Upcoming

Submit Letter of Intent // Limit: 2 (lead organization) // Limit: 2 

Limiting Language
An eligible organization can submit a maximum of two Written Proposals per Topic Announcement for Phase 0 as a lead organization. Senior/Key Personnel may be listed on a maximum of one Written Proposal per Topic Announcement.

Topic Description 
Decades of progress in AI algorithms, robotics, sensing, and embedded computing, combined with accelerating industry investment, have positioned the U.S. to redefine how intelligent systems interact with the physical world. While digital AI has advanced rapidly, the next frontier requires developing intelligent, adaptive, and scalable systems capable of perceiving, acting and learning directly within complex physical environments with adaptive human-robot interaction.

Achieving this vision demands innovations in foundational platform technologies to support situational adaptability, continuous learning, and right-sized simulation-to-reality systems. 

Imagine heterogeneous autonomous swarms in military and disaster triage environments capable of high-stakes collective decision making in collaboration with human counterparts and the situational adaptability to perform complex locomotion, sensing, and targeted delivery tasks. Or bio-inspired robotics that operate with adaptive sensing for reflexive sensor input control, neuromorphic cognitive efficiency, and self-healing materials and behaviors. These advances demand significant, continual, and cross-disciplinary ecosystems to save lives, and catalyze U.S. technological and economic innovation. 

NSF X-Labs teams will target early-stage platform technologies that enable breakthroughs to accelerate entirely new forms of AI integration in physical systems including advanced sensors, robotics, embodied systems, human-robot interfaces, or cyber-physical systems. Examples of relevant Missions include, but are not limited to: technologies to enable new forms of distributed learning and swarming; adaptive behavior in the absence of connectivity; novel algorithms for sensor integration into digital twin or cyber-physical simulations; new capabilities in edge AI for physical systems; new modalities for AI control of emerging robotics such as bio-inspired or biohybrid components; platforms to support the next generation of robotic manufacturing based on mass-customizability and intuitive learning; and breakthroughs in the development of training data that, together with other advances, prepare physical AI systems for real-world variability including interactions with human counterparts. The resultant innovative platform technologies should benefit a broad range of application domains critical to U.S. competitiveness and security, which may include healthcare, national defense, emergency response, advanced manufacturing, and scientific discovery. 

An NSF X-Labs Mission in this Topic must be transformative, accelerating breakthrough R&D in physical AI towards creating or reshaping new lines of research and technologies. Successful teams will develop platform technologies, overcome technical barriers facing AI for physical systems, demonstrate measurable impact on the U.S. science and technology landscape, and position their technologies for widespread use and investment. Teams proposing to this Topic must justify that their proposed Mission will develop a technology not presently supported by existing R&D investments by the U.S. public or private sector. 

Examples of challenges not considered in scope for this Topic include computational or software solutions without practical integration into a physical system, integration of current technologies without significant advancement of the state-of-the-art, development of technologies where the impact is narrow and not widely deployable, fundamental research without potential for application in platform technologies, incremental advancement of the state-of-the-art, or advancement of technologies that are already appropriately developed to the point of full-scale commercialization.

Apply to Internal Competition // Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 2

Limiting Language 
Submissions will be evaluated to ensure they align with our mission and funding criteria. A limit of two proposals may be submitted from the same institution, researcher, or foundation.

Program Overview
SebastianStrong Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of childhood cancer and accelerating the development of more targeted, less toxic treatments by funding bold, early-stage research. Since 2017, we have awarded over $4 million to cutting-edge, peer-reviewed pediatric cancer research. Through strategic partnerships, matched contributions, and follow-on funding secured by investigators, our overall impact now exceeds $6 million.
 

We exist because kids deserve better. Too many promising ideas in pediatric cancer research go unfunded due to limited institutional support, lack of commercial incentive, and minimal government investment, especially for rare and relapsed cancers. At SebastianStrong, we focus exclusively on childhood cancers, where small patient populations often mean traditional funders and pharmaceutical companies overlook research.

ABOUT THE DISCOVERY SCIENCE AWARD

The Discovery Science Award typically provides up to $500,000 in funding for groundbreaking research that aligns with our mission. In select cases, proposals demonstrating exceptional potential for impact and scalability may be considered for higher levels of support.

