Funding Wizard

The Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS), awards Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (PRF) to highly qualified early career investigators to carry out an independent research program. The research plan of each Fellowship must address scientific questions within the scope of AGS disciplines. These disciplines include Atmospheric Chemistry (ATC), Climate and Large-Scale Dynamics (CLD), Paleoclimate (PC), and Physical and Dynamic Meteorology (PDM) in the Atmospheric Sciences, and Aeronomy (AER), Magnetospheric Physics (MAG), Solar Terrestrial (ST), and Space Weather Research (SWR) in the Geospace Sciences. The AGS-PRF program supports researchers (also known as Fellows) for a period of up to 24 months with Fellowships that can be taken to the institution of their choice. The program is intended to recognize beginning investigators of significant potential and provide them with experiences in research that will broaden perspectives, facilitate interdisciplinary interactions, and help establish them in leadership positions within the Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences community. Fellowships are awards to individual Fellows, not institutions, and are administered by the Fellows. AGS has made it a priority to address challenges in creating an inclusive geoscience discipline through activities that increase belonging, accessibility, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (BAJEDI). Proposers are encouraged to explicitly address this priority in their proposed activities. Proposers who are women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), or who have attended two-year colleges and minority-serving institutions for undergraduate or graduate school, or plan to conduct their Fellowship activities at one of these institutions (e.g. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Alaska Native Serving Institutions, and Hawaiian Native and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions) are especially encouraged to apply.

The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program provides support to enhance the research capabilities of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) through the establishment of centers that effectively integrate education and research. CREST promotes the development of new knowledge, enhancements of the research productivity of individual faculty, and an expanded presence of students who are members of groups underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The CREST Postdoctoral Research Program (CREST-PRP) awards are part of the overarching CREST program and provide two years of support for research experience and training for early career scientists at active CREST Centers. The goal of the CREST-PRP awards isto increase the workforce presence of individuals from groups underrepresented in STEM fields. CREST-PRP awards recognize investigators with significant potential and provide them with research experiences that broaden perspectives, facilitate interdisciplinary interactions, and prepare CREST-PRP scholars for positions of leadership within the scientific community. Postdoctoral scholars conduct research on topics aligned with the research focus of the host CREST Center. The awards are also designed to provide active mentoring to the postdoctoral scholars by thescientific mentorwho, in turn, will benefit from the incorporation of these talented scientists into their research groups. Proposals must be submitted by individual postdoctoral candidates. However, if an award is recommended, the award will be transferred to the host institution where the postdoctoral scholar will be named as the PI. The award will be issued to the host institution as a regular research award, and the award will be administered by the host institution. Women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and members of groups underrepresented in STEM are especially encouraged to apply.

The Archaeology Program supports anthropologically relevant archaeological research to increase understanding of past behaviors. This means that the value of the proposed research can be justified within an anthropological context. It is the responsibility of the investigator to explain convincingly why the focus of their research is significant and has the potential to contribute to anthropological knowledge. The program sets no priorities by either geographic region or time period. It also has no priorities in regard to theoretical orientation or question. While the program, in order to encourage innovative research, neither limits nor defines specific categories of research, most proposals either request funds for field research or the analysis of archaeological material through multiple approaches.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to further develop and nurture a national innovation ecosystem that guides the output of scientific discoveries closer to the development of technologies, products, and services that benefit society. The goals of the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program, created in 2011 by NSF,are tospur translation of fundamental research to the marketplace, to encourage collaboration between academia and industry, and to train NSF-funded faculty, students and other researchers in innovation and entrepreneurship skills. The I-Corps Program utilizes experiential learning of customer and industry discovery, coupled with first-hand investigation of industrial processes, to quickly assess the translational potential of inventions. The I-Corps Program is designed to support the commercialization of "deep technologies,” those revolving around fundamental discoveries in science and engineering. The I-Corps Program addresses the skill and knowledge gaps associated with the transformation of basic research into deep technology ventures (DTVs). The purpose of the I-Corps Teams program is to identify NSF-funded researchers to receive additional support in the form of entrepreneurial education, mentoring, and funding to accelerate the translation of knowledge derived from fundamental research into emerging products and services that may attract subsequent third-party funding. The outcomes of I-Corps Teams' projects are threefold: 1) a decision on a clear path forward based on an assessment of the business model, 2) substantial first-hand evidence for or against product-market fit, with the identification of customer segments and corresponding value propositions, and 3) a narrative of a technology demonstrationfor potential partners. WEBINAR: A webinar will be held monthly to answer questions about this program. Details will be posted on the I-Corps Teams website (seehttps://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/program.jsp) as they become available.

