Selected Open Funding Opportunities
RDO curates this list of open funding opportunities in STEM* to highlight large, collaborative, and/or strategic funding opportunities that may be of particular interest to the Stanford community. Please note that STEM* includes social sciences that utilize quantitative methods.
Summaries of selected funding opportunities have been compiled from Grants.gov, Grants.ca.gov, and other agency announcements below. See our Find Funding Overview for more ways to search funding opportunities in your area of interest. This page will be regularly updated to spotlight new opportunities.
Looking for something you've seen here in the past? Review past opportunities in our archive (SUNet ID required).
Federal
| Title/Sponsor | Next Deadline | Description | Amount/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSF Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence (NSF 24-569) | 10/10/24 | To jointly sponsor research collaborations consisting of mathematicians, statisticians, computer scientists, engineers, and social and behavioral scientists focused on the mathematical and theoretical foundations of AI. Research activities should focus on the most challenging mathematical and theoretical questions aimed at understanding the capabilities, limitations, and emerging properties of AI methods as well as the development of novel, and mathematically grounded, design and analysis principles for the current and next generation of AI approaches. | $500k-$1.5M over 3 years |
| NASA ROSES 2024 A.5 Carbon Cycle Science | LOI 10/17/24 proposal 2/3/25 | NASA seeks proposals that make significant use of remote sensing data to improve understanding of changes in the distribution and cycling of carbon among the active land, ocean, coastal, and atmospheric reservoirs, and how that understanding can be used to establish a scientific foundation for societal responses to environmental change. Substantive use of remote sensing and/or airborne data is required in all studies. Topics of interest include: Carbon fluxes within the ocean: predicting the biological pump; Carbon cycle of critical ecosystems; Carbon fluxes between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere | $1.5M/year or $3.5M/year for up to 3 years depending on topic |
| NSF Centers for Chemical Innovation (NSF 23-575) | 10/22/24 | The Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCI) Program supports research centers focused on major, long-term fundamental chemical research challenges. CCIs are agile structures that respond rapidly to emerging opportunities, demonstrate synergy and added value from collaborations, and engage in chemical research with high potential to transform the field. CCIs integrate research with broader impacts in innovation, higher education and professional development, broadening participation, and informal science communication. | Phase II deadline in October; Phase I deadline for this round unclear at this time, Phase I required for Phase II competition. |
| NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes (NSF 24-599) |
Limited Submission Deadline 10/28/24 02/07/25 req'd LOI due |
Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes are large-scale interdisciplinary research projects motivated by major challenges at the frontiers of quantum information science and technology (QIST). Institutes are expected to catalyze breakthroughs on important problems underpinning QIST, for example in the focus areas of quantum computation, quantum communication, quantum simulation and/or quantum sensing. Successful institutes will coordinate a variety of approaches to specific scientific, technological, and educational goals in these fields, including multiple institutions and building upon multiple disciplines, as motivated by the science and engineering challenges. In so doing, Institutes will nurture a culture of discovery, provide education, training, and workforce development opportunities in the context of cutting-edge research, and demonstrate value-added from synergistic coordination within the institute and with the broader community. | $2M-7.5M per year for up to 6 years with potential for renewal; pre proposal due March 7 |
| NSF ACSS: Advanced Computing Systems & Services (NSF 24-583) |
NSF deadline 10/29/24 |
The intent of this solicitation is to request proposals from organizations willing to serve as Resource Providers (RPs) within the NSF ACSS program to provide advanced cyberinfrastructure capabilities and/or services in production operation to support the full range of computational- and data-intensive research across all of S&E. The 2024 deadline supports Category I proposals. Resources proposed in this category are intended to be operational deployments of production computational resources that will provide maximum capacity and throughput to support the broad range of computation, data analytics and AI needs in S&E research. The deployments are expected to adhere to a vision of an advanced computing ecosystem as a federated set of resources and services that are heterogeneous in architecture, resource type, and usage mode to collectively meet the Nation’s foundational needs for world-leading computing capabilities. | $10-20 million for up to 5 years |
