Limited Submission Opportunities

The Exceptional Project Grant recognizes creative, unique and innovative research related to breast cancer. The Young Investigator Grant helps advance the careers of young researchers who do not yet have their own major grant support, but who design and conduct their own independent research projects.

Managing Unit: SCI (Stanford Cancer Institute)

Limited submission funding opportunity for extraordinary researchers offering the best hope for a cure to childhood cancer. The foundation has launched three institutional priorities: Powering Research, Equitable Care, and Survivorship & Mental Health. For the 2026 grant cycle, PCRF will open funding exclusively for Emerging Investigator Grants, reflecting our commitment to supporting the next generation of pediatric cancer researchers and strengthening the future research pipeline. PCRF plans to reopen the full grant cycle in 2027, including Translational Research Grants, Legacy Researcher Grants, and additional funding opportunities.

Managing Unit: SCI (Stanford Cancer Institute)

The EFRC program brings together world-class teams of scientists from universities, DOE national laboratories, and other institutions to perform energy-relevant basic research with a scope and complexity beyond what is possible in single-investigator or small-group awards. These multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary centers accelerate transformative scientific advances for the most challenging topics in materials sciences, chemical sciences, geosciences, and biosciences. EFRCs integrate experiments, theory, computation, and AI/ML; develop innovative experimental and theoretical tools that illuminate fundamental processes in unprecedented detail; and create an enthusiastic, interdisciplinary, workforce of energy-focused scientists.

BES is soliciting applications in two general categories: BES Report Topics and Special Topics.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

Projects funded under this NOFO must demonstrate measurable improvements in electric grid capacity and system value (usefulness), combining physical capacity gains from reconductoring with operational efficiency and/or flexibility from other Advanced Transmission Technologies. Applications must show how these complementary technologies:
• Expand transfer capability
• Strengthen reliability and resource adequacy
• Reduce consumer cost impact while utilizing existing rights of way

DOE will prioritize projects that can be implemented quickly to deliver durable physical upgrades and dynamic operational gains that together increase the value, performance, security, resilience, affordability, and reliability of the nation’s electric grid. Detailed technical descriptions of the topic areas are provided in the sections that follow.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

With this program solicitation, the Foundation is taking the next step in implementing the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL) concept as an overarching shared infrastructure designed to facilitate the translation from basic science and engineering to the resultant technology, while at the same time emphasizing and advancing its scientific and technical value. The NQVL aims to develop and utilize use-inspired and application-oriented quantum technologies. In the process, NQVL researchers will explore quantum frontiers, foster the development of QISE education and workforce development strategies, engage in outreach activities at all levels, and promote input and participation from the full spectrum of talent in QISE, thereby lowering barriers at all entry points of the research enterprise. Engagement with all sectors of the United States (U.S.) QISE community will be necessary for this initiative to succeed, and, indeed, the project is designed to include participation from a full spectrum of organizations who have expertise to contribute. In particular, NSF recognizes that the involvement of industry partners is essential and will welcome these to be a part of the overall structure. Partnerships with other U.S. Federal agencies under the NQI umbrella are also encouraged.

While this solicitation lays out the vision for the entire NQVL program that includes Quantum Science and Technology Demonstration (QSTD) projects, support for enabling technologies through Transformative Advances in Quantum Systems (TAQS), as well as a central coordination hub, only proposals for Design- and Implementation-phase QSTDs are solicited at this time.

Submission of a QSTD:Design proposal is contingent upon the existence of a QSTD:Pilot project in the same topical area, and the positive recommendation from the Conceptual Design Review of the QSTD:Pilot project. The QSTD:Design project builds on progress made in the QSTD:Pilot phase.

Submission of a QSTD:Implementation proposal is contingent upon the existence of a QSTD:Design project in the same topical area, and the positive recommendation from the Preliminary Design Review of the QSTD:Design project. The QSTD:Implementation project builds on progress made in the QSTD:Design phase.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The goals of DE-FOA-003541 include: (1) Supporting, maintaining, or enhancing an institution’s capacities to attract and teach high quality students interested in nuclear energy-related studies; (2) building an institution’s research or education capabilities; and (3) enhancing an institution’s capabilities to perform R&D that is relevant to NE’s broader mission.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

Program Overview
Research laboratories will host up to two high-school STEM teachers who are alumni of the EnCorps program for an eight-week summer placement. Teachers will learn about the lab’s research through appropriate training and hands-on activities. The goals are for them to gain a deeper understanding of the science and its significance, use the knowledge and skills learned to develop curricular activities, and, together with the lab, learn and practice the art of effectively communicating complex research concepts to public audiences.

