Research

Funding Opportunities

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Solicitations
programs with specific deadlines

Open Calls
 apply anytime; or check for deadlines

Solicitations

Google Faculty Research Awards

  • Sponsor: Google
  • Due:  Expected: Late summer 2018
  • The intent of the Google Research Awards Program is to support cutting-edge research in Computer Science, Engineering, and related fields. Awards primarily support students, but also will support travel, and some hardware.

Science, Technology, and Society

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due Date: August 3, 2018 and February 2, 2019 (August 3 and February 2 annually thereafter)
  • The new solicitation emphasizes that the full range of STEM disciplines (including medicine) can be studies with particular focus on intellectual, material, and social facets. Aspects of interest include ubiquitous computing, drones, crowdsourcing, equity, governance, public engagement, and inclusiveness. Special mention is given to ethics, policy issues and cultural issues surrounding Big Data.

Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Research Initiation Initiative (CRII)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: August 8, 2018, August 14, 2019 (Second Wednesday in August thereafter)
  • This program is designed specifically to support the research of early career faculty in a tenure-track position. Grants help support the CISE-relevant research needs (but not academic or summer salary) of faculty who have not yet been awarded a grant as a PI. CRII awards will be given researchers to undertake exploratory investigations, to acquire and test preliminary data, develop collaborations within or across research disciplines, and/or develop new algorithms, approaches, and system designs/prototypes, which together or separately may lead to improved capacity to write successful proposals submitted to other programs in the future.
  • Frequently Asked Question and Responses can be found here.

Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due Date: August 8, 2018 (Second Wednesday in August annually thereafter)
  • This program is centered on the K-12 population, to increase interest and capabilities in STEM, and the ICT workforce of the future.  There are three project types: Exploratory; Strategies (pilot projects) and SPrEaD (Successful Project Expansion and Dissemination).  Projects can be single-discipline or multidisciplinary. Only 1 proposal per PI is permitted.

Political Science

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: August 15, 2018 and January 15, 2019(August 15 and January 15 annually thereafter)
  • The Political Science Program supports scientific research that advances knowledge and understanding of citizenship, government, and politics. Research proposals are expected to be theoretically motivated, conceptually precise, methodologically rigorous, and empirically oriented. Substantive areas include, but are not limited to, American government and politics, comparative government and politics, international relations, political behavior, political economy, and political institutions. In recent years, program awards have supported research projects on bargaining processes; campaigns and elections, electoral choice, and electoral systems; citizen support in emerging and established democracies; democratization, political change, and regime transitions; domestic and international conflict; international political economy; party activism; political psychology and political tolerance.

Decision, Risk and Management Sciences

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due:   August 20, 2018 (August 20, Annually thereafter) and January 18, 2019 (January 18, Annually thereafter)
  • The Decision, Risk and Management Sciences program supports scientific research directed at increasing the understanding and effectiveness of decision making by individuals, groups, organizations, and society. Disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, doctoral dissertation research, and workshops are funded in the areas of judgment and decision making; decision analysis and decision aids; risk analysis, perception, and communication; societal and public policy decision making; management science and organizational design.

Economics

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due:  August 20, 2018 (August 20, Annually thereafter) and January 18, 2019 (January 18, Annually thereafter)
  • The Economics program supports projects to understand the processes and institutions of the U.S. economy and the world economic context in which it resides. It supports theoretical, empirical and methodological research in a econometrics, economic history, environmental economics, finance, industrial organization, international economics, labor economics, macroeconomics, mathematical economics, and public finance, for example.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: August 22, 2018 (fourth Wed in August)
  • An REU sites proposal must build on a research project providing a common focus and cohort experience for 8–10 students per year.  They can be funded in the AY or in the summer.  The experience can be virtual, thus able to support more students. PIs with current grants or proposing new work can also request an REU supplement for their project.

Kauffman Junior Faculty Fellowship in Entrepreneurship Research

  • Sponsor: Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
  • Due: Application generally opens in September
  • Fellowship applications are made through the nomination process.  All tenure-track faculty who have earned their degrees between January 2012 and December 2015 are eligible, regardless of academic rank.