| NSF PFE RIEF: Professional Formation of Engineers, Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (NSF 20-558) | 11/12/24 | The PFE: Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (PFE: RIEF) program has two goals: 1) Support research in the Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE), and 2) Increase the community of researchers conducting PFE research. PIs are expected to have little or no experience conducting social science or education research. Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) refers to the formal and informal education and value systems by which people become engineers. It also includes the ethical responsibility of practicing engineers to sustain and grow the profession. The engineering profession must be responsive to national priorities, grand challenges, and dynamic workforce needs; it must be equally open and accessible to all. Engineering faculty possess both deep technical expertise in their engineering discipline and the primary responsibility for the process of professional formation of future engineers. As such, engineering faculty are in a unique position to help address critical challenges in engineering formation. The Professional Formation of Engineers: Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (PFE: RIEF) program enables engineering faculty who are renowned for teaching, mentoring, or leading educational reform efforts on their campus to develop expertise in conducting engineering education research. | |
| NSF Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 (NSF 24-598) | 11/18/24 req'd preproposal | Within Mid-scale RI-1, proposers may submit two types of projects, “Implementation” (e.g., acquisition and/or construction) or “Design”. The “Design” track is intended to facilitate progress toward readiness for a mid-scale range implementation project. Both Implementation projects and Design activities may involve new or upgraded research infrastructure. Mid-scale RI-1 "Implementation" projects may have a total project cost ranging from $4 million up to but not including $20 million. Mid-scale RI-1 "Design" activities may request less than $4 million, with a minimum request of $400,000 and a maximum request up to but not including $20 million, as appropriate, to prepare for a future mid-scale range implementation project. Note: Successful award of a Mid-scale RI-1 design activity does not imply NSF's commitment to the future implementation of the project being designed, nor is a Mid-scale RI-1 design award required for the submission of an implementation project. | full proposal by invitation only due March 19 |
| NASA Integrated Water Field Campaign (ROSES 2024 A.14) | 11/26/24 | This program is intended to identify and characterize novel physical processes and interactions that can be measured by and benefit from observations of water surface elevations over land, ocean, and land-ocean boundaries from SWOT, as well as from information from ocean salinity data and other relevant ocean products. Of particular interest are investigations exploring novel physical connections characterizing the flows of rivers through complex networks, the fate of riverine waters as they enter the ocean, and the impact of freshwater input on ocean salinity, stratification, heat delivery, and ocean dynamics, with cascading implications for other Earth system processes, e.g., air-sea fluxes of heat, moisture, and gases; sea ice formation and dynamics | 4 year awards |
| NSF Molecular Foundations for Sustainability: Sustainable Polymers Enabled by Emerging Data Analytics (NSF 24-567) | 12/05/24 req'd LOI due | The goal of MFS-SPEED is to support fundamental research enabling the accelerated discovery and ultimate manufacturing of sustainable polymers using state-of-the-art data science, and to enhance development of a cross-disciplinary workforce skilled in this area. In particular, through this solicitation the research community is encouraged to address the discovery and elaboration of new sustainable polymers or sustainable pathways to existing polymers by the creation and use of a data-centric environment where research projects are focused on new approaches to predicting structure and properties of polymers and advanced soft materials, with insights enabled by data analytics including Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning; This includes more efficient, scalable preparation of monomers and polymers using existing or new synthetic routes and this call aims to train a technical workforce that leverages data analytics to create sustainable polymers and soft materials | full proposals due January 16, 2025; up to $2M over 3 years |
| NSF R2I2: Regional Resilience Innovation Incubator (NSF 24-595) | 12/16/24 req'd LOI due | The NSF Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), in partnership with the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP), seeks to support translation of research into practical, scalable solutions to climate-related regional resilience problems through innovative collaborations. These collaborations must leverage fundamental knowledge gained through recent research investments in climate change and Earth system science in cooperation with local expertise and experience. Each Regional Resilience Innovation Incubator (R2I2) will bring together diverse, interdisciplinary teams of scientists, innovators, community members, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and investors to address climate challenges through the rapid translation of use-inspired research outcomes into real-world deployment-ready solutions. Communities that will benefit most from the potential solutions are expected to actively participate inR2I2 projects. The engagement of individuals from historically excluded groups in STEM is strongly encouraged. | full proposal due January 16, 2025; $10M available for 17 phase 1 awards |
