive discovery and build sustainable STEM capacity that exemplifies individual, institutional, geographic, and disciplinary diversity. The projects' STEM research and education activities seek to broaden participation through the strategic inclusion and integration of all individuals, institutions, and sectors. Additionally, EPSCoR recognizes that the development of early-career faculty from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields is critical to sustaining and advancing research capacity. The integration and inclusion of Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), women's colleges, Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), and two-year colleges is a critical component of this sustainable STEM capacity. |
| Ideas Lab: Use-Inspired Acceleration of Protein Design | 8/30/2024 | $3,750,000 | The U.S. National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) is charged with accelerating use-inspired and translational research and development (R&D) to advance U.S. competitiveness in key technology focus areas. The Use-Inspired Acceleration of Protein Design (USPRD) initiative will accelerate the translation of novel approaches to protein design and enable new applications of importance to the U.S. bioeconomy. Significant advances have been made in the ability of researchers to predict the three-dimensional (3D) structure of proteins from primary sequence, and to use that information to design proteins with desired characteristics. These advances have been enabled by: macromolecular modeling; training data available in repositories such as the Protein Data Bank (PDB); the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning; and high-throughput protein characterization. The improved accuracy of in-silico design has reduced the number of constructs that need to be validated in costly and time-consuming “wet lab” experiments. USPRD aims to advance protein design and its applications to the next level by: A. Accelerating the use of protein design technologies to enable applications beyond human therapeutics, e.g., applications to advanced materials, biomanufacturing, agriculture and food security, environmental remediation, sustainability, and climate-related challenges. B. Extending the range of accurate prediction models to enable the design of enzymes and families of enzymes. This will require models and tools that account for the dynamic nature of protein structures. USPRD seeks significant breakthroughs in the application of protein design through: a) Use-driven activities that design novel proteins with specific characteristics and demonstrate their application, e.g., the design and characterization of specific enzymes or enzyme families that promote sustainability by degrading specific bio-contaminants. b) Infrastructure components, such as software tools, datasets, and characterization services that can readily be accessed by protein designers. c) Designer-facing components that will ensure the accessibility of the infrastructure components and collaboration with protein designers engaged in the third-party use-driven activities. d) Ecosystem components, such as standards and roadmaps, that help coordinate the actions of multiple parties within the emerging ecosystem. This may also include open-source software and/or data repositories. e) Workforce components focused on the training of translational talent with the skills and passion to engage in use-driven protein design activities. |
| Gen-4 Engineering Research Centers | 9/3/2024 | $26,000,000 | Founded in 1984, the Engineering Research Centers (ERC) program brings technology-based industry and universities together in an effort to strengthen the competitive position of American industry in the global marketplace. These partnerships are expected to establish cross-disciplinary centers focused on advancing fundamental engineering knowledge and engineered systems technology while exposing students to the integrative aspects of engineered systems and industrial practice. The goal of the ERC program has traditionally been to integrate engineering research and education with technological innovation to transform and improve national prosperity, health, and security. Building upon this tradition, NSF is interested in supporting ERCs to develop and advance engineered systems, which if successful, will have a high Societal Impact. The ERC program supports convergent research (CR) that will lead to strong societal impact. Each ERC has interacting foundational components that go beyond the research project, including engineering workforce development (EWD) at all participant stages, where all participants gain mutual benefit, and value creation within an innovation ecosystem (IE) that will outlast the lifetime of the ERC. These foundational elements are integrated throughout ERC activities and in alignment with the Center's vision and targeted societal impact. The overall impact of the ERC program is expected within the Engineering Community, the Scientific Enterprise, and Society. |
| Biodiversity on a Changing Planet (BoCP) | 9/5/2024 | $2,500,000 | The biodiversity found in nature is essential for healthy ecosystems and human well-being. However, the disruption and decline of Earth’s biodiversity is currently occurring at an unprecedented rate. The resulting shifts in biodiversity dynamics — including changes in the scope and structure of biodiversity — are increasingly significant but not well understood. Shifting biodiversity dynamics (i.e., shifts in scope, structure, and interactions of biodiversity) in turn influence functional biodiversity, which includes the roles of traits, organisms, species, communities, and ecosystem processes in natural systems. Changes in biodiversity dynamics and functional biodiversity are components of future planetary resilience under environmental change, including climate change. The connection between functional biodiversity and biodiversity dynamics on a changing planet is the main focus of the Biodiversity on a Changing Planet (BoCP) program. The program encourages proposals that integrate ecological and evolutionary approaches in the context of the continual gain, loss, and reorganization of