National Science Foundation (NSF)

NSF 25-541: Test Bed: Toward a Network of Programmable Cloud Laboratories (PCL Test Bed)

Slots: 1. An institution may submit only a single proposal in response to this solicitation, as the lead institution. An institution may serve as a non-lead institution on more than one proposal.

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: Friday, September 12th, 2025, 5pm PT

LOI: N/A

External Deadline: November 20, 2025

Award Information

Award Type: Cooperative Agreement

Estimated Number of Awards: 4-6

Anticipated Award Amount: $100,000,000

Who May Serve as PI: No restrictions or limits.

Link to Award: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/pcl-test-bed-test-bed-toward-network-programmable-cloud-laboratories/nsf25-541/solicitation#elig

Process for Limited Submissions

PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template

Materials to submit include:

(1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
(2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

Purpose

Autonomous experimentation is poised to accelerate research and unlock critical scientific advances that bolster U.S. competitiveness and address pressing societal needs. Programmable Cloud Laboratories are able to execute automated workstreams, including self-driving lab workflows, to efficiently move research goals through artificial intelligence (AI) enabled experiment design, laboratory preparations, data collection, data analysis and interpretation. While limited-scale efforts have shown promise, versatile programmable and self-driving labs capable of addressing complex research questions with trustworthy results will require coordinated technological advances and an engaged research community. Additional challenges include the availability of automated laboratory infrastructure, standardized approaches to data collection for interoperability, advances in AI for data interpretation and experimental design, and more. This solicitation aims to address such gaps and realize the potential of autonomous experimentation.

The Test Bed: Toward a Network of Programmable Cloud Laboratories (PCL Test Bed) program seeks to establish and facilitate the operation of distributed autonomous laboratory facilities. These laboratories will combine technological and human capacity to enable integration, testing, evaluation, validation, and translation of cutting-edge technology solutions in automated science and engineering. The PCL Test Bed will consist of a set of Programmable Cloud Laboratory Nodes (PCL Nodes) that can be remotely accessed to run custom workflows specified and programmed by users, that are linked together via computational networking, shared science questions, and data and artificial intelligence (AI) standards.

The PCL Test Bed will facilitate access to advanced scientific equipment, accelerate translation and scaling of basic research into industry applications, enhance reproducibility and the exchange of experimental data, and assist in training the next generation of scientists and engineers in state-of-the art methodologies. It will help develop community norms, best practices, and formal standards for automated laboratory procedures, workflows, and instrument testing and validation. It will also advance consistent practices for the collection, sharing, and use of metadata and training data and the use and exploitation of AI methods. This program will also support the development of automated laboratory methods, including self-driving autonomous experiment workflows.

Proposals must have a set of well-defined science drivers poised to derive significant benefit from targeted use of the PCL Test Bed capabilities, including but not limited to synthesis, optimization, and/or characterization experiments, in specific sub-disciplines within materials science, biotechnology, chemistry or other areas of science and engineering. These science drivers will guide the protocols and standards necessary for each node and facilitate collaboration across the Test Bed. For example, science drivers could include but are not limited to:

Materials science, materials synthesis and characterization efforts that advance U.S. competitiveness.
Biotechnology experiments in scalable, high-throughput engineering and characterization services for proteins or microbes with novel applications in the U.S. bioeconomy.
High-throughput experimentation for the accelerated development of catalysts to support more efficient chemical synthesis to address urgent national needs.

User Recruitment and On-Boarding Workshops will be a key component of the PCL Test Bed program and will serve to recruit users to individual PCL Nodes and the Test Bed to help make progress on the proposed science drivers, provide access to technology, test the limits of the experimental set-up of the nodes, and explore new research opportunities between the PCL Nodes and institutions including, but not limited to, R2 Universities, PUI (Primarily Undergraduate Institutions), and two-year institutions.

The PCL Test Bed will be available to researchers in academia as well as industry, including current and former awardees from the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs. The portfolio of projects is available here, https://seedfund.nsf.gov/portfolio.

