Limited Submission Opportunities

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

The Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research supports assistant professors of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of a cure for cancer. Based on their performance during their education and training, candidates should demonstrate outstanding promise as contributors in science relevant to the field of cancer. This program does not fund clinical trials research. Strong proposals will incorporate particularly creative and pioneering approaches to basic, translational, and applied cancer research. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles but who bring in concepts and theories from more diverse fields are encouraged to apply. The candidate must not have been appointed as an assistant professor at any institution prior to June 10, 2023 and it is expected that they will spend at least 80 percent of their time in work or activities related to the accomplishment of their overall research goals.

Managing Unit: SCI (Stanford Cancer Institute)

The NQNI program will empower researchers nationwide to advance critical and emerging technologies. Through NQNI, NSF will establish an open-access network of research facilities to spur innovations in future quantum technologies, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, manufacturing, biotechnology, and other areas of national priority.

The NQNI solicitation establishes a competition for a network of university user facility Sites. The selection of user facility Sites will be based on their technical capabilities and instrumentation (specifically, fabrication, characterization, and expertise) to address current and anticipated user needs across quantum information science and engineering (QISE), nanoscience, nanoengineering, and nanotechnology. Site selection will also be based on plans to open facilities and instrumentation for external use, education, training, outreach, and workforce development.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

This call for nominations will prioritize translational applications that move knowledge and discovery gained from basic research to its eventual translation into patient and population benefit. The ideal applicant will propose innovative research that will be an important step towards the eventual goal of improving the lives of people at risk of diabetes or living with the disease - and the pathway to this impact is clear.

Managing Unit: SoM

This call for nominations will prioritize translational applications that move knowledge and discovery gained from basic research to its eventual translation into patient and population benefit. The ideal applicant will propose innovative research that will be an important step towards the eventual goal of improving the lives of people at risk of diabetes or living with the disease - and the pathway to this impact is clear.

Managing Unit: SoM

he NSF FINDERS FOUNDRY program supports collaboration among K-12 educators, technologists, and researchers to develop innovative solutions to persistent challenges in learning and workforce development. These challenges are identified by K-12 students, families, and educators. The program aims to create and scale evidence-based practices, tools, and technologies that improve learning outcomes and prepare students for a digital, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven future.

A key focus is early exposure to AI to build curiosity, understanding, and readiness for future careers. The program encourages partnerships across sectors - schools, universities, industry, government, and nonprofits - to co-design responsive, technology-based solutions.

NSF FINDERS FOUNDRY program includes two phases: Planning and Development. Planning proposals help teams explore one of several focus areas. Only teams awarded Planning grants may submit Development proposals, which support the growth and implementation of promising ideas.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

Catalyst Awards provide an opportunity to conduct preliminary work on high-risk, high-reward research addressing a wide variety of clinical disease areas. The target of the Falk Catalyst Award’s funding are projects at the intersection of technology and clinical science, intended to move from basic science insights towards solutions, techniques, and tools that can be transferred to clinical practice in the near term. The Catalyst Research Award Program provides one to two years of seed funding to enable planning and development of projects,teams, tools,techniques, and management infrastructure necessary to successfully compete for two- to three-year awards through the Transformational Research Award Program. The work proposed in the Catalyst submission will serve to demonstrate the scientific promise, infrastructure, methods, and preliminary data in support of further transformational research.

Managing Unit: SoM

The William T. Grant Scholars Program supports promising early‑career researchers through five‑year research and mentoring plans designed to expand their expertise into new disciplines, methods, or content areas. It encourages scholars to take meaningful risks by providing structured mentoring and a supportive academic community.

Applicants should have a strong record of high‑quality research and a clear interest in shifting their research trajectory. Proposed projects must address either reducing inequality in youth outcomes or improving the use of research evidence in policy and practice.

Awards are based on applicants’ potential to become influential researchers, demonstrated through creative, rigorous scholarship and a strong first‑authored publication record, and on the clarity of their plans to significantly broaden their expertise through well‑defined research and mentoring activities.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The goals of the CyberAI SFS Program are to: (1) increase the number of CyberAI experts and support their placement and retention in the mission of government organizations; and (2) enhance the national capacity for the education and training of AI and cybersecurity professionals, educators, and researchers.
The CyberAI SFS program supports student scholarships for service (Scholarship Track) and educational innovations (Innovation Track). There is no limit for the Innovation Track.
The Scholarship Track funds academic institutions to award scholarships to students. In return, students agree to work in the AI or cybersecurity mission of a government agency.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators who demonstrate outstanding promise as contributors in science relevant to human health. The program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are in their first few years of their appointment at the assistant professor level.
Based on their performance during their education and training, candidates should demonstrate outstanding promise as contributors in science relevant to human health. This program does not fund clinical trials research. Strong proposals will incorporate particularly creative and pioneering approaches to basic, translational, and applied biomedical research. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles but who bring in concepts and theories from more diverse fields are encouraged to apply. Ideas with the potential to produce an unusually high impact are encouraged.
Investigator Effort: It is expected that Pew scholars will spend at least 80 percent of their time in work or activities related to the accomplishment of their overall research goals (which are not restricted to the specific aims proposed for this award). However, Pew provides flexible support to the general research aims of the scholar and does not require effort reporting.

Managing Unit: VPDoR