biodiversity on a changing planet. To advance a comprehensive understanding of functional biodiversity requires a highly integrative approach – including consideration of spatial and temporal dimensions from the organismal to the ecosystem level, and from recent to deep timescales. The BoCP program is a cross-directorate and international program led by NSF that invites submission of interdisciplinary proposals addressing grand challenges in biodiversity science within the context of unprecedented environmental change, including climate change. Successful BoCP proposals will test novel hypotheses about functional biodiversity and its connections to shifting biodiversity on a changing planet, with respect to both how environmental change affects taxonomic and functional biodiversity, as well as how the resulting functional biodiversity across lineages feeds back on the environment. Proposals that seek to improve predictive capability about functional biodiversity across temporal and spatial scales by considering the linkages between past, present, and future biological, climatic, and geological processes are also encouraged. While this focus complements several core programs at NSF, it differs by requiring an integrative approach to understanding functional biodiversity as it relates to shifting biodiversity under changing environmental conditions. The program supports both US-only collaborative proposals and proposals with international partnerships with the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) of Brazil, and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. International collaborative proposals are to be submitted jointly, with the US PIs submitting to NSF and the collaborating Chinese, Brazilian, or South African PIs submitting to their appropriate national funding agencies. These agreements do not preclude other international collaborations (see solicitation for additional details). |
| Biodiversity on a Changing Planet (BoCP) | 9/5/2024 | $14,000,000 | The biodiversity found in nature is essential for healthy ecosystems and human well-being. However, the disruption and decline of Earth’s biodiversity is currently occurring at an unprecedented rate. The resulting shifts in biodiversity dynamics — including changes in the scope and structure of biodiversity — are increasingly significant but not well understood. Shifting biodiversity dynamics (i.e., shifts in scope, structure, and interactions of biodiversity) in turn influence functional biodiversity, which includes the roles of traits, organisms, species, communities, and ecosystem processes in natural systems. Changes in biodiversity dynamics and functional biodiversity are components of future planetary resilience under environmental change, including climate change. The connection between functional biodiversity and biodiversity dynamics on a changing planet is the main focus of the Biodiversity on a Changing Planet (BoCP) program. The program encourages proposals that integrate ecological and evolutionary approaches in the context of the continual gain, loss, and reorganization of biodiversity on a changing planet. To advance a comprehensive understanding of functional biodiversity requires a highly integrative approach – including consideration of spatial and temporal dimensions from the organismal to the ecosystem level, and from recent to deep timescales. The BoCP program is a cross-directorate and international program led by NSF that invites submission of interdisciplinary proposals addressing grand challenges in biodiversity science within the context of unprecedented environmental change, including climate change. Successful BoCP proposals will test novel hypotheses about functional biodiversity and its connections to shifting biodiversity on a changing planet, with respect to both how environmental change affects taxonomic and functional biodiversity, as well as how the resulting functional biodiversity across lineages feeds back on the environment. Proposals that seek to improve predictive capability about functional biodiversity across temporal and spatial scales by considering the linkages between past, present, and future biological, climatic, and geological processes are also encouraged. While this focus complements several core programs at NSF, it differs by requiring an integrative approach to understanding functional biodiversity as it relates to shifting biodiversity under changing environmental conditions. The program supports both US-only collaborative proposals and proposals with international partnerships with the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) of Brazil, and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. International collaborative proposals are to be submitted jointly, with the US PIs submitting to NSF and the collaborating Chinese, Brazilian, or South African PIs submitting to their appropriate national funding agencies. These agreements do not preclude other international collaborations (see solicitation for additional details). |
| National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program (NRT) | 9/6/2024 | $3,000,000 | The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program seeks proposals that explore ways for graduate students in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas, through a comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs. Proposals are requested that address any interdisciplinary or convergent research theme of national priority. The NRT program addresses workforce development, emphasizing broad participation, and institutional capacity building needs in graduate education. The program encourages proposals that involve strategic collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science centers, and academic partners. NRT especially welcomes proposals that include partnership with NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) and leverage INCLUDES project efforts to develop STEM talent from all sectors and groups in our society. Collaborations between NRT proposals and existing NSF INCLUDES projects should strengthen both NRT and INCLUDES projects. For FY2021, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) have been added to the national priority areas in which the NRT Program encourages proposals. Proposals are sought on any interdisciplinary research theme of national priority, with special emphasis on AI and QISE and the six research areas within NSF’s 10 Big Ideas. The NSF research Big Ideas are Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR), The Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (FW-HTF), Navigating the New Arctic (NNA), Windows on the Universe: The Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (WoU), The Quantum Leap: Leading the Next Quantum Revolution (QL), and Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype (URoL). Proposals that align with one of these designated priority areas should contain a title to reflect that alignment, as described in the program solicitation (e.g., NRT-AI: title, NRT-HDR: title, NRT-QL: title). |
| Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies | 9/12/2024 | $1,000,000 | Through this new initiative, the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) and the newly established Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) seek to support experiential learning opportunities for individuals from diverse professional and educational backgrounds that will increase access to, and interest in, career pathways in emerging technology fields (e.g., advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum information science, semiconductors, and microelectronics). As NSF seeks to support the development of technologies in such fields, similar support will be needed to foster and grow a diverse science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce to contribute to such innovation. Large scale societal challenges like climate change and clean energy also require a STEM workforce that brings varied perspectives and expertise to further accelerate the translation of science and engineering discoveries into large-scale solutions. Moreover, as current and new emerging technologies continue to evolve, unforeseen issues around security, safety and privacy will impact the preparation of the workforce. Emerging technologies are also dynamic and rapidly changing, with career entry and advancement often requiring "learning-by-doing" experience, even for those with some STEM education. Therefore, NSF recognizes that a competitive emerging technology workforce must include individuals from traditional and nontraditional education pathways as well as those individuals who may have “stopped” out of traditional educational pathways. The ExLENT program will support inclusive experiential learning opportunities designed to provide cohorts of diverse learners with the crucial skills needed to succeed in emerging technology fields and prepare them to enter the workforce ready to solve our Nation’s most pressing scientific and societal challenges. Furthermore, the ExLENT program will directly support NSF’s priority to build a diverse workforce1 in emerging technologies to assure the Nation’s competitiveness in STEM. Key goals of the program are to (1) expand access to career-enhancing experiential learning opportunities for a broader, more diverse population, including adult learners interested in re-skilling and/or upskilling (e.g., those who face or who have faced significant barriers to accessing a formal STEM education); (2) promote cross sector partnerships between organizations in emerging technology fields and those with expertise in workforce development; and (3) develop a workforce aligned with regional economies based on emerging technologies across the Nation, in alignment with the mission of the TIP Directorate. |
| DoD Breast Cancer, Clinical Research Extension Award | 9/12/2024 | $6,000,000 | The FY24 BCRP Clinical Research Extension Award aims to extend or expand the data collection, follow-up, and analysis of breast cancer clinical studies. The intent of this mechanism is to increase the clinically relevant impact of breast cancer patient participation in clinical research by addressing the knowledge lost due to early trial termination, limited patient follow-up, or suboptimal sample and/or data collection and analysis. Patients’ contributions of tissue, serum, and other biologic specimens and their data are invaluable to saving lives. The BCRP has created this mechanism to help ensure that science values those contributions with research that maximizes their impact. |
| Design for Environmental Sustainability in Computing (DESC) | 9/13/2024 | $2,000,000 | The goal of the Design for Environmental Sustainability in Computing (DESC) program is to address the substantial environmental impacts that computing has through its entire lifecycle from design and manufacturing, through deployment into operation, and finally into reuse, recycling, and disposal. These impacts go well beyond commonly-considered measures of energy consumption at run-time and include greenhouse warming gas emissions (GHGs), depletion of scarce resources like rare earth elements, and the creation of toxic byproducts. For instance, embodied energy, GHGs, and other harmful emissions from manufacturing computing systems can often be higher than the operational energy and resulting GHGs and harmful emissions systems will use and emit during their lifetime. Data centers can directly impact local ecosystems through heat management practices, as well as impacting local power management and capacity. Algorithmic, software, and workflow design choices; design of operating systems and middleware; and choices of programming languages and compilation can drive environmental impacts from provisioning, use, and effective lifetimes of computing. Moreover, decisions about maintenance, repurposing and disposal of computing systems shape those impacts by affecting the need for additional systems manufacturing and disposal, the latter of which impacts contamination and consumption of landfill space. The DESC solicitation seeks to bring together teams to work toward solutions that address sustainability in new and measurably different ways that are inclusive of the breadth of computing and information science and engineering research, with the ultimate goal of holistic order of magnitude improvements in the