Laura Bush 21st Century Library Program

  • Sponsor: IMLS
  • Due: Preliminary proposals anticipated September 2018; Invited full proposals anticipated January 2019
  • The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (LB21) supports professional development, graduate education and continuing education to help libraries and archives develop the human capital capacity they need to meet the changing learning and information needs of the American public. It also supports programs to build institutional capacity and Early Career research (not necessarily research related to librarianship or library education). The program has three project categories: National Digital Platform, Curating Collections, and Community Anchors. The National Digital Platform is focused on developing open source applications to provide content and services to libraries. Community Anchors focuses on the library as a community anchor, and Curating Collections focuses on preservation, and management of digital collections projects with national impact.

National Leadership Grants for Libraries

  • Sponsor: IMLS
  • Due:  Preliminary proposals anticipated September 2018; Invited full proposals anticipated January 2018
  • The program seeks to address challenges facing the library and archive field and advance theory and practice.  Program thrusts include: National Digital Platform, Curating Collections, and Community Anchors. The National Digital Platform is focused on developing open source applications to provide content and services to libraries. Community Anchors focuses on the library as a community anchor, and Curating Collections focuses on preservation, and management of digital collections projects with national impact.

Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due:  Generally due in the Fall (September – Medium and Large / November – Small)
  • This solicitation is made for iSchool research, with 3 tracks: Cyber-Human Systems (formerly HCC), Information Integration and Informatics (III), and Robust Intelligence.  Supports research in: NLP, machine learning, IR, socio-computational research, mobile app research, Big Data research, social media, data analytics, information management, computer graphics and visualization, Cyberinfrastructure, etc.

Computer and Network Systems (CNS)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: Generally due in the Fall (September – Medium and Large / November – Small)
  • Two tracks – Computer Systems Research, which includes Cloud computing, and Networking Technology and Systems (NeTS).  Only 2 proposals/person permitted for all Core programs in a single FY.

Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: Generally due in the Fall (September – Medium / November – Small)
  • Three Core Programs – Algorithmic Foundations; Communications and Information Foundations; and Software and Hardware Foundations.  Only 2 proposals/person permitted for all CCF programs in a single FY.

Science of Organizations (SoO) (NSF PD 11-8031)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: September 4, 2018 (September 3, Annually Thereafter) and  February 4, 2019 (February 2, Annually Thereafter),
  • SoO funds research that advances our fundamental understanding of how organizations develop, form and operate. Successful SoO research proposals use scientific methods to develop and refine theories, to empirically test theories and frameworks, and to develop new measures and methods. Funded research is aimed at yielding generalizable insights that are of value to the business practitioner, policy-maker and research communities

Science of Science and Innovation Policy Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (SciSIP-DDRIG)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due:  September 9, 2018 (September 9 annually thereafter)
  • This program is designed to improve the quality of dissertation research. DDRIG awards provide up to $20,000 in direct costs for items not normally available through the student’s university such as enabling doctoral students to undertake significant data-gathering projects and to conduct field research in settings away from their campus. Outstanding DDRIG proposals specify how the knowledge to be created advances science and innovation policy.

Science of Science and Innovation Policy (SciSIP)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due:  September 10, 2018 (September 9 annually thereafter) and February 9, 2019 (February 9 annually thereafter),
  • This program supports research designed to advance the scientific basis of science and innovation policy. Research funded by the program thus develops, improves and expands models, analytical tools, data and metrics that can be applied in the science policy decision making process. Proposals may also develop methodologies to analyze science and technology data, and to convey the information to a variety of audiences. Researchers are also encouraged to create or improve science and engineering data, metrics and indicators reflecting current discovery, particularly proposals that demonstrate the viability of collecting and analyzing data on knowledge generation and innovation in organizations

EHR Core Research

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: September 13, 2018 (second Thursday in September)
  • EHR seeks theory-driven, theory-generating, theory-testing, and predictive studies of all aspects of STEM learning. Projects funded through this program must make clear contributions to synthesizing, expanding, or building the base of research knowledge and evidence needed to achieve excellence in STEM education and workforce development.  The four areas of interest are broad: STEM Learning, STEM Learning Environments, STEM Workforce Development, Broadening Participation in STEM.

Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: Generally due in the Fall (October – Medium and Frontier / November – Small / December – Cybersecurity Education)
  • This program welcomes proposals that address cybersecurity and privacy, and draw on expertise in one or more of these areas: Computing, Communication and Information Sciences; Engineering; Economics; Education; Mathematics; Statistics; and Social and Behavior Sciences.  Proposals that advance the field of cybersecurity and privacy within a single discipline or interdisciplinary efforts that span multiple disciplines are both encouraged. In addition to project size classes, proposals must be submitted pursuant to one of the following designations, which have additional restrictions: CORE – The main focus of the SaTC research program; EDU – The Education Designation; STARSS – The Secure, Trustworthy, Assured and REsilient Semiconductors and Systems; and TTP – The Transition to Practice. PIs may participate in a max of 5 proposals to this program per year.

Computational and Data-Enabled Science & Engineering (CDS&E)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: Various; for Division of Advanced Cyberstructure – October 31
  • The goal of the CDS&E program is to identify and capitalize on opportunities for major scientific and engineering breakthroughs through new computational and data analysis approaches.  The intellectual drivers may be in an individual discipline or they may cut across more than one discipline in various Directorates.  The program seeks projects that develop and leverage advances in infrastructure, tools, and big data approaches to address major questions in core sciences and engineering. Novel methods, data curation & analysis tools, new paradigms, use of large masses of data in novel ways are all of interest

CISE Research Infrastructure (CRI)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: Preliminary proposals–7 November 2018 (First Wednesday in November); Full proposals–10 January 2019 (Second Thursday in January)
  • CRI supports the creation and enhancement of world-class research infrastructure that will support focused agendas and push the frontiers of science forward.  Four types of proposals are funded: planning, new, enhancement, and sustainability grants under two major themes: Institutional Infrastructure and Community Infrastructure.

Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due:  November 7, 2018 (November 6, 2019)
  • This program seeks to advance new approaches to and evidence-based understanding of the design and development of STEM learning opportunities for the public in informal environments; provide multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences; advance innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments; and engage the public of all ages in learning STEM in informal environments.  This solicitation is limited to three proposals per institution.

Cultivating Cultures for Ethical STEM (CCE STEM)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: February 22, 2019
  • Cultivating Cultures for Ethical STEM (CCE STEM) funds research projects that identify (1) factors that are effective in the formation of ethical STEM researchers, and (2) approaches to developing those factors in all the fields of science and engineering that NSF supports. CCE STEM solicits proposals for research that explores the following: What constitutes responsible conduct for research (RCR), and which cultural and institutional contexts promote ethical STEM research and practice and why?

Resource Implementations for Data Intensive Research in the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (RIDIR)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: February 25, 2019
  • As part of NSF’s Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR), the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) seeks to develop user-friendly large-scale next-generation data resources and relevant analytic techniques to advance fundamental research in SBE areas of study. Successful proposals will, within the financial resources provided by the award, construct such databases and/or relevant analytic techniques and produce a finished product that will enable new types of data-intensive research. The databases or techniques should have significant impacts, either across multiple fields or within broad disciplinary areas, by enabling new types of data-intensive research in the SBE sciences.

NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (S-STEM)

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: March 27, 2019
  • The S-STEM program seeks to build a high quality workforce in the STEM disciplines, especially for academically talented, low-income students. In tandem, awards will be made to those proposers who identify factors or develop programs that affect the success, retention, graduation, and career pathways of low-income students. Three tracks are available: Track 1 supports the establishment of collaborative arrangements and infrastructure supporting S-STEM goals; Track 2  build on identified institutional needs; and Track 3 proposals represent multi-institutional consortia. At least 60% of any proposal must be dedicated to scholarships.

