National Science Foundation (NSF)

Institutionally Coordinated // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 0

PI TBA

Limiting Language
This solicitation is open to two categories of offerors: (i) organizations proposing to serve as the Ecosystem Coordinator (see Section 5.3); and (ii) organizations proposing to serve as an Expert Performer Team within one or more of the five Translation Themes (see Section 5.2). An organization may submit a proposal as Ecosystem Coordinator or as an Expert Performer Team, but not both.
 

Overview

The NSF Ecosystem for Low-dimensional Electronics: Growth, Assembly, Nanoelectronics, and Translation (NSF ELEGANT) program will position the U.S. for success in translating advanced microelectronics technologies into next-generation capabilities for artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, advanced communications, and other key technology areas critical to national security and economic competitiveness.  

To achieve program objectives, this Other Transaction Agreement Solutions Offering (OTASO) seeking an Eecosystems Ccoordinator and Expert Performer Teams in five translation themes:

Theme 1: Manufacturable Materials Platform.

Theme 2: Process Technology and Process Design Kit.

Theme 3: Device, Circuit and Full-Chip Demonstration.

Theme 4: Manufacturing Readiness and Transition.  

Theme 5: AI-Enabled Acceleration.

See OTASO and Additional Information attached to this posting for full details. Full sponsor guidelines are linked here. 

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* 

* 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.

Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 0

D. Ebert (Office of Research and Partnership)

Limiting Language
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1

The PI institution may submit only one proposal for each competition (deadline) specified in the solicitation.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 1

An individual may participate in at most one State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs proposal as PI, co-PI, or Senior/Key Personnel for each deadline. If an individual exceeds this limit, only the first proposal received will be accepted, and the remainder will be returned without review. This rule does not apply to advisory roles.

Program Overview
The NSF State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs program aims to expand access to the compute required for AI-enabled scientific discovery and to transform the research, education, and training opportunities offered by institutions of higher education. AI Infrastructure Hubs will connect researchers to new compute infrastructure that leverages contributions from state governments, research institutions, industry, and philanthropy, accelerating AI-enabled discovery across science and engineering and developing a skilled technical workforce for AI use in the scientific enterprise.

The program responds to a core tenet of Science: A New Golden Age to renew America's research and development (R&D) for changes in today's scientific enterprise, including the role of AI in laying the foundation for a new era of scientific discovery and the growing role of industry and philanthropy in funding R&D. In response, the Administration's FY28 R&D Priorities Memorandum called for investing in AI for science as a national mission and expanding the scale of, and flexible access to, advanced compute and data infrastructure that researchers now require for frontier scientific discovery.

Each AI Infrastructure Hub will be organized as a flexible state or regional consortium of state and local governments, research institutions, philanthropies, and the private sector. Consortia will be responsible for all funding for new or expanded computing, data, and AI resources, whether on-premises or cloud-based. NSF will fund each Hub's consortium coordination, AI infrastructure workforce development, and faculty training and coursework development in leveraging AI for science.

Limit: 2 (one per priority outcome area)// Tickets Available: 0

Priority Outcome Areas
Priority program outcomes are (1) Water for Energy Reliability and Reservoir Resilience and (2) Energy-Water Efficiency and Industrial Success

1. Water for Energy Reliability and Reservoir Resilience
   C. Chen (Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences)
2. Energy-Water Efficiency and Industrial Success
   A. Achilli (Chemical and Environmental Engineering)

Limiting Language
Offeror may submit multiple white papers in response to this BAA but may only submit one white paper under each priority outcome area.

Description
The primary objective of the National Science Foundation’s Energy Water Security Initiative (EWSI) is to secure American energy and national infrastructure resilience by producing measurable reductions in vulnerabilities where water scarcity threatens energy production, baseload stability, and industrial water extraction. This effort aims to accelerate deployment of technical solutions, with a priority focus on the systemic crisis within the Colorado River Basin. 