PCL Nodes are expected to develop and implement plans for continued operation after the period of this award.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

(CLOSED) NSF 25-532: Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC)

Slots: 1

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: ~~February 28th, 2025, 5pm PT~~ Closed.

Preliminary Proposal Due Date: June 23, 2025, 5pm PT

External Deadline: November 24, 2025 (by invitation only)

Award Information

Award Type: Cooperative Agreement

Estimated Number of Awards: 8 to 10

Anticipated Award Amount: $27,000,000

Who May Serve as PI: No restrictions or limits.

Link to Award: https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/mrsec-materials-research-science-engineering-centers/nsf25-532/solicitation

Process for Limited Submissions

Materials to submit include:

(1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
(2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Purpose

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) program provides sustained support of materials research and education of the highest quality while addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering. Each MRSEC addresses research of a scope and complexity requiring the scale, synergy, and multidisciplinarity provided by a campus-based research center. The MRSECs support materials research infrastructure in the United States, promote active collaboration between universities and other sectors, including industry and international organizations, and contribute to the development of a national network of university-based centers in materials research, education, and facilities. A MRSEC may be located at a single institution, or may involve multiple institutions in partnership, and is composed of two to three Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs), each addressing a fundamental materials science topic aligned with the Division of Materials Research (DMR).

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

(CLOSED) NSF-25-514: NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM)

Slots: Two.

For a given S-STEM deadline, an institution may submit up to two proposals in which it will be directly involved in providing scholarships. Multiple proposals from an institution must not overlap with regard to S-STEM eligible disciplines. See Additional Eligibility Information below for more details (see IV. Eligibility Information).

Institutions with a current S-STEM award should wait at least until the end of the third year of execution of their current award before submitting a new Track 2 or Track 3 S-STEM proposal focused on students pursuing degrees in the same discipline(s).

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: TBA

External Deadline: March 3, 2026

Recurring Deadlines: First Tuesday in March, Annually Thereafter

Award Information

Award Type: Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 40-60

Anticipated Award Amount: $80,000,000 to $120,000,000

Awards to support Track 1 (Institutional Capacity Building) projects may not exceed $2,000,000 total over a maximum duration of 6 years. Awards for Track 2 (Implementation Projects) projects may not exceed $2,000,000 total for a maximum duration of 6 years. Awards for Track 3 (Inter-institutional Consortia) projects may not exceed $5,000,000 total for a maximum duration of 6 years. The level of funding requested should be based on the actual number of low-income students in the disciplines targeted.

Who May Serve as PI:

For Track 1 and Track 2 proposals, the Principal Investigator must be (a) a faculty member currently teaching in an S-STEM eligible discipline, or (b) an academic administrator who has taught in one of the eligible disciplines and can dedicate the time necessary to assure project success. Projects involving more than one department within an institution are eligible, but a single Principal Investigator must accept overall management and leadership responsibility. Faculty from all departments involved must have roles in the project as either Co-Principal Investigators, other senior/key personnel, or scholar mentors. Other members of the S-STEM project senior leadership and management team may be listed as Co-Principal Investigators.

For Track 3 (Inter-institutional Consortia) projects, the Principal Investigator must be (a) a faculty member currently teaching in an S-STEM eligible discipline, (b) an academic administrator who has taught an S-STEM eligible discipline, or (c) a non-teaching institutional, educational, or social science researcher investigating questions related to low-income student success. The Principal Investigator must be able to provide the leadership and time required to ensure the success of the project. Track 3 consortium proposals must have a Principal Investigator who accepts overall management and leadership responsibility across all consortia members. Faculty from all institutions and departments involved need to have roles in the project as either Co-Principal investigators, other senior/key personnel, or scholar mentors. Other members of the S-STEM project senior leadership and management team may be listed as Co-Principal Investigators or as Principal Investigators on collaborative research proposals.