Keck Foundation Research Program

  • Sponsor: W. M. Keck Foundation
  • Due: May 1 (pre-application counseling periods are  January–February 15)
  • The Keck Foundation funds high risk, emerging, and important research projects in medicine, science and engineering, and projects in undergraduate education. Concept papers (1-page) can be submitted to the foundation during the pre-application counseling period and a consultation can be scheduled.  Projects are expected to be innovative and transformational, interdisciplinary, outside the mission of public funding agencies, and lead to breakthroughs in technologies, methodologies, and instrumentation.

Expeditions in Computing

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: Preliminary proposals–April 22, 2020; Full–January 20, 2021
  • Expeditions awards will be to large teams proposing far-reaching research concerning deep and hard problems. They will build or use novel technologies and develop compelling applications that inspire the future researcher population.  Teams must be well integrated, diverse, and include both computer and information science and engineering researchers.

Open Calls

Corporate/Foundation

General and Targeted Research, and Open Source Development

  • Sponsor: Comcast
  • Due: Continuously accepted
  • Three types of grants are funded – General research, Targeted research and Open Source development. Researchers work with a Comcast liaison, and have the opportunity to use Comcast data.Topics of interest fall into the areas of Networking (eg. broadband, IPv6, TCP congestion), Measurement and Data Analysis (eg. Network utilization, data-driven diagnostics, large data stores), Input/User Interface (eg automatic content recognition, semantic analysis, search), Open source development, Security/Privacy (eg. identity management, policy and standards, authentication), and “New” services (eg home security, remote learning, educational technology, immersive telepresence).

Books

  • Sponsor: Alfred A. Sloan Foundation
  • Due: Continuously accepted
  • This program supports authors writing books that increase the public understanding of science.

Data and Computational Research

  • Sponsor: Alfred A. Sloan Foundation
  • Due: Continuously accepted
  • A letter of inquiry is the first step in seeking funding. This program supports  projects that seek to advance science through data—digitization, data manipulation, management access—and train the current and future data workforce. Projects that focus on software development, training, research, and community network building are supported.

Scholarly Communication

  • Sponsor: Alfred A. Sloan Foundation
  • Due: Continuously accepted
  • A letter of inquiry is the first step in seeking funding. This program seeks to develop new resources to manage diverse communication channels; to support discovery of resources by scientists; to establish new forms of scholarly publication. Projects that focus on software development, training, research, and community network building are supported.

Universal Access to Knowledge

  • Sponsor: Alfred A. Sloan Foundation
  • Due: Continuously accepted
  • A letter of inquiry is the first step in seeking funding. The focus is on improving access to collections, information and knowledge.

Federal

Cyberinfrastructure for Emerging Science and Engineering Research (CESER)

  • Sponsor: National Science Foundation
  • Due: anytime
  • The goal of this program is to support development of innovative cyberinfrastructure or innovative uses of current cyberinfrastructure to advance science across the STEM areas, especially in national priority areas.  Early-stage efforts and collaboration is of particular interest. Investigators are strongly encouraged (NSF’s emphasis) to discuss their project with the program officer before submitting.

Research Coordination Networks

  • Sponsor: NSF
  • Due: various; contact the appropriate program
  • The National Science Foundation announces plans to continue its support of research coordination networks designed to foster communication and promote new collaboration among scientists, engineers and educators with diverse expertise and who share a common interest in a new or developing area of science or engineering. By encouraging the formation of new groups and networks, the RCN program will advance fields and create novel directions and opportunities for research and science education. It is anticipated that this program will contribute to further progress in all areas of science, education and engineering, and strengthen collaborative and interdisciplinary research and international partnerships

Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research

  • Sponsor: AFOSR
  • Due: Continuously accepted
  • Research regarding information systems, trust, computational intelligence, security, and science of information are of interest, among other topics.  White papers requested.

Needipedia

  • Sponsor: Defense Intelligence Agency
  • Due: Mostly continuous; specific to each topical area
  • Needipedia is a portal to current research interests and the needs of the DIA.  Look here often for funding possibilities.