Science Communication Commitment
A central component of this program is collaborative science outreach. The PI and a designated in-lab mentor (a PhD student or postdoc) must commit to participate in science communication training alongside the teachers. This will be supported by three virtual training sessions with a science communication coach. Together, the lab team and teachers are asked to develop a public-facing communication product about the research and its importance to society, e.g., videos, op-eds, or podcasts, designed to communicate about the lab’s research and its importance to students, the high school community, and the broader public. Teachers will also gain experience that helps them expose students to STEM research and career paths.

Eligibility
Any principal investigator at Stanford is allowed to apply; preference will be given to faculty who have previously received a W.M. Keck Foundation research grant, including Bridge Funding, and/or are willing to consider an application with EnCorps in the future to the NSF RET program call.

Managing Unit: VPDoR, CFR

These grants are for specific one-year research projects which are hypothesis-driven and focus on areas related to survivorship and supportive care of children and adolescents with cancer. Applications are accepted from Ph.D., D.N.P., M.D./D.O. holders. Examples include but are not limited to: studies related to the burden of morbidity, cause-specific mortality, understanding the pathogenesis of treatment-related complications, patient-reported outcomes or quality of life, health communication, health promotion, and psychosocial support across the trajectory from diagnosis to survivorship or end-of-life care.

Managing Unit: SCI (Stanford Cancer Institute)

The Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering program supports promising early-career faculty in the natural and physical sciences and engineering. Designed to provide flexible, unrestricted funding, the fellowship enables bold, creative research that pushes the boundaries of discovery. The foundation prioritizes high-risk, high-reward projects led by individual researchers rather than extensions of large-scale initiatives.
Strong candidates are curious, innovative thinkers who take intellectual risks and explore new ideas. The program supports research in fields such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth and ocean sciences, and engineering.
The fellowship does not support research in the social sciences, clinical research, the design and construction of large national facilities (e.g., accelerators, space stations), applied research directly relevant to national security, or fields with substantial existing funding.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The Critical Minerals and Materials (CMM) Accelerator program targets innovative CMM production technologies that have demonstrated promising results at the bench scale (Technology Readiness Level 3-4) but require further development to achieve commercial viability. A significant challenge lies in advancing these laboratory-scale innovations beyond the "valley of death" to industrially relevant scales. This NOFO is designed to overcome this barrier by funding collaborative industry partnerships for prototyping and small-scale piloting of these critical processes and materials.

The primary goals are to foster industry partnerships, validate technologies for material optimization and cost-competitive production, enable informed decisions through rigorous analysis, and accelerate domestic CMM manufacturing capabilities.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

he purpose of this program is to provide and build the national capacity of environmental education training for education professionals across the U.S., enabling them to effectively teach about environmental issues. Training may be provided for both formal (e.g., classroom teachers and faculty at colleges and universities) and non-formal educators (e.g., educators in museums, nature centers and other non-formal venues). It also may be provided in both pre-service (e.g., for students in teacher education programs and/or colleges of education and faculty) and in-service settings (e.g., for classroom teachers and other practicing educators).

Environmental education training refers to professional learning activities such as classes, online courses, workshops, communities of practice, seminars, and conferences which are designed to prepare education professionals to effectively teach about environmental issues. Building national capacity of environmental education training includes, but is not limited to, developing and disseminating environmental education guidelines, developing and implementing state educator certification programs, and providing access to information about high-quality programs and resources.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The DOE is soliciting applications from interdisciplinary teams to address the Genesis Mission National Science and Technology Challenges. This initiative supports a broader national effort, established through a recent Executive Order, to advance AI-driven innovation for solving complex energy, environmental, and security challenges.

The program aims to accelerate scientific discovery and R&D workflows through the development of advanced AI models and frameworks. Competitive projects will demonstrate how AI enables a clear “AI advantage,” providing capabilities, efficiencies, or insights beyond conventional approaches.

Projects funded under this solicitation are expected to propose an approach or cluster of related approaches that will be pursued in two phases in the following topic areas: advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, critical materials, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, quantum information science, semiconductors and microelectronics, discovery science, and energy.

Teams are encouraged to leverage DOE resources, including National Laboratories, user facilities, industry partnerships, and academic collaborations. Successful outputs are expected to contribute to and integrate with platforms such as the American Science Cloud.

Managing Unit: VPDoR