Our Scientific Advisory Board, composed of leading pediatric oncologists and researchers, conducts a two-stage review process. First, Letters of Intent (LOIs) are evaluated to identify projects that best align with our mission and funding priorities. Selected applicants are then invited to submit a full proposal, which is reviewed in detail to determine final award decisions. Funding recommendations are made by the Scientific Advisory Board and approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

To be considered for funding, proposals must meet the following criteria:

1. Are focused on pediatric cancer
2. Will lead to less toxic, more targeted treatments
3. Are clearly communicated in lay terms (accessible to our Board and donor community)
4. Demonstrate strong potential to progress toward a clinical trial in 1-3 years

We welcome new, ongoing, and updated peer-reviewed research. However, we do not accept in-progress or ongoing clinical trials. Any author or researcher conflict of interest must be disclosed at the time of submission. All submissions are treated as CONFIDENTIAL and are accessible only to members of SebastianStrong’s Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board until the time of award. We are happy to execute NDAs upon request.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

SebastianStrong funds one or more proposals each year that advance meaningful change in pediatric cancer treatment. We are especially interested in research that:

• Focuses on pediatric cancers with low survival rates or high relapse rates
• Has transitional potential within 36 months
• Pursues underfunded or unconventional approaches that could change the status quo

Apply to Internal Competition // Limit: 5 (Standard, Collaboration, and Bridge grant types) // Tickets Available: 4

S. Grutzmacher (Competitive Renewal, Cooperative Extension)

Limiting Language 
For FY 2026, there is a five application limit on the number of Regular/Standard or Collaboration applications that can be submitted by an institution. Per clarification from NIFA, the bridge grant is a subset of the standard/regular grant and thus are also part of the 5 application limit.

Executive Summary
The HSI Education Grants Program, under assistance listing number 10.223, will promote and strengthen the ability HSIs to carry out education, applied research, and related community development programs. This program encourages innovative teaching, education, or related community development proposals with the potential to impact and become models for other institutions at the regional or national level. Applications may propose, as part of a formal education and teaching program, that students gain experience with an applied research and community outreach activity. While HSIs are the only eligible entities to apply for this NOFO, funded projects should benefit the entire population at the institution, not solely the Hispanic population.

The program page is linked here.

Internal Competition Undergoing Peer Review // Limit: 1 // Ticket Available: 0

Limiting Language
The University of Arizona Foundation may submit one proposal per cycle. 

Program Descripton
The Stocker Foundation supports programs that improve educational outcomes for children from Prekindergarten through Grade 8, with an emphasis on Literacy + STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). Funding is available for school-year and summer programs that demonstrate strong alignment with these priorities and serve students experiencing educational or economic barriers. 
 

Funding Priorities 
The Stocker Foundation considers requests that align with one of the following areas: 

• Development of foundational reading and writing skills (Programs that strengthen early literacy and reading proficiency) 
• Implementation of cross-disciplinary and project-based learning through STEAM (Programs that integrate inquiry-based learning, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills through STEAM approaches) 
• Safety-Net Services that remove barriers to learning and academic achievement — A very limited amount of funding is set aside for this category

The University of Arizona is permitted to submit one application per university-industry partnership, with each partnership including one or more students.  

Faculty members interested in participating who have a relationship with a potential industry partner should contact Dr. Kirsten Limesand, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate College, by August 27. 
 

Apply to Internal Competition // Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 2* 

* Please note the number of limited submissions tickets available in this internal competition is subject to change based on the review scores of proposals submitted to the March 2026 deadline. One or both prior applicants may qualify for a competitive resubmission under our limited submissions policies.

Limiting Language
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 2

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).

Please see the table below for current and pending institutional S-STEM awards and proposals, March 2027 proposals should not overlap with diciplines listed below:

Program Overview 
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, predominately undergraduate institutions, and urban, suburban, and rural public institutions.

Full sponsor guidelines are linked here.

IMPORTNAT NOTE: 
We are proceeding with our normal internal competition schedule even though there is not currently a live solicitation for the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program. We are monitoring the program and will provide updates as they are available. If there are major changes in a new solicitation, we will work with applicants to respond accordingly. 

The deadline to submit pre-proposals has passed, RDS will communicate next steps to applicants once the solicitation is released // Limit: 4 (subject to change, see above) // Tickets Available: 4

Limiting Language
Each performing organization may submit in revised "Tracks" as defined below, with no more than two (2) submissions in Track 1 and no more than one (1) submission in Track 2. For the newly defined Track 3, no more than one (1) submission per competition is permitted. As a result, it is now possible for an institution to submit up to four MRI proposals within the Track limits as described above.

Inclusion as a funded subawardee on a development proposal at a level in excess of 20% of the total budget requested from NSF, or as a funded subawardee, when allowed, on any acquisition proposal, will be counted against an organization's proposal submission limit. If you plan to partner at a level in excess of 20%, please notify RDS by the internal deadline. 

Program Description

The NSF Major Research Instrumentation Grant is awaiting a new solicitation. The old solicitation for the program is linked here. The program page is linked here. Details from the previous solicitation are included below.

The Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program (MRI Program Website) serves to increase access to multi-user scientific and engineering instrumentation for research and research training in our Nation's institutions of higher education and not-for-profit scientific/engineering research organizations. An MRI award supports the acquisition of a multi-user research instrument that is commercially available through direct purchase from a vendor, or for the personnel costs and equipment that are required for the development of an instrument with new capabilities, thereby advancing instrumentation capabilities and enhancing expertise for instrument design and fabrication at academic institutions. MRI instruments are, in general, too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs.