environmental sustainability of computing. DESC projects should go beyond solely energy efficiency to address a more complete set of environmentally sustainable outcomes in terms of (but not limited to) metrics of GHGs, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), consumption and disposal of rare materials, heat, wastewater, recyclability, and longevity, along with potential interactions between these metrics. DESC seeks novel approaches that address and raise environmental sustainability to a first-order system objective along with performance, energy-efficiency, security, and other common concerns, at all layers of system stacks and all steps in their lifecycles. Novel hardware and network architectures, sustainability-aware algorithms and data management tools, and methods for software and system design that support assessing and encouraging environmental sustainability are all needed. Approaches to sustainably manage increasingly large datasets and workloads are crucial as are techniques to enhance computing capabilities while consuming fewer resources. Improved modeling and methodologies for organizational and end-user decision making around adoption, use, repurposing, and ultimately disposal of computing systems are also needed. |
| Workplace Equity for Persons with Disabilities in STEM and STEM Education | 9/17/2024 | $1,500,000 | The Workplace Equity for Persons with Disabilities in STEM and STEM Education solicitation, which is managed by the Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM in the Directorate for STEM Education, supports fundamental, applied, and translational research that advances knowledge and practice about diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible STEM and STEM education workplaces and postsecondary training environments for persons with disabilities. Proposals should focus on one or more of the following three research themes: (1) Studying barriers and solutions to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in STEM and STEM education workplaces and training settings for persons with disabilities; (2) Applying intersectional social identity perspectives to investigate characteristics and conditions of STEM and STEM education workplaces and training environments that limit and/or improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility for persons with disabilities; and (3) Conducting use-inspired and solution-oriented translational research about diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible STEM and STEM Education workplaces and training settings for persons with disabilities. Research proposals must address key project design components: (1) The inclusion of researchers, experts, and organizations with authentic disability experiences; (2) The identification of disability type(s) to be investigated; (3) The specific STEM and/or STEM education workplaces and postsecondary training settings to be studied; (4) The use of theoretical and/or conceptual frameworks and robust research hypotheses, questions, designs, methodologies, data analyses, and data interpretation; (5) A plan to assess the success of the project; and (6) A plan for the accessible dissemination of knowledge and practice outcomes to traditional and new audiences. |
| Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing in Practice | 9/27/2024 | $1,500,000 | Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI EO), which emphasizes the role for privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) in a responsible and safe AI future. The EO directs NSF to, “where feasible and appropriate, prioritize research — including efforts to translate research discoveries into practical applications — that encourage the adoption of leading-edge PETs solutions for agencies’ use.” It also tasks NSF with “developing and helping to ensure the availability of testing environments, such as testbeds, to support the development of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI technologies, as well as to support the design, development, and deployment of associated PETs.” In addition to meeting these directives in the AI EO, the PDaSP program strives to address key recommendations made in the National Strategy to Advance Privacy Preserving Data Sharing and Analytics (PPDSA). In particular, the program strives to advance the strategy’s priority to “Accelerate Transition to Practice,” which includes efforts to “promote applied and translational research and systems development,” develop “tool repositories, measurement methods, benchmarking, and testbeds,” and “improve usability and inclusiveness of PPDSA solutions.” The PDaSP program welcomes proposals from qualified researchers and multidisciplinary teams in the following tracks with expected funding ranges for proposals as shown below. Track 1: Advancing key technologies to enable practical PPDSA solutions Track 2: Integrated and comprehensive solutions for trustworthy data sharing in application settings Track 3: Usable tools, and testbeds for trustworthy sharing of private or otherwise confidential data |
| Ideas Lab: Breaking the Low Latency Barrier for Verticals in Next-G Wireless Networks | 9/30/2024 | $3,700,000 | The U.S. National Science Foundation's Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) is charged with accelerating use-inspired and translational research and development (R&D) to advance U.S. competitiveness in key technology focus areas. The Breaking the Low Latency Barrier for Verticals in Next-G Wireless Networks (Breaking Low) initiative will accelerate and enable new technologies and contribute to the growth of the U.S. economy in advanced wireless communications. TIP is seeking to identify and address critical architectural, technical and technological issues that must be resolved in fifth-generation (5G) and next generation (Next-G) wireless networks to provide the necessary low-latency performance that is required for the success of key emerging vertical industries. Most current public cellular deployments are unable to support end-to-end (E2E) latencies that are consistently below 10 milliseconds (ms) and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) latencies below 10 ms are possible only under certain favorable conditions (low network load, high bandwidth) even with Wi Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax). The Next-G mobile network use cases are expected to demand even more stringent latency and reliability requirements as network designers seek to raise the bar with better performance. A closer examination of the current state of the art reveals that there are critical bottlenecks at various points in the end-to-end network path from the application to the cloud resulting from the existing design, architectural, protocol, processing, optimization and implementation choices across both control and user planes, as well as the lack of low-latency vertical applications-driven technology development. |