| NSF Research on the Science and Tech Enterprise: Indicators, Statistics, and Methods (NSF 24-587) | 01/21/25 | Supports analytic and methodological research focused on improving NSCSES data quality, as well as education and training in the use of large-scale nationally representative datasets to advance the understanding of the science and technology enterprise. NCSES welcomes efforts by the research community to use NCSES or other data to conduct research on the S&T enterprise, develop improved survey methodologies that could benefit NCSES surveys, explore alternate data sources that could supplement NCSES data, create and improve indicators of S&T activities and resources, strengthen methodologies to analyze S&T statistical data, and explore innovative ways to communicate S&T statistics. To that end, NCSES invites proposals for individual or multi-investigator research projects, doctoral dissertation improvement awards, conferences, experimental research, survey research and data collection, and dissemination projects under its program for Research on the Science and Technology Enterprise: Indicators, Statistics, and Methods | |
| DOE Office of Science "Open Call" (DE-FOA-0003432) | rolling through 9/30/25 | The FY 2025 Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (aka "open call") is the Office of Science's (SC's) annual open solicitation that covers all research areas in the Office's Divisions and is open throughout the Fiscal Year. Any research within SC’s Congressionally authorized mission may be proposed under this NOFO, including larger multi-PI proposals. | Historically $5k-$5M; 6mo- 5yrs (3yrs most common) |
| DOD R&D Dreicted Energy University Assistance Instruments | rolling through 07/18/29 | The AFRL Directed Energy Directorate is interested in receiving applications under this announcement to establish assistance agreements with U.S. /U.S. territories’ colleges and universities for directed energy-related basic, applied, and advanced research projects that provide a public purpose and are of interest to the Department of Defense mission. The scope of the research will include the entire spectrum of directed energy technology applicable to the Air Force, including all tangentially related directed energy. The research shall include, but not be limited to the following Core Technical Competencies (CTCs): Laser Systems, Directed Energy and Electro-Optics for Space Superiority, High Power Electromagnetics, and Weapons Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis. | rollling deadlines annually through 2029 or until $49M program ceiling is met |
| NSF MultiPLEX: Multilateral Partnerships Leveraging Excellence (PD-24-7298) | open, full proposals accepted anytime | The Office of International Science and Engineering’s MultiPLEx program seeks to support visionary, and ambitious international multilateral research partnerships that are required to hasten progress in addressing grand challenges by leveraging research excellence in the U.S. and around the globe. The program also seeks to advance understanding of effective multilateral collaboration. MultiPLEx funds support the U.S. research team. Research partners should seek funding from their own national funding agencies or from other sources. Proposals submitted to MultiPLEX must fall outside the scope of existing OISE or directorate programs. | Funding levels vary, typically up to 3 years duration; highly reccommended to contact Program Officer |
| NSF RISBS: Research Infrastructure in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (PD 23-277Y) | open, full proposals accepted anytime | RISBS supports projects that create computational tools and data to facilitate basic research in the social and behavioral sciences that can lead to improved health, prosperity and security. Projects should be aimed at creating computational tools and data to enable research by social scientists. Examples include, but are not limited to, data collection or assembly efforts that result in new resources for a community of researchers or software platforms that facilitate data collection efforts by others. RISBS does not support research by PIs except in service of creation of the infrastructure. Innovation is especially encouraged. | |
| NSF Environmental Sustainability (PD 23-7643) | open, full proposals accepted anytime | The goal of the Environmental Sustainability program is to promote sustainable engineered systems that support human well-being and that are also compatible with sustaining natural (environmental) systems. These systems provide ecological services vital for human survival. Research efforts supported by the program typically consider long time horizons and may incorporate contributions from the social sciences and ethics. The program supports engineering research that seeks to balance society's need to provide ecological protection and maintain stable economic conditions. | |