The NSF Energy Water Security Initiative seeks to develop the critical framework needed for research and development and accelerated, high-impact deployment. This initiative implements a two-phase program. Phase 1 awardees receive resources to develop consortia comprising multi-sector partnerships that can deliver on the goals of this initiative. Consortia should include regional partners and provide the collaborative infrastructure needed to accelerate development and deployment of technical capabilities. Phase 2 awardees will receive significant resources to expand the scale of projects leading to rapid completion and deployment of secure, public-domain technologies. The NAICS code for this BAA is 813920 (Professional Organization), which is a consortium focused on promoting professional research interests

 

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 

M. Zreda (Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences)

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

Every revolution in science has been preceded by a revolution in what we can measure, from the telescope to modern Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines. Today, the frontier is starved for radically new modalities for sensing and imaging. We cannot watch a non-crystalline enzyme work at atomic resolution, probe the full dynamics of a working synapse, or identify the most reactive surface defect structures on advanced catalytic materials.

NSF X-Labs in this Topic will target specific platform technologies in sensing, imaging and supporting technologies that will form the basis for revolutionary new capabilities in scientific discovery and technology sectors. Teams might, for example, draw on quantum sensing, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven computational imaging, adaptive AI-based sensing algorithms, and/or entirely new modalities to redefine what we consider knowable. 

Examples of relevant, currently unmet R&D challenges may include, but are not limited to: detection of molecular-scale single-reaction events across timescales of femtoseconds to seconds; MRI-free deep-tissue imaging; non-destructive biomolecule microscopy at exquisite resolution; high-sensitivity quantum sensors suitable for operation in a variety of environments; instruments intentionally engineered for next-generation AI training pipelines; and sensors to resolve whole-brain activity at cellular resolution across long timescales. 

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

Examples of challenges not considered in scope for this Topic include computational or software solutions without practical integration into an instrumentation system, 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, May 28, 1–2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) 
Introduction to NSF X-Labs Funding Opportunity – Scientific Instrumentation for Sensing and Imaging
Register for the May 28 webinar.

Tuesday June 23, 2:30–3:30 p.m. EDT
Q&A for NSF X-Labs – Scientific Instrumentation for Sensing and Imaging
Register for the June 23 Q&A session.

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.

The July 2026 deadline is institutionally coordinated. For more information, please contact RDS. 

No Applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limit: 1 (Category II only) // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Language
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1

An organization may submit only one proposal as lead institution for each of Category I and Category II for each solicitation deadline but may be a subawardee on other Category I and II proposals responding to this solicitation. The restriction to no more than one submitted proposal as lead institution is to help ensure that there is appropriate institutional commitment necessary for responsible oversight, by the potential recipient institution, of a national data infrastructure resource. This restriction does not apply to Category III proposals.

In the event that any organization exceeds this limit, any proposal submitted to this solicitation from an organization after the first proposal is received at NSF will be returned without review. No exceptions will be made.

Category III. There are no restrictions or limits. 

Program Synopsis
The Integrated Data Systems and Services (IDSS) program supports operations-level national-scale cyberinfrastructure systems and services that broadly advance and facilitate open, data-intensive and artificial intelligence-driven science and engineering research, innovation, and education.

Through this solicitation, the IDSS program is accepting proposals for three categories of projects:

• Category I. Development, deployment, and operation of novel national-scale integrated data systems and services, which may include interfacing with or leveraging other existing capabilities, systems and services, as appropriate to the project;
• Category II.  Transition of established smaller scale, regional, pilot, or prototype data-focused systems and services to national-scale production/operational quality/level. This may also include enhancement and expansion of existing national-scale data-focused operational systems and services; and
• Category III. Planning grants for future potential development/deployment or transition/enhancement IDSS projects. 

NSF and the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) have long supported the development of innovative foundational and application-specific cyberinfrastructure resources and systems to address data-intensive research needs at the campus, regional, and community scales, through programs such as Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation (CSSI), Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*), and other investments. The primary goal of the IDSS program is to support national-scale foundational data cyberinfrastructure that broadly enables data- and artificial intelligence-driven research for many communities. The IDSS program supports foundational transdisciplinary and demonstrably multi-disciplinary projects aimed to broadly impact the science and engineering research and education community. Projects that aim to primarily benefit a single science discipline, domain, project, or application are not supported.

It is recommended that prospective PIs contact program officer(s) from the list of Cognizant Program Officers to gain insight about alignment of their project ideas with the priorities of the IDSS program and Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. As part of contacting Cognizant Program Officers, prospective PIs are also encouraged to ascertain that the focus and budget of their proposed work are appropriate for this solicitation.