Link to Award: https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/s-stem-nsf-scholarships-science-technology-engineering-mathematics/nsf25-514/solicitation

Process for Limited Submissions

Materials to submit include:

(1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
(2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

Purpose

The main goal of the S-STEM program is to enable academically talented, low-income students to pursue successful careers in promising STEM fields. Ultimately, the S-STEM program seeks to increase the number of academically promising low-income students who graduate with an S-STEM eligible degree and contribute to the American innovation economy with their STEM knowledge. Recognizing that financial aid alone cannot increase retention and graduation in STEM, the program provides awards to institutions of higher education (IHEs) not only to fund scholarships, but also to adapt, implement, and study evidence-based curricular and co-curricular^[a] activities that have been shown to be effective in supporting recruitment, retention, transfer (if appropriate), student success, academic/career pathways, and graduation in STEM.

To be eligible, scholars must be domestic low-income students with academic ability, talent, or potential and demonstrated unmet financial need who are enrolled in an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree program in an S-STEM eligible discipline. Proposers must provide an analysis that articulates the characteristics and academic needs of the population of students they are trying to serve. NSF is particularly interested in supporting the attainment of degrees in fields identified as critical needs for the Nation. It is up to the proposer to make a compelling case that such a field serves a critical need in the United States.

^[a] an activity at a school or college pursued in addition to the normal course of study.

S-STEM Eligible Degree Programs

Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Engineering, and Associate of Applied Science

Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Applied Science

Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Master of Engineering

Doctoral (Ph.D. or other comparable doctoral degree)

S-STEM Eligible Disciplines

Disciplinary fields in which research is funded by NSF, including technology fields associated with the S-STEM-eligible disciplines (e.g., biotechnology, chemical technology, engineering technology, information technology, etc.).

The following degrees and disciplines are excluded:

Clinical degree programs, including medical degrees, nursing, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and others not funded by NSF, are ineligible degrees.
Programs for STEM teacher certification or licensure currently covered by the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program (NOYCE) are ineligible for S-STEM funding.
Business school programs that lead to Bachelor of Arts or Science in Business Administration degrees (BABA/BSBA/BBA) are not eligible for S-STEM funding.
Masters and Doctoral degrees in Business Administration are also excluded.

Proposers are strongly encouraged to contact Program Officers before submitting a proposal if they have questions concerning degree or disciplinary eligibility.

The S-STEM program particularly encourages proposals from 2-year institutions, Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), predominately undergraduate institutions, and urban, suburban, and rural public institutions.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

(CLOSED) NSF-23-536: Scholarships in STEM Network (S-STEM-Net)

Slots: An organization may submit at most one S-STEM-Hub proposal (as a single institution, a subawardee, or a member of a collaborative research project).

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: ~~Friday, December 13th, 2024, 5pm PT~~ TBA

LOI: Not required.

External Deadline: March 25 2026

Recurring Deadlines: Fourth Wednesday in March, Annually Thereafter

Award Information

Award Type: Standard Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 1 – 5

Anticipated Award Amount: $15,000,000

Who May Serve as PI: There are no restrictions or limits.

Link to Award: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23536/nsf23536.htm

Process for Limited Submissions

PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/.

Materials to submit include:

(1) Single Page Proposal Summary (0.5” margins; single-spaced; font type: Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 1-page limit will be excluded from review.
(2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Note: The portal requires information about the PIs and Co-PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

Purpose

Through this solicitation, NSF seeks to foster a network of S-STEM stakeholders and further develop the infrastructure needed to generate and disseminate new knowledge, successful practices and effective design principles arising from NSF S-STEM projects nationwide. The ultimate vision of the legislation governing the S-STEM parent program^[1] (and of the current S-STEM-Net solicitation) is that all Americans, regardless of economic status, should be able to contribute to the American innovation economy if they so desire.

To support collaboration within the S-STEM network, NSF will fund several S-STEM Research Hubs (S-STEM-Hub). The S-STEM Network (S-STEM-Net) will collaborate to create synergies and sustain a robust national ecosystem consisting of multi-sector partners supporting domestic low-income STEM students in achieving their career goals, while also ensuring access, inclusion, and adaptability to changing learning needs. The Hubs will investigate evolving barriers to the success of this student population. It will also disseminate the context and circumstances by which interventions and practices that support graduation of domestic low-income students (both undergraduate and graduate) pursuing careers in STEM are successful.

