Funding Wizard

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are interested in proposals that will propel our understanding of the biomedical research enterprise by drawing from the scientific expertise of the science of science policy research community. NSF promotes the progress of science by maintaining the general health of research and education across all fields of science and engineering. The Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate within NSF supports basic research on people and society. The SBE sciences focus on human behavior and social organizations; how social, economic, political, cultural and environmental forces affect the lives of people from birth to old age; and how people in turn shape those forces. SBE's Science of Science: Discovery, Communication and Impact Program (SoS:DCI) supports research designed to advance the scientific basis of science and innovation policy. The NIH is the U.S. federal agency charged with supporting biomedical research in the U.S.The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) within the NIH supports basic biomedical research that increases understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Both NSF and NIH believe that there are opportunities and needs for building and supporting research projects with a focus on the scientific research enterprise. The two agencies also recognize that when programmatic goals are compatible, coordinated management and funding of a research program can have a positive synergistic effect on the level and scope of research and can leverage the investments of both agencies. Therefore, NIGMS and SBE are partnering to enable collaboration in research between theSoS:DCI program and NIGMS. This partnership will result in a portfolio of high-quality research to provide scientific analysis of important aspects of the biomedical research enterprise and efforts to foster a diverse, innovative, productive and efficient scientific workforce, from which future scientific leaders will emerge. Prospective investigators are strongly encouraged to discuss theirproposals with the program officers before submission to determine project relevance to the priorities of both SBE and NIGMS. Specific questions pertaining to this solicitation can also be directed to the SBE and NIGMS program officers.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to increase the scale and pace of advancing discoveries made while conducting academic research into tangible solutions that benefit the public. This is the primary aim of the “Accelerating Research Translation” (ART) program. Specifically, the primary goals of this program are to build capacity and infrastructure for translational research at U.S. Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) and to enhance their role in regional innovation ecosystems. In addition, this program seeks to effectively train graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in translational research, benefiting them across a range of career options. A particular intent of ART is to support IHEs that want to build the necessary infrastructure to boost the overall institutional capacity to accelerate the pace and scale of translation of fundamental research outcomes into practice by supporting the development of a range of activities essential for this activity. The ART program is not intended to support IHEs that already have high levels of translational research activity as part of their R&D enterprise (as noted by their number of invention disclosures, patents issued, start-ups, licenses/options, revenue from royalties, the overall volume of industry-funded research, broad adoption of research outputs by communities or constituents, etc.). Such institutions are encouraged to become part of the ART network as valuable collaborators, providing expertise in building the necessary infrastructure for translational research at other IHEs responding to this solicitation. The ART program is also not intended as a resource for conducting additional fundamental research. See sections II and VI of this solicitation for additional information. This solicitation seeks proposals that enable IHE-based teams to propose a blend of: (1) activities that will help build and/or strengthen the institutional infrastructure to sustainably grow the institutional capacity for research translation in the short and long terms; (2) educational/training opportunities, especially for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, to become entrepreneurs and/or seek use-inspired and/or translational research-oriented careers in the public and/or private sectors; and (3) specific, translational research activities that offer immediate opportunities for transition to practice to create economic and/or societal impact. The funded teams will form a nationwide network of ‘ART Ambassadors’ who will champion the cause of translational research.

The Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems Division (ECCS) supports enabling and transformative engineering research at the nano, micro, and macro scales that fuels progress in engineering system applications with high societal impact. This includes fundamental engineering research underlying advanced devices and components and their seamless penetration in power, controls, networking, communications, or cyber systems. The research is envisioned to be empowered by cutting-edge computation, synthesis, evaluation, and analysis technologies and is to result in significant impact for a variety of application domains in healthcare, homeland security, disaster mitigation, telecommunications, energy, environment, transportation, manufacturing, and other systems-related areas. ECCS also supports new and emerging research areas encompassing 5G and Beyond Spectrum and Wireless Technologies, Quantum Information Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Big Data. ECCS, through its ASCENT program, offers its engineering community the opportunity to address research issues and answer engineering challenges associated with complex systems and networks that are not achievable by a single principal investigator or by short-term projects and can only be achieved by interdisciplinary research teams. ECCS envisions a connected portfolio of transformative and integrative projects that create synergistic links by investigators across its three ECCS clusters: Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems (CCSS), Electronics, Photonics and Magnetic Devices (EPMD), and Energy, Power, Control, and Networks (EPCN), yielding novel ways of addressing challenges of engineering systems and networks. ECCS seeks proposals that are bold and ground-breaking, transcend the perspectives and approaches typical of disciplinary research efforts, and lead to disruptive technologies and methods or enable significant improvement in quality of life. ASCENT supports fundamental research projects involving at least three collaborating PIs and co-PIs, up to four years in duration, with a total budget between $1 million and $1.5 million. ASCENT proposals must highlight the engineering leadership focus of the proposal within the scope of ECCS programs. ASCENT proposals must articulate a fundamental research problem with compelling intellectual challenge and significant societal impact. The topic at the heart of the proposal must lie within the scope of at least one of the three ECCS clusters (CCSS, EPMD, EPCN). Research proposals spanning multiple clusters are highly encouraged. ASCENT proposals must demonstrate the need for a concerted research effort by an integrated and interdisciplinary team, and strongly justify the interdisciplinary nature of the proposed work. They should include a timeline for research activities, with a strong justification of the explicit mechanisms for frequent communication between team members and effective assessment to achieve proposed goals. Assuming sufficient funding is provided in the NSF budget, it is anticipated that the ASCENT competition will continue with research themes and priorities subject to changing in the subsequent years.