| EHR Core Research (ECR:Core) | 10/3/2024 | $2,500,000 | The EHR Core Research (ECR) program offers this ECR:Core solicitation and invites proposals for fundamental research (curiosity-driven basic research and use-inspired basic research) that contributes to the general, explanatory knowledge that underlies STEM education in one or more of the three broadly conceived Research Areas: Research on STEM Learning and Learning Environments, Research on Broadening Participation in STEM fields, and Research on STEM Workforce Development. Within this framework, the ECR program supports a wide range of fundamental STEM education research activities, aimed at learners of all groups and ages in formal and informal settings. Fundamental research generates knowledge and understanding with the potential for broad relevance. The potential implications of ECR fundamental research for improving STEM education practice may be indirect and long-term rather than direct and immediate. Moreover, whether they include basic or use-inspired basic research, all successful ECR:Core proposals focus on the advancement or refinement of foundational knowledge for STEM education. |
| Advanced Technological Education (ATE) | 10/3/2024 | $1,644,444 | With a focus on two-year Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program supports the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation's economy. The program involves partnerships between academic institutions (grades 7-12, IHEs), industry, and economic development agencies to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians. It is strongly recommended that projects be faculty-led and required that courses and programs are credit-bearing, although materials developed may also be used for incumbent worker education. Materials may also be adapted and implemented as credit-bearing courses. The ATE program supports curriculum development; professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; career pathway development for both students and incumbent workers; and other activities including applied research projects that advance the knowledge base related to technician education. |
| Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence | 10/10/2024 | $1,500,000 | Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are enabling extraordinary scientific breakthroughs in fields ranging from protein folding, natural language processing, drug synthesis, and recommender systems to the discovery of novel engineering materials and products. These achievements lie at the confluence of mathematics, statistics, engineering and computer science, yet a clear explanation of the remarkable power and also the limitations of such AI systems has eluded scientists from all disciplines. Critical foundational gaps remain that, if not properly addressed, will soon limit advances in machine learning, curbing progress in artificial intelligence. It appears increasingly unlikely that these critical gaps can be surmounted with increased computational power and experimentation alone. Deeper mathematical understanding is essential to ensuring that AI can be harnessed to meet the future needs of society and enable broad scientific discovery, while forestalling the unintended consequences of a disruptive technology. Specific research goals include: establishing a fundamental mathematical understanding of the factors determining the capabilities and limitations of current and emerging generations of AI systems, including, but not limited to, foundation models, generative models, deep learning, statistical learning, federated learning, and other evolving paradigms; the development of mathematically grounded design and analysis principles for the current and next generations of AI systems; rigorous approaches for characterizing and validating machine learning algorithms and their predictions; research enabling provably reliable, translational, general-purpose AI systems and algorithms; encouragement of new collaborations across this interdisciplinary research community and from diverse institutions. |
| Faculty Development in geoSpace Science (FDSS) | 11/3/2024 | $1,500,000 | The Geospace Section of the NSF Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) offers funding for the creation of new tenure-track faculty positions within the disciplines that comprise the AGS Geospace programs to ensure their vitality at U.S. universities and colleges. The aim of the Faculty Development in geoSpace Science (FDSS) is to integrate topics in geospace science including solar and space physics and space weather research into natural sciences or engineering or related departments at U.S. institutions of higher education (IHE). FDSS also stimulates the development of undergraduate or graduate programs or curricula capable of training the next generation of leaders in geospace science. Geospace science is interdisciplinary in nature and FDSS awardees will be expected to establish partnerships within multiple parts of the IHE. Growing diversity in the geospace science workforce and institutions is a community priority, yet relatively few geospace science research and training opportunities are available at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and emerging research institutions (ERIs). One of NSF's priorities is to improve representation in the scientific enterprise. FDSS aims to bolster long-term investments in geospace science at a broad range of U.S. IHEs, including MSIs and ERIs. This solicitation offers a track for all qualified U.S. IHEs and additionally, a separate track for proposal submissions from MSIs and ERIs. |
| Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) | 11/13/2024 | $5,000,000 | The goal of the Discovery Research PreK-12 program (DRK-12) is to catalyze research and development that enhances all preK-12 teachers' and students' opportunities to engage in high-quality learning experiences related to the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The program's objectives are to: (1) build knowledge about how to develop preK-12 students' and teachers' STEM content knowledge, practices, and skills; (2) support collaborative partnerships among STEM education researchers, STEM education practitioners and school leaders with the goals of extending relevant scientific literatures while developing more effective practice; and (3) build the field of STEM education by supporting knowledge synthesis, interdisciplinary interactions across fields and stakeholders, and the development of novel and robust ways of assessing teacher and student learning, engagement, and skills. Outcomes of DRK-12 projects can include but are not limited to promising, evidence-based products that can be used by others to support the success of all teachers and all students (e.g., curriculum, teaching and research tools, and models of collaboration). The program solicits proposals along two strands: (1) Learning and (2) Teaching. While these strands certainly overlap and have synergy, proposals should identify one strand that is most consistent with the proposal's objectives and research questions (e.g., are the project's methods and outcomes focused primarily on teacher development and teaching or student development and learning?). Research project types under both Strands include exploratory, design and development, impact, implementation, measurement and assessment, and synthesis studies. The program also supports other project types including Partnership Development Grants and Workshops/Conferences. |
| Molecular Foundations for Sustainability: Sustainable Polymers Enabled by Emerging Data Analytics | 12/5/2024 | $2,000,000 | The Molecular Foundations for Sustainability: Sustainable Polymers Enabled by Emerging Data Analytics program (MFS-SPEED) is a cross-directorate funding call in response to The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 and the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. It is supported by the NSF Directorates for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) and Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP), and five industry partners: Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, BASF, Dow, and IBM. The goal of MFS-SPEED is to support fundamental research enabling the accelerated discovery and ultimate manufacturing of sustainable polymers using state-of-the-art data science, and to enhance development of a cross-disciplinary workforce skilled in this area. In particular, through this solicitation the research community is encouraged to address the discovery and elaboration of new sustainable polymers or sustainable pathways to existing polymers by the creation and use of a data-centric environment where research projects are: focused on new approaches to predicting structure and properties of polymers and advanced soft materials, with insights enabled by data analytics including Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning; This includes more efficient, scalable preparation of monomers and polymers using existing or new synthetic routes and this call aims to train a technical workforce that leverages data analytics to create sustainable polymers and soft materials. |
| ACED: Accelerating Computing-Enabled Scientific Discovery | 1/14/2025 | $3,000,000 | The ACED program seeks to harness computing to accelerate scientific discovery, while driving new computing advancements. The intent is to catalyze advancements on both sides of a virtuous cycle that: (a) benefit scientific disciplines through computational technologies and (b) foster novel computing technologies that will enable advances beyond the specific use cases or domains originally targeted. The program seeks continuous collaborations between at least two groups of researchers. One group is expected to consist of researchers in computing, which, for the purposes of this solicitation are those disciplines that are supported by the Core Programs of National Science Foundation's (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) directorate. The other group of researchers are expected to represent another scientific or engineering discipline, which, for the purposes of this solicitation, are defined as those supported within existing programs of the following NSF directorates: Biological Sciences, Engineering, or Mathematical and Physical Sciences. The ACED program solicits proposals in two tracks: Track I: Emerging Ideas Proposals Track II: Discovery Proposals |
| Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) | 1/25/2025 | $1,000,000 | The Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) Program is designed to encourage development and implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative approaches to STEM graduate education training. The program seeks proposals that a) explore ways for graduate students in STEM master's and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers, or b) support research on the graduate education system and outcomes of systemic interventions and policies. IGE projects are intended to generate the knowledge required for the customization, implementation, and broader adoption of potentially transformative approaches to graduate education. The program supports piloting, testing, and validating novel models or activities and examining systemic innovations with high potential to enrich and extend the knowledge base on effective graduate education approaches. The program addresses both workforce development, emphasizing broad participation, and institutional capacity-building needs in graduate education. Strategic collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science organizations, and academic partners are encouraged. |