The target audience for this dissemination effort is the community of higher education institutions, faculty, scholars, researchers and evaluators, local and regional organizations, industry, and other nonprofit, federal, state, and local agencies concerned with the success of domestic low-income STEM students in the United States.

Activities required of all S-STEM-Hub projects:

Regardless of focus, all Research Hubs must propose and budget for activities to:

identify, develop, and support promising innovative research ideas that generate valuable new knowledge on the US higher education enterprise in general and the S-STEM community in particular;
gather, analyze, and utilize the data and insights resulting from the experiences of those participating in S-STEM projects to share information about what works and what does not under given circumstances, regarding low-income STEM student achievement;
share and leverage effective practices on a national scale to improve the achievement and success of domestic low-income students pursuing careers in STEM (including veterans, graduate students, and students in rural areas, if appropriate);
provide intellectual infrastructure for collaborations with potential to expand the knowledge base about support for domestic low-income, high-achieving STEM students;
develop mechanisms for dissemination of successful practices, the context in which they work and research results; and,
ensure that the Research Hub’s activities are inclusive of the broad collection of institutions with S-STEM projects in the research focus of interest including, but not limited to, 2-year colleges, PUIs, minority-serving institutions, and/or research-intensive universities, as appropriate.

Regardless of the focus, all proposals for a Research Hub must describe a plan to include and leverage the diversity of constituents, approaches, disciplines, and ideas that may exist within a thematic topic, and a strategy to explore new knowledge and generate best practices that will be transferable to other locations.

While the exact structure of a Research Hub may take many different forms, a successful S-STEM-Hub proposal must:

present the rationale for the creation of a Research Hub as opposed to a regular research grant. Research questions grounded in the literature that constitute the starting point for the Hub should also be included;
justify the research work that otherwise could not be advanced without the funded collaboration (why a large award with multiple PIs is needed);
identify the relevant stakeholders for the proposed Research Hub focus;
involve multiple S-STEM constituencies and institutions and present a clear plan to recruit researchers and solicit perspectives and expertise from institutions including, but not limited to, 2-year colleges, PUIs, minority-serving institutions, and/or research-intensive universities, as appropriate;
demonstrate that the proposed S-STEM-Hub’s leadership and advisory structures are reflective of the institution types that most significantly intersect their focus area;
describe how the S-STEM-Hub will leverage diverse institutional data streams and/or tackle challenges that cannot be accomplished by a single institution or a team of PIs; and
describe a project management plan and a mechanism to encourage and enable interaction between S-STEM-Hub stakeholders.
present an external evaluation plan for the Hub’s activities.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

(CLOSED) NSF 25-508: Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF)

Slots: 5. One slot left.

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: ~~Friday, December 13th, 2024, 5pm PT~~ Closed.

LOI: Not required.

External Deadline: February 4, 2025

Award Information

Award Type: Collaborative Project

Estimated Number of Awards: 20-25

Anticipated Award Amount: $1,500,000 – $2,000,000

Who May Serve as PI: By the submission deadline, any PI, co-PI, or other Senior/Key project personnel must hold either:

A tenured or tenure-track position, or
A primary, full-time, paid appointment in a research or teaching position with exceptions granted for family or medical leave, as determined by the submitting institution.

An investigator who is a PI or co-PI of a DMREF award based on a proposal submitted in response to the previous DMREF Solicitation (NSF 23-530) cannot be a PI or co-PI for this DMREF solicitation, but may serve as Senior/Key Personnel. Proposals violating this limitation will be returned without review.

Link to Award: https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/dmref-designing-materials-revolutionize-engineer-our-future/nsf25-508/solicitation

Process for Limited Submissions

Materials to submit include:

(1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
(2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Purpose

DMREF seeks to foster the design, discovery, and development of materials to accelerate their path to deployment by harnessing the power of data and computational tools in concert with experiment and theory. DMREF emphasizes a deep integration of experiments, computation, and theory; the use of accessible digital data across the materials development continuum; and strengthening connections among theorists, computational scientists, data scientists, mathematicians, statisticians, and experimentalists as well as those from academia, industry, and government. DMREF is committed to the education and training of a next-generation materials research and development (R&D) workforce; well-equipped for successful careers as educators and innovators; and able to take full advantage of the materials development continuum and innovation infrastructures that NSF is creating through partnership with other federal and international agencies.

DMREF is the principal NSF program responsive to the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC’s) Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Subcommittee on the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI). Over its inaugural decade, the MGI has driven a transformational paradigm shift in the philosophy of how materials research is performed. DMREF is supportive of the 2021 MGI Strategic Plan and its three primary goals, i.e., unifying the materials innovation infrastructure; harnessing the power of materials data; and educating, training, and connecting a world-class materials R&D workforce.

DMREF will accordingly support activities that significantly accelerate the materials discovery-to-use timeline by building the fundamental knowledge base needed to advance the design, development, or manufacturability of materials with desirable properties or functionality. The 2021 MGI Strategic Plan re-envisioned the linear Materials Development Continuum described in the original Strategic Plan to promote integration and iteration of knowledge across the entire path to deployment. DMREF will undertake this challenge through building a vibrant research community, forming interdisciplinary teams to conduct research in a “closed-loop” fashion, leveraging data science and machine learning, providing ready access to materials data, and educating the future MGI workforce.

This solicitation is open to all materials research topics and is responsive to the recent National Academies 2023 Report ‘NSF Efforts to Achieve the Nation’s Vision for the Materials Genome Initiative’. DMREF reflects the Administration’s priorities for strengthening American leadership in technologies and industries of the future that are critical to the nation’s health, economic prosperity, national security, and scientific enterprise.

DMREF encourages input and participation from the full spectrum of diverse talent that society has to offer which includes underrepresented and underserved communities. Aligning with Goal 3 of the 2021 MGI Strategic Plan, DMREF promotes education, training, and workforce development that can communicate across all components of the materials development continuum.

Proposals submitted to this solicitation must be directed by a team of at least two Senior/Key Personnel with complementary expertise. The proposed research must involve a collaborative and iterative “closed-loop” process wherein theory guides computational simulation, computational simulation guides experiments, and experimental observation further guides theory.

This solicitation represents a crosscutting activity involving the Directorates for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), Engineering (ENG), Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE), and Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP). Additionally, partnership with other federal agencies may lead to an interagency effort. Submitted proposals may be shared with one or more federal partners in the solicitation: Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Naval Research (ONR), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), and the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL). Opportunities are also present for collaboration with the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Germany’s Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

Awards are expected to range from $1,500,000 – $2,000,000 over a duration of four years.

Subject to the availability of funds, it is anticipated that the DMREF program will continue with competitions biennially in odd-numbered years.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

(CLOSED) NSF-23-577: Faculty Development in geoSpace Science (FDSS)

Slots: 1

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: Closed.

LOI: Not required.

External Deadline: March 1, 2026

Recurring Deadlines: ; March 1, Every Other Year Thereafter

Award Information

Award Type: Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 2 to 4

Anticipated Award Amount: $6,000,000

Who May Serve as PI: Principal Investigators should be someone at the IHE with the authority to implement the proposed FDSS program and select and hire the new faculty member. These may be, but are not limited to, a dean, provost, director of a university associated research institute, department chairperson, or a senior tenured faculty member.

Link to Award: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23577/nsf23577.htm

Process for Limited Submissions

Materials to submit include:

(1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (0.5” margins; single-spaced; font type: Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
(2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Purpose

Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation will have as their principal objective the creation and support of one tenure-track faculty position bearing research, teaching, service, and educational outreach responsibilities in geospace science at the submitting IHE. The FDSS faculty position may reside within one department or be shared among several departments at the IHE.