| NSF Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (NSF 23-578) | open, full proposals accepted anytime | The Innovation Program supports research to design novel or greatly improved research tools and methods that advance contemporary biology in any research area supported by the Directorate for Biological Sciences at NSF. The Innovation Program focuses on research infrastructure that is broadly applicable to researchers in three programmatic areas: Bioinformatics, Instrumentation, and Research Methods. Infrastructure supported by this program is expected to advance biological understanding by improving scientists’ abilities to manipulate, control, analyze, or measure critical aspects of biological systems, which can be essential for addressing important fundamental research questions. | |
| NSF Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research (NSF 23-580) | open, full proposals accepted anytime | The Capacity Program focuses on building capacity in research infrastructure that is broadly applicable to a wide range of researchers in three programmatic areas: Cyberinfrastructure, Biological Collections, and Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories. This program will also accept proposals for planning activities or workshops to facilitate coordination that may be necessary in building capacity in infrastructure that meets the needs of a research community. Areas not included in this program are instrumentation (PIs should submit to the MRI program) and, projects that develop infrastructure for a specific research project, laboratory, or institution (PIs should submitted to the relevant BIO programs that would normally support that research). | |
| NSF RCN: Research Coordination Networks (NSF 23-529) | rolling; varies by program | The goal of the RCN program is to advance a field or create new directions in research or education by supporting groups of investigators to communicate and coordinate their research, training and educational activities across disciplinary, organizational, geographic, and international boundaries. RCN awards are not meant to support existing networks; nor are they meant to support the activities of established collaborations. RCN awards also do not support primary research. Rather, the RCN program supports the means by which investigators can share information and ideas; coordinate ongoing or planned research activities; foster synthesis and new collaborations; develop community standards; and in other ways advance science and education through communication and sharing of ideas. Participating programs in the Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Geosciences (GEO), STEM Education (EDU), Engineering (ENG), Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), and Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) will accept RCN proposals. PIs are encouraged to discuss suitability of an RCN topic with a program officer that manages the appropriate program. For proposals submitted to the CISE, ENG, SBE and TIP directorates consultation PRIOR to submission is mandatory | $500k; deadline varies by program, webpage indicates a full proposal is "accepted anytime" |
| NSF DCL: Net-Zero Climate Goals by 2050 (NSF 24-045) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to Net-Zero Climate Goals, including innovations to create a circular economy; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
| NSF DCL: Advanced Wireless (NSF 24-041) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to Advanced Wireless as an Emerging Industry; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
| NSF DCL: Biotechnology (NSF 24-040) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to Biotechnology as an Emerging Industry; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
| NSF DCL: Quantum Information Science and Engineering (NSF 24-042) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to QISE as an Emerging Industry; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
| NSF DCL: Artificial Intelligence (NSF 24-039) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to AI as an Emerging Industry; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
| NSF DCL: Advanced Manufacturing (NSF 24-043) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to Advanced Manufacturing as an Emerging Industry; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
| NSF DCL: Microelectronics and Semiconductors (NSF 24-038) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to Microelectronics and Semiconductors as an Emerging Industry; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
Find medical-related funding opportunities at Stanford Medicine's Research Management Group
State
| Title/Sponsor | Deadline | Description | Amount/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEC: Cost Share for Federal Clean Energy Funding Opportunities (GFO-21-901) | open, no deadline | Opportunity to apply for State cost share for federal clean energy funding opportunities. Lists specific federal opportunities in the solicitation, and also includes link to a form to suggest additional federal programs beyond those that are listed. | Workshop presentation slides (ppt file) |
| CEC: Enviro-SET: Environmental Sustainability of Clean Energy Transitions | 11/08/24 | The purpose of this solicitation is to fund applied research and development projects that inform California's transition to an equitable, zero-carbon energy system that is climate resilient an meets environmental goals. Funded projects must generate best-available science in one of the following areas of environment and energy interactions: state-of-the-art monitoring of solar energy deployment and mapping agrivoltaic land suitability to inform Senate Bill (SB) 100 planning and related efforts; innovative science on the environmental and biological resource impacts of clean energy technologies and potential mitigation options; co-benefits of bird-friendly window innovations with building decarbonization; or identification of biologically appropriate exterior lighting. | preapp workshop 08/28; $500k-1.2M based on topic |
| CEC: BRIDGE 2024: Bringing Rapid Innovation Development to Green Energy | 11/22/24 | The purpose of this solicitation is to provide vital support for follow-on funding of projects with the most promising energy technologies that have successfully completed a CEC or U.S. federal agency applied research and development (AR&D) or technology demonstration and deployment (TD&D) award. Applicants must demonstrate in their response both clear intentions and a viable path to commercializing their technology in California.The purpose of this solicitation is to provide vital support for follow-on funding of projects with the most promising energy technologies that have successfully completed a CEC or U.S. federal agency applied research and development (AR&D) or technology demonstration and deployment (TD&D) award. Applicants must demonstrate in their response both clear intentions and a viable path to commercializing their technology in California. | $1M-4M; 25% match |
| CEC: Evaluating Air Quality, Health, and Equity in CA's Clean Energy Transition | not yet released | To advance research on air quality and health impacts of clean energy transitions in CA and to develop framework to equitably allocate benefits of energy transition fairly among under-resourced communities | anticipated release March-June 2024 |
| CEC: Modeling and Monitoring Air Quality and Co-benefits of Energy Interventions | not yet released | To improve existing ambient air quality modeling and measurement approaches and conduct analyses to quantify the air quality implications and related human health impacts of clean energy interventions across energy use sectors. | anticipated release June - September 2024 |
Find more funding opportunities from the State of California at the California Grants Portal
Foundations
| Title/Sponsor | Deadline | Description | Amount/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Evidence for Action: Innovative Research to Advance Racial Equity | Open | Evidence for action prioritizes research to evaluate specific interventions that have the potential to counteract the harms of structural and systemic racism and improve health, well-being, and equity outcomes. This funding is focused on studies about upstream causes of health inequities, such as the systems, structures, laws, policies, norms, and practices that determine the distribution of resources and opportunities, which in turn influence individuals' options and behaviors. Research should center on the needs and experiences of communities exhibiting the greatest health burdens and be motivated by real-world priorities. It should be able to inform a specific course of action and/or establish beneficial practices, not stop at characterizing or documenting the extent of a problem. | varies, $200-500k |
| Simons Foundation: Targeted Grants in Mathematics and Physical Sciences | Open | This program supports high-rish theoretical mathematics, physics, and computer science projects of exceptional promise and scientific importance on a case-by-case basis | Letter of inquiry accepted any time |
Find more funding opportunities from foundations at Stanford University Corporate and Foundation Relations
Other
Other funding opportunities can also be found on the funding page curated by Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing
Recurring Funding Opportunities by Topic
- NSF opportunities in climate and sustainability, last update June 2024
- DEIA opportunities, last update June 2023
- Federal Instrumentation and Infrastructure grants, last update June 2023. See also: presentation on Strategy for Shared Instrumentation Grant Seekers.
- Recurring Limited Submissions Programs
- Research Centers:
- Collaborative Funding Mechanism list compiled by the National Organization of Research Development Professionals
- NSF Growing Convergence Research program
- NSF Research Coordination Networks meant to foster communication and collaborations in a new or developing area of science or engineering
- The National Research Council (NRC) has identified a list of awards in a range of disciplines that include research/scholarship awards, fellowships, and memberships in honorary societies.
Funding Opportunities in the Humanities, Arts, and Interpretive Social Sciences
The RDO team also curates a list of funding opportunities for researchers in the Humanities, Arts, and Interpretive Social Sciences.