MRI provides support to acquire critical research instrumentation without which advances in fundamental science and engineering research may not otherwise occur. MRI also provides support to obtain next-generation research instruments by developing instruments with new capabilities that open new opportunities to advance the frontiers in science and engineering research. Additionally, an MRI award is expected to enhance research training of students who will become the next generation of instrument users, designers and builders.

An MRI proposal may request from NSF up to $4 million for either acquisition or development of a research instrument. Each performing organization may submit in revised "Tracks" as defined below, with no more than two (2) submissions in Track 1 and no more than one (1) submission in Track 2. For the newly defined Track 3, no more than one (1) submission per competition is permitted. As a result, it is now possible for an institution to submit up to four MRI proposals within the Track limits as described above.

• Track 1: Track 1 MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than $100,0001 and less than $1,400,000.
• Track 2: Track 2 MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $1,400,000 up to and including $4,000,000.
• Track 3: Track 3 MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $100,0001 and less than or equal to $4,000,000 that include the purchase, installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment and instrumentation to conserve or reduce the consumption of helium. Institutions may submit no more than one Track 3 proposal. Submission of a Track 3 proposal does not impact limits that apply for Track 1 and Track 2 proposals.

Cost sharing requirements for new awards in the MRI Program are waived for a period of 5 years beginning with the FY 2023 MRI competition. Institutional submission limits for Track 1, Track 2 and Track 3 proposals remain.

Institutionally Coordinated - contact RDS if you are interested in this funding opportunity // Limit: 2 (lead organization) // Tickets Available: 1

N. Peyghambarian (Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing) 

Limiting Language 
An eligible organization can submit a maximum of two Written Proposals per Topic Announcement for Phase 0 as a lead organization. Senior/Key Personnel may be listed on a maximum of one Written Proposal per Topic Announcement.

Topic Description
Quantum computing and quantum information processing systems sit at the cusp of a watershed moment: through years of federally funded foundational discovery in quantum phenomena coupled with more recent industry investment in the buildout of quantum components and systems, the world is about to witness a new era in modern computation. Future quantum computing is expected to rapidly accelerate scientific discovery and use-driven applications in a range of technology sectors, while unlocking entirely new frontiers beyond the reach of classical computing. But to realize future functional and connected quantum systems will require further investment in foundational platform technologies centered on quantum interconnects and integrated quantum photonics, which will be key enablers to combine different quantum capabilities into a single system. 

Future quantum systems are expected to rely on interconnects to transfer quantum information – coherence and entanglement – between discrete physical subsystems. Quantum photonic technologies that utilize photons as robust carriers of quantum information in distributed architectures offer a compelling pathway toward scalable quantum computing, sensing and metrology, and networking. Integrated quantum photonics will further extend this capacity by enabling dense integration of optical components (e.g., entangled sources, interferometers, filters, switches, and detectors) onto compact chips and packages. 

NSF X-Labs in this Topic will focus on the research and development of technologies to enable next-generation quantum interconnects, integrated quantum photonics and/or their supporting technologies. NSF X-Labs teams will target specific platform technologies that, if successful, will provide a roadmap for the integration of second-generation quantum systems. Examples of relevant, currently unmet R&D challenges may include, but are not limited to: scalable modular architectures based on the interconnection of discrete processing units; interconnection of heterogeneous quantum sub-systems via quantum transducers; reconfigurable quantum photonic circuits for compact multi-qubit operations; and next-generation quantum light sources, low-loss waveguides, and integrated single-photon detectors. NSF X-Labs in this Topic will aim to develop foundational platform solutions that can form the basis for broad industry adoption and integrated, system-level capabilities. 

An NSF X-Labs Mission in this Topic must be transformative, accelerating breakthrough R&D in quantum technologies towards creating or reshaping new lines of research and technologies. Successful teams will develop platform technologies, overcome technical barriers facing quantum systems, demonstrate measurable impact on the U.S. science and technology landscape, and position their technologies for widespread use and investment. 

Examples of challenges not considered in scope for this Topic include computational or software solutions without practical integration into a quantum system, solutions that are inherently unsuitable for future scaling and commercial adoption, development of technologies where the impact is narrow and not widely deployable, fundamental research without potential for application in platform technologies, incremental advancement of the state-of-the-art, or advancement of technologies that are already appropriately developed to the point of full-scale commercialization.

Full sponsor guidelines are linked here. 

Upcoming Webinars 

Thursday, June 4, 2–3 p.m. EDT
Introduction to NSF X-Labs Funding Opportunity - Quantum Systems: Interconnects and Integrated Photonics
Register for the June 4 webinar.

Tuesday, June 30, 2–3 p.m. EDT
Q&A for NSF X-Labs - Quantum Systems: Interconnects and Integrated Photonics 
Register for the June 30 Q&A session.

If you are interested in the FY 2027 Fulbright Specialist Program, please reach out to Danielle Barefoot, Associate for International Research Development and Fulbright Scholar Liaison.