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NSF 26-519: MPS Chemistry Research Programs (MPS Chem)

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Program Solicitation NSF 26-519

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U.S. National Science Foundation

Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time):

Proposals Accepted Anytime

Full proposals are accepted anytime starting September 1, 2026.

Full proposals to the Chemistry Research Programs will be accepted anytime starting September 1, 2026.

Important Information and Revision Notes

  • This solicitation consolidates disciplinary chemistry funding opportunities within the NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
  • Proposals submitted to these programs are accepted by NSF at any time, starting Sept. 1, 2026.

Proposals must be prepared in accordance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). Use the version of the guide that is in effect on the proposal's due date.

Summary of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title:

MPS Chemistry Research Programs (MPS Chem)

Synopsis of Program:

The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF MPS) supports foundational research through multiple programs in the chemical sciences.

Programs include:

NSF MPS is particularly interested in intellectually ambitious and potentