Active Government Funding Opportunities

NSF seeks exceptionally innovative, large-scale research partnerships that create new scientific paradigms and transformative technologies across any science/engineering discipline. Centers must integrate world-class research with education, broaden STEM participation, and transfer knowledge across sectors for broad societal impact.

Air Force Research Laboratory seeks innovative space vehicle technologies via STAR-FISH Call 017. Two-step process soliciting white papers for secure-by-design spaceflight systems and space-related signal, energy, and transportation technologies.

Train the next generation of Ph.D. scientists in artificial intelligence and super intelligence paired with core scientific disciplines. This pilot program bridges academic research with real-world experience at national labs and industry to address critical DOE science challenges.

NSF funds foundational astronomical sciences research and instrumentation to advance understanding of the universe, from discovering habitable planets to studying black holes. Support includes core research, advanced technologies, and transformative innovations with no requirement for near-term commercial outcomes.

NSF MPS supports fundamental materials research across biomaterials, ceramics, polymers, metals, and photonic materials. This program funds intellectually ambitious, foundational science that advances understanding of material properties without requiring near-term commercial outcomes.

NSF supports foundational chemistry research across nine specialized programs, from catalysis and synthesis to computational methods and life processes. Funding prioritizes intellectually ambitious, potentially transformative research without requiring near-term commercial outcomes.

NSF seeks proposals to develop AI and cybersecurity education programs and scholarships, addressing critical workforce shortages in these fields. Support includes both scholarship funding for students and innovation grants to enhance curricula, partnerships, and training methods.

NSF seeks innovative STEM education projects at two-year colleges that enhance student success and faculty capacity. Funding supports disciplinary, multi-department, and college-wide initiatives addressing foundational courses and academic pathways for both majors and non-majors.

Market research to identify Insurance Advisors for Build America Bureau, supporting federal transportation infrastructure financing and advisory services.

This RFP seeks mature counter-UAS technologies addressing detection, identification, and defeat of Group 1-2 unmanned aerial systems threatening tactical forces and infrastructure. Solutions must operate in denied environments without permanent infrastructure, prioritizing passive sensing, non-radiating approaches, and on-platform processing.

This SBIR seeks scaled production of AFRL-patented UHTC preceramic polymers to support defense composite manufacturing. The initiative addresses supply chain needs by making ultra-high temperature ceramic materials available at production scale and competitive pricing for defense acquisition programs.

The Air Force is seeking optimized, lightweight optical beam control systems for airborne high-energy lasers. Proposals should focus on compact internal packaging using advanced materials, ruggedized designs, and precision assembly techniques that prioritize alignment, maintainability, and contamination resistance.

The Navy seeks a redesigned Input-Output Unit (IOU) that consolidates signal processing for naval vessels using simplified, modular hardware instead of multiple proprietary circuit cards. This modernized approach reduces lifecycle costs while maintaining continuous operation across legacy and future shipboard systems.

AEDC seeks a high-speed hyperspectral imaging system to simultaneously measure surface temperature and emissivity on test articles during ground testing. The solution must achieve 4000 Hz capture rates across 0-1500°F with submillimeter spatial resolution and ±10°F accuracy.

This RFP seeks mature counter-UAS technologies to detect, identify, and defeat low-altitude unmanned aircraft threatening tactical forces and infrastructure. Solutions should operate independently in denied environments without requiring permanent infrastructure, cloud connectivity, or target RF emissions.

NSF seeks small businesses to develop next-generation scientific instrumentation and experimental platforms that enable breakthrough discoveries. This pilot program funds innovative tools and AI-driven research infrastructure to advance the U.S. scientific enterprise.

NSF supports foundational physics research across multiple domains—from quantum systems and particle physics to cosmology and living systems. This opportunity funds intellectually ambitious, potentially transformative research without requiring near-term commercial outcomes.

NSF seeks to transform open-source tools into secure, sustainable ecosystems addressing national challenges in AI, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure. Funding supports establishing governance structures, expanding promising projects, and enhancing safety and security across distributed developer communities.

NSF FINDERS FOUNDRY supports K-12 educators, technologists, and researchers collaborating to develop AI-integrated learning solutions and tools. Teams co-design evidence-based technologies addressing real challenges identified by students and educators to prepare the workforce for an AI-driven future.

Support early-career scientists conducting dissertation research on Arctic environmental and social systems change. Funding advances fundamental understanding of rapid Arctic transformation and builds STEM workforce capacity in polar sciences.

NSF seeks research on how engineers develop professional skills across education, training, and workplace contexts. Projects should integrate engineering and social science expertise to build pathways creating ethical, globally-competent engineers ready for evolving technical careers.

Five-year ongoing BAA soliciting innovative concepts, technological innovations, prototypes, and scientific breakthroughs to enhance Missile Defense System robustness and effectiveness.

NASA seeks early-stage research to advance Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) performance beyond traditional chemical rockets. Multi-institutional teams will develop transformative propulsion technologies for future civil-space applications.

Build interdisciplinary research networks combining learning science, education practice, and data science to create high-value datasets advancing K-12 mathematics learning. Phase I funds dataset generation; Phase II establishes a collaborative platform for sustained innovation.

NSF seeks foundational engineering research across chemical processes, bioengineering, energy, and transport systems. Support covers intellectually ambitious work to advance knowledge in resource management, biological systems, and multi-scale transport phenomena without requiring near-term commercialization.