To address ecological questions that cannot be resolved with short-term observations or experiments, NSF established the Long-Term Ecological Research Program (LTER) in 1980. Two components differentiate LTER research from projects supported by other NSF programs: 1) the research is located at specific sites chosen to represent major ecosystem types or natural biomes, and 2) it emphasizes the study of ecological phenomena over long periods of time based on data collected in five core areas. Long-term studies are critical to achieve an integrated understanding of how components of ecosystems interact as well as to test ecological theory. Ongoing research at LTER sites is expected to contribute to the development and testing of fundamental ecological theories and significantly advance understanding of the long-term dynamics of populations, communities and ecosystems. It often integrates multiple disciplines and, through cross-site interactions may examine patterns or processes over broad spatial scales. Recognizing that the value of long-term data extends beyond use at any individual site, NSF requires that data collected by all LTER sites be made publicly accessible. NSF currently supports 28 LTER sites. The program is on-going and proposals are periodically invited when a need is identified to balance the LTER portfolio or when funding opportunities arise to support new LTERs. These opportunities are announced through separate solicitations. This solicitation governs submission of renewal proposals for active LTER site awards.

With this solicitation, the Division of Chemistry is piloting the removal of deadlines for the submission of proposals to the CLP, CSDM-A and CTMC Programs. The no-deadline pilot seeks to assess the benefits and challenges of removing deadlines in proposal submission for the chemistry research community: the removal of deadlines on proposal submission is intended to allow principal investigators (PIs) more flexibility and better facilitate interdisciplinary research. It may, however, have unanticipated consequences for PIs, reviewers, and institutions. This solicitation applies only to the Chemistry of Life Processes (CLP), Chemical Structure, Dynamics, and Mechanisms-A (CSDM-A) and Chemical Theory, Models and Computational Methods (CTMC) programs. Other than the following exceptions, all proposals submitted to the CLP, CSDM-A, and CTMC programs must be submitted through this solicitation, otherwise they will be returned without review. Exceptions: Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) proposals should be submitted through the CAREER solicitation (https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503214) by the CAREER deadline date specified. Facilitating Research at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions: Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) and Research Opportunity Awards (ROA) proposals should be submitted through the RUI/ROA solicitation (https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5518). In addition to the requirements of the RUI program, proposals should follow the guidance in this solicitation. Proposals submitted through the RUI/ROA solicitation to the CLP, CSDM-A, and CTMC programs can be submitted at any time starting September 1, 2022. Proposals for Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER), Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID), Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAISE), and conferences can be submitted anytime after consultation with the cognizant NSF Program Officer. Supplemental funding requeststo existing grantscan be submitted anytime after consultation with the cognizant NSF Program Officer.Until this capability is implemented in Research.gov, supplemental funding requestsmust still be prepared and submitted via FastLane.

NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships provide an opportunity for highly qualified, recent doctoral scientists to carry out an integrated program of independent research and education. Fellows may engage in observational, instrumental, theoretical, laboratory or archival data research in any area of astronomy or astrophysics, in combination with a coherent educational plan for the duration of the fellowship. The program supports researchers for a period of up to three years with fellowships that may be taken to eligible host institutions of their choice. The program is intended to recognize early-career investigators of significant potential and to provide them with experience in research and education that will establish them in positions of distinction and leadership in the scientific community.