| Principles and Practice of Scalable Systems (PPoSS) | 1/27/2025 | $5,000,000 | A key focus of the design of modern computing systems is performance and scalability, particularly in light of the limits of Moore's Law and Dennard scaling. To this end, systems are increasingly being implemented by composing heterogeneous computing components and continually changing memory systems as novel, performant hardware surfaces. Applications fueled by rapid strides in machine learning, data analysis, and extreme-scale simulation are becoming more domain-specific and highly distributed. In this scenario, traditional boundaries between hardware-oriented and software-oriented disciplines are increasingly blurred. Achieving scalability of systems and applications will therefore require coordinated progress in multiple disciplines such as computer architecture, high-performance computing (HPC), machine programming, programming languages and compilers, security and privacy, systems, and theory and algorithms. Cross-cutting concerns such as performance, correctness and accuracy, and heterogeneity must be taken into account from the outset in all aspects of systems and application design and implementation. The aim of the Principles and Practice of Scalable Systems (PPoSS) program is to support a community of researchers who will work symbiotically across the multiple disciplines above to perform basic research on scalability and correctness and accuracy of modern applications, systems, and toolchains built on heterogeneous architectures. The intent is that these efforts will foster the development of principles that lead to rigorous and reproducible artifacts for the design and implementation of large-scale systems and applications spanning the full hardware/software stack. Importantly, as described below, PPoSS specifically seeks to fund projects that span the entire hardware/software stack and that lay the foundations for sustainable approaches for implementing performant, scalable, and correct and accurate computing applications that run on heterogeneous platforms. |
| Frontier Research in Earth Sciences (FRES) | 2/5/2025 | $3,000,000 | The FRES program will support research in Earth systems from the core through the critical zone. The project may focus on all or part of the surface, continental lithospheric, and deeper Earth systems over the entire range of temporal and spatial scales. FRES projects should have a larger scientific scope and budget than those considered for funding by disciplinary programs in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR). FRES projects may be interdisciplinary studies that do not fit well within EAR's disciplinary programs or cannot be routinely managed by sharing between disciplinary programs . Innovative proposals within a single disciplinary area with outcomes of potential broad relevance to Earth Science research are also encouraged. Investigations may employ any combination of field, laboratory, and computational studies with observational, theoretical, or experimental approaches. Projects should be focused on topics that meet the guidelines for research funded by the Division of Earth Sciences. |
| Growing Convergence Research (GCR) | 2/10/2025 | $3,600,000 | Convergence research is a means for solving vexing research problems, in particular, complex problems focusing on societal needs or deep scientific challenges. It entails integrating knowledge, methods, and expertise from different disciplines and developing novel paradigms that catalyze scientific discovery and innovation. GCR identifies Convergence Research as having two primary characteristics: Research driven by a specific and compelling problem. Convergence research is generally inspired by the need to address a specific challenge or opportunity, whether it arises from deep scientific questions or pressing societal needs. Deep integration across disciplines. As experts from different disciplines pursue common research challenges, their knowledge, theories, methods, data, research communities and languages become increasingly intermingled or integrated. New frameworks, paradigms or even disciplines can form sustained interactions across multiple communities. A distinct characteristic of convergence research, in contrast to other forms of multidisciplinary research, is that from the inception, the convergence paradigm intentionally brings together intellectually diverse researchers and stakeholders to frame the research questions, adopt common frameworks for addressing them, and create and implement innovative scientific approaches for their solution. This includes, when appropriate, developing new integrated theories, methods, research tools, and ways of communicating across disciplines and sectors. Research teams practicing convergence aim to develop sustainable collaborations that may not only create solutions to the specific problem studied, but also develop novel ways of investigating related research questions and open new research vistas. This GCR solicitation targets multidisciplinary teams who are embracing convergence research as a means of developing highly innovative solutions to complex research problems. GCR proposals are expected to be bold and address scientific or technical challenges and bottlenecks which if resolved have the potential to transform scientific understanding and solve vexing problems. Successful GCR projects are anticipated to lead to paradigm shifting approaches within disciplines, establishment of new scientific communities, or development of transformative technologies that have the potential for broad scientific or societal impact. |