The Directorate for Engineering (ENG), Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS), Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET), Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI), Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC), and The Office of International Science and Engineering(OISE) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Engineering and Technologies (DET) of the Taiwan National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) are pleased to announce and launch an NSF-NSTC semiconductor collaboration program titled “Advanced Chip Engineering Design and Fabrication (ACED Fab)”. This program aims to leverage the complementary academic talent and engineering strengths of semiconductor research in the U.S. and Taiwan to enable chip design and fabrication to advance semiconductor science, engineering, and education. This partnership program is guided by the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Implementing Arrangement for Cooperation in Advanced Semiconductor Chip Design and Fabrication signed by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO). The MOU provides guidelines for a collaborative arrangement whereby U.S. researchers may receive funding from NSF and Taiwan researchers may receive funding from the Taiwan National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). Through a lead agency model, NSF and NSTC, as AIT and TECRO’s Designated Representatives under the MOU, respectively, invite U.S. and Taiwan researchers to submit a single collaborative proposal that will undergo a single review process at NSF, which will be the lead agency. NSTC will honor the NSF merit review process and will coordinate with NSF on award decisions. Awards to researchers in the U.S. and Taiwan will be issued in parallel by NSF and NSTC, respectively. The ACED Fab supports innovative design and fabrication projects of semiconductor chips utilizing advanced technologies of Taiwan’s semiconductor foundries. Proposals are encouraged to target emerging applications (but not limited to): High-performance, low-power circuits and systems; Edge-AI sensing, computing, and communication; Quantum computing and communication chips; and Emerging semiconductor heterogeneous integration. An ACED Fab proposal must be an integrated collaborative effort between the U.S. and Taiwan researchers. The research project must aim to bring a specific innovation to integrated circuit prototypes that demonstrate advanced functionality and utilize advanced fabrication technology as differentiators. The scope of an ACED Fab proposal must include at least one semiconductor chip design for tape-out utilizing fabrication process technologies of Taiwan’s semiconductor foundries via multi-project wafer runs within the duration of the project. General and specific inquiries regarding this funding opportunity are directed to email:nsf-acedfab@nsf.gov. Taiwan researchers are invited to read the NSTC announcement athttps://www.nstc.gov.tw/folksonomy/rfpList?l=ch. The NSTC website indicates the funding limits for Taiwan researchers in this ACED Fab collaborative program. NSTC’s support for Taiwan researchers will be for the duration approved by NSF for the U.S. grantees of the same team.

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. The ACSS Program especially seeks broad representation of PIs (including women, underrepresented minorities, and individuals with disabilities)and institutions (including those that have not historically provided nationally allocatable cyberinfrastructure)in both the community of resource awardees and resources users to continue growing the scale and diversity of the S&E community.

The Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation for the Astronomical Sciences (ATI) program provides individual investigator and collaborative research grants for the development of new technologies and instrumentation for use in ground-based astronomy and astrophysics.The program supports achieving the science objectives of the Division of Astronomical Sciences. The development of innovative, potentially transformative, technologies and instruments are sought, even at high technical risk.Supported categories include (but are not limited to):advanced technology development, concept feasibility studies, and specialized instrumentation to enable new observations that are difficult or impossible to obtain with existing means.Proposals may include hardware and/or software development and/or analysis to enable new types of astronomical observations. Access to the ATI supported technology and instrumentation development efforts by the US astronomical community is viewed as an important metric of success. An annual Principal Investigators meeting is planned to disseminate information between the funded research efforts.

The Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) Program is committed to funding research and practice, with continued focus on investigating a range of informal STEM learning (ISL) experiences and environments that make lifelong learning a reality. This Program seeks proposals that center equity and belonging, and further the well-being of individuals and communities who have historically been and continue to be excluded, underserved, or underrepresented, due to gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, neurodiversity, geographic location, and economic status, among others, as well as their intersections. The current solicitation encourages proposals from institutions and organizations that serve public audiences, and specifically focus on public engagement with and understanding of STEM, including community STEM; public participation in scientific research (PPSR); science communication; intergenerational STEM engagement; and STEM media. Projects funded by AISL should contribute to research and practice that further illuminates informal STEM learning’s role in equity and belonging in STEM; personal and educational success in STEM; advancing public engagement in scientific discovery; fostering interest in STEM careers; creating and enhancing the theoretical and empirical foundations for effective informal STEM learning; improving community vibrancy; and/or enhancing science communication and the public’s engagement in and understanding of STEM and STEM processes. The AISL Program funds five types of projects: (1) Synthesis; (2) Conference; (3) Partnership Development and Planning; (4) Integrating Research and Practice; and (5) Research in Support of Wide-reaching Public Engagement with STEM. NOTE: Activities primarily focused on formal educational systems or outcomes are outside the scope of work supported by this program. AISL does not fund formal elementary, middle, or high school, or undergraduate or graduate education, whether in-person or online. Similarly, AISL does not fund formal workforce training (e.g., professional certifications and degree-earning programs) that is not aimed directly at informal STEM learning professionals.

The Algorithms for Modern Power Systems (AMPS) program will support research projects to develop the next generation of mathematical and statistical algorithms for improvement of the security, reliability, and efficiency of the modern power grid. The program is a partnership between the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability (OE) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

The Antarctic Sciences Section (ANT) of the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) supports cutting-edge research that: Improves understanding of interactions among the Antarctic region and global systems; Expands fundamental knowledge of Antarctic systems, biota, and processes; Utilizes previously collected samples or focuses on non-field-supported themes; Utilizes the unique characteristics of the Antarctic region as a science observing platform; and Builds capacity and enhances diversity in the US workforce for polar-related science. ANT encourages and supports non-fieldworkresearch that crosses and combines disciplinary perspectives and approaches from other fields.ANT encourages and supports research that uses existing data and samples and other research not requiring a presence in Antarctica. Proposals that require USAP support for field work must use solicitation NSF 23-XXX,Antarctic Research Requiring U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) Support for Fieldwork. Diversifying and broadening participation is a priority for the Antarctic Sciences Section. ANT encourages the leadership, partnership, and contributions of individuals who are members of groups underrepresented and/or underserved in all opportunities in STEM education programs and careers. ANT promotes and expects that all individuals, including those from groups that are underrepresented and/or underserved in STEM are treated equitably and inclusively throughout the Foundation’s proposal and award process. The Antarctic Sciences Section coordinates with programs across NSF and with other federal and international partners to co-review and co-fund Antarctic-related proposals as appropriate.

The Antarctic Sciences Section (ANT) of the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) supports cutting-edge research that: Improves understanding of interactions among the Antarctic region and global systems; Expands fundamental knowledge of Antarctic systems, biota, and processes; Utilizes the unique characteristics of the Antarctic region as a science observing platform; and Builds capacity and enhances diversity in the US workforce for polar-related science. The U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) supports scientific research in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean with logistics provided by OPP’s Antarctic Infrastructure and Logistics Section (AIL). Antarctic fieldwork is supported only for research that must be performed, or is best performed, in Antarctica. Proposals that do not require USAP support for field work can be submitted anytime using solicitation NSF 23-XXX, Antarctic Research Not Requiring U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) Support for Fieldwork. Diversifying and broadening participation is a priority for the Antarctic Sciences Section. ANT encourages the leadership, partnership, and contributions of individuals who are members of groups underrepresented and/or underserved in all opportunities in STEM education programs and careers. ANT promotes and expects that all individuals, including those from groups that are underrepresented and/or underserved in STEM are treated equitably and inclusively throughout the Foundation’s proposal and award process. The Antarctic Sciences Section coordinates with programs across NSF and with other federal and international partners to co-review and co-fund Antarctic-related proposals as appropriate.