Build and Broaden (B2) supports fundamental research and research capacity across disciplines at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and encourages research collaborations with scholars at MSIs. Growing the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce is a national priority. National forecasts of the impending shortage of workers with science and engineering skills and essential research workers underscore a need to expand opportunities to participate in STEM research (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2012). MSIs make considerable contributions to educating and training science leaders for U.S. economic growth and competitiveness. Yet NSF has received comparatively few grant submissions from, or involving, scholars at MSIs. Targeted outreach activities reveal that MSIs have varying degrees of familiarity with funding opportunities within NSF and particularly within the Social, Behavioral and Economic (SBE) Sciences Directorate. As a result, NSF is limited in its ability to support research and training opportunities in the SBE sciences at these institutions. With its emphasis on broadening participation , Build and Broaden is designed to address this problem. SBE offers Build and Broaden in order to increase proposal submissions, advance research collaborations and networks involving MSI scholars, and support research activities in the SBE sciences at MSIs. Proposals that outline research projects in the SBE sciences that increase students’ pursuit of graduate training, enhance PI productivity build research capacity, or cultivate partnerships are especially encouraged to apply. Proposals are invited from single principal investigators based at MSIs and from multiple co-investigators from groups of MSIs. Principal investigators who are not affiliated with MSIs may submit proposals, but must collaborate with PIs, co-PIs, or senior personnel from MSIs and describe how their project will foster research partnerships or capacity-building with at least one MSI as a primary goal of the proposed work. Proposals may address any scientific and cross-disciplinary areas supported by SBE. These areas include anthropology, archaeology, cognitive neuroscience, decision science, ecological research, economics, geography, linguistics, law and science, organizational behavior, political science, public policy, security and preparedness, psychology, and sociology. To find research areas supported by SBE please visit the SBE programs page or visit the NSF funding and awards page.

The goals of the paleoclimate program are to: (i) provide a baseline for present climate variability and future climate trends, and (ii) improve the understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological processes that influence climate variability and trends over the long-term. Research topics include observational and modeling studies of past climate variability and its drivers and studies that develop new paleoclimate proxies and records. Competitive proposals will address specific aspects of scientific uncertaintyfor their proposed research. The Paleoclimate program of the Division of the Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences together with other Divisions in the Geoscience Directorate have joined in coordinating and supporting the annual Paleo Perspectives on Present and Projected Climate (P4CLIMATE) competition with the objectives to support studies within two research themes: 1) Past Regional and Seasonal Climate; and 2) Past Climate Forcing, Sensitivity, and Feedbacks. Researchers are encouraged to consider the P4CLIMATE competitionas a possible source of support for their global change research.Since proposals eligible for funding in the P4CLIMATE competition are not eligible for funding in the Paleoclimate Program, researchers are strongly advised to contact the Directors of the Paleoclimate Program for guidance as to the suitability of their proposed research for either program. The paleoclimate program strongly encourages proposals from: Researchers at all career stages, including through the AGS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship program. Researchers at all institution types, including MSIs, non-R1 institutions, and institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions. Researchers from traditionally underrepresented groups in Paleoclimate Science.

The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program provides support toenhance the research capabilities of minority-serving institutions (MSI) through the establishment of centersthat effectively integrate education and research. CREST promotes the development of new knowledge,enhancements of the research productivity of individual faculty, and an expanded presence of studentsunderrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The HBCU-RISE is a component of the CREST program that supports the expansion of institutional research capacity as well as the successful training of doctoral students, especially those from groups underrepresented in STEM at HBCUs. HBCU-RISE projects must have a unifying research focus in one of the research areas supported by NSF; a direct connection to the long-term plans of the host department(s) and the institution’s strategic plan and mission; and plans for expanding institutional research capacity as well as increasing the production of doctoral students, especially those underrepresented in STEM.