| EHR Core Research (ECR): Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) | 2/28/2025 | $1,000,000 | ECR’s Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) supports projects that build investigators’ capacity to carry out high-quality STEM education research that will enhance the nation’s STEM education enterprise. In addition, ECR: BCSER seeks to broaden the pool of researchers who can advance knowledge regarding STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM fields, and STEM workforce development. Researchers of races and ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and abilities who are currently underrepresented in their participation in STEM education research and the STEM workforce, as well as faculty at minority-serving and two-year institutions, are particularly encouraged to submit proposals. Specifically, ECR: BCSER supports activities that enable researchers to expand their areas of expertise and acquire the requisite knowledge and skills to conduct rigorous research in STEM education. Career development may be accomplished through investigator-initiated professional development and research projects or through institutes that enable researchers to integrate methodological strategies with theoretical and practical issues in STEM education. |
| Accelerating Innovations in Biomanufacturing Approaches through Collaboration Between NSF and the DOE BETO funded Agile BioFoundry (NSF-DOE/ABF Collaboration) | 3/15/2025 | $1,500,000 | The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (DOE BETO) recognize the critical roles that synthetic and engineering biology play in advancing the U.S. Bioeconomy. To translate advances in synthetic and engineering biology into products and processes that will impact the U.S. bioeconomy, there is a need to accelerate innovation and adopt new biomanufacturing approaches. The integrated Design-Build-Test-Learn (DBTL) capabilities of the DOE BETO funded Agile BioFoundry (ABF) offer a unique resource to the academic community to develop and implement innovative biodesign and biomanufacturing technologies and practices. To help advance the U.S. bioeconomy, these agencies invite proposals from researchers at institutions of higher education and non-profit organizations (eligible PIs). The proposals must leverage the unique DBTL capabilities available at the ABF to translate the latest advances in synthetic biology and engineering biology basic research into testable prototype processes and products that are potentially scalable and manufacturable and can be appropriately validated. Of particular interest are proposals that both leverage the DBTL capabilities of the ABF to translate basic science into bioeconomy-relevant innovation and also lead to the development of generalizable rules or theories of biological systems that enhance our understanding of basic science. In order to facilitate the utilization of the integrated DBTL capabilities available at the ABF and ensure the readiness of basic research projects for their translation to ABF platforms, NSF would support efforts of eligible PIs and their students, postdoctoral fellows, and other lab personnel on projects that can leverage the unique capabilities of the ABF. NSF support would be for all activity at the institution of higher education or non-profit organization that occurs in parallel to, or prior to, the work at ABF that readies the project for translation to practice. In order to increase collaboration across sectors and workforce development, NSF, through this program, can also support short term faculty fellows, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students or undergraduate student interns that are hosted by national laboratories or ABF. DOE BETO will cover the costs for implementation of approved projects at ABF. Partnering with industry is encouraged for technologies both to facilitate eventual scale up and regulatory approval. |
| Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE): Core Programs, Large Projects | 09/29/2025 | $5,000,000 | The NSF CISE Directorate supports research and education projects that develop new knowledge in all aspects of computing, communications, and information science and engineering, as well as advanced cyberinfrastructure, through the following core programs: Division of Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF): Algorithmic Foundations (AF) program; Communications and Information Foundations (CIF) program; Foundations of Emerging Technologies (FET) program; and Software and Hardware Foundations (SHF) program. Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS): Computer Systems Research (CSR) program; and Networking Technology and Systems (NeTS) program. Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS): Human-Centered Computing (HCC) program; Information Integration and Informatics (III) program; and Robust Intelligence (RI) program. Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC): OAC Core Research (OAC Core) program Proposers are invited to submit proposals in several project classes, which are defined as follows: Small Projects -- up to $600,000 total budget with durations up to three years: projects in this class may be submitted to CCF, CNS, and IIS only; Medium Projects -- $600,001 to $1,200,000 total budget with durations up to four years: projects in this class may be submitted to CCF, CNS, and IIS only; and OAC Core Projects -- up to $600,000 total budget with durations up to three years: projects in this class may be submitted to OAC only. |
| Designing Synthetic Cells Beyond the Bounds of Evolution (Designer Cells) | 2/1/2026 | $6,000,000 | Because of recent technological advances in synthetic biology and bioengineering, researchers are now able to tailor cells and cell-like systems for a variety of basic and applied research purposes. The goal of this solicitation is to support research that (1) develops cell-like systems to identify the minimal requirements for the processes of life, (2) designs synthetically-modified cells to address fundamental questions in the evolution of life or to explore biological diversity beyond that which currently exists in nature, and (3) leverages basic research in cell design to build novel synthetic cell-like systems and cells for innovative biotechnology applications. Highest funding priority is given to proposals that have outstanding intellectual merit and broader impacts, while proposals with weaknesses in either category (or those that are perceived as likely to have an incremental impact) will not be competitive. Proposals submitted to this solicitation should address social, ethical, and safety issues associated with designing and building synthetically modified cells as an integrated component of the project. |