The proposal must clearly identify which NSF AGS Geospace program(s) the hire is relevant to and what research priorities of the program(s) will be addressed. NSF AGS Geospace programs/priorities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Aeronomy: research on the mesosphere, thermosphere and ionosphere of the Earth, and the phenomena of ionization, recombination, chemical reaction, photo emission, and the transport of energy and momentum within and between these regions;
Geospace Facilities: research areas that rely upon existing facilities or develop new instrumentation for geospace observations;
Magnetospheric Physics: research on the magnetosphere, coupling of the magnetosphere with the solar wind, ionosphere, and atmosphere; development of ground-based observations and lab-based plasma physics;
Solar-Terrestrial: development of U.S. ground-based solar observation, lab-based solar plasma physics, and instrumentation capabilities, including polarimetry techniques, and new modeling and theoretical research that connects to current or future NSF solar observatories;
Space Weather Research: system-of-systems research on the physical processes in the integrated Sun-Earth system that underlie space weather and space climate, and characterizing space weather impacts on critical infrastructure and technological systems.

The proposal must not designate any candidate for the new FDSS faculty position, but should include a description of the desired skills, background, and training of the desired candidate. Candidates already in tenured or tenure track positions or those whose research interests are not or only marginally related to geospace science are not eligible for FDSS support.

The proposal must contain details of how an open and inclusive job search would be carried out. Consonant with the stated policies of the National Science Foundation, members of underrepresented and under-served communities should be strongly encouraged to apply.

The proposal must state how topics in geospace science will be integrated into the undergraduate and/or graduate courses offered by the department(s) supporting the FDSS hire.

The proposal must clearly state how the position will be integrated into the institution’s overall strategic plan and the measures taken to ensure the successful integration of the faculty position into the institution.

It must include specific objectives and milestones for the hiring, and for the research, curriculum development, and educational outreach activities. It must also include specific evaluation plans to gauge the overall efficacy of the hiring process and the development of geospace science at the institution.

Important aspects to emphasize in the project description are the following:

Clear articulation of how the FDSS faculty position will be integrated into the IHE’s program of education, research, service, and outreach;
Relevant NSF Geospace program research area(s) that will be addressed by the new faculty member;
Plan for geospace science curriculum development;
Potential for the faculty position to attract diverse students and train future scientists in geospace science;
Plan for developing partnerships both within the university and with the broader geospace science community;
Plan to support the success of the FDSS hire (including but not limited to reasonable teaching and service expectations, professional development in pedagogy, mentoring, assistance with proposal preparation, etc.);
Metrics to ascertain the success of the FDSS hiring and related activities of the hire;
Activities to foster participation by underrepresented and under-served groups in FDSS projects.

Principal Investigators should be someone at the IHE with the authority to implement the proposed FDSS program and select and hire the new faculty member. These may be, but are not limited to, a dean, provost, director of a university associated research institute, department chairperson, or a senior tenured faculty member.

NSF funding will support the academic year (9-month) salary, benefits, and training of the newly recruited tenure-track faculty for the duration of the award. For Track 2 (MSIs and ERIs), the FDSS grant may also support up to 2 months of summer salary for the first three years after hire.

To allow sufficient time for the FDSS hire to stand for tenure review or at least complete a pre-tenure review at or before the end of the award period, it is expected that the award duration will be 5 years. The maximum total award size will be $1,500,000 over this duration.

Collaborative proposals or subawards are not allowed.

Continuation of the FDSS award beyond the first year is contingent on the successful hiring of a new tenure-track faculty member who meets the intent of this solicitation. As soon as a specific candidate accepts the FDSS tenure-track offer from the IHE, NSF must be notified, including the qualifications of the candidate and their proposed research and teaching plans that address the stated objectives of this solicitation. The cognizant NSF Program Officer may request information about the candidate to confirm that the intent of this solicitation is being met. Such information may include but is not limited to:

A description of the search including details of efforts undertaken to broaden participation;
A curriculum vitae, including a publication list, for the FDSS hire;
A statement of research interests and proposed educational outreach and teaching plans of the successful FDSS candidate.

When the FDSS hire formally joins the IHE, the institution must submit a formal request for the hire to be added to the grant award as a Co-Principal Investigator. It is expected that the majority of the first year’s budget costs, e.g., faculty salary and benefits, lab equipment (if needed), etc., will be associated with the new hire and will not be spent until that individual is in place. The FDSS award must be acknowledged by the FDSS hire in all their publications and presentations. See the special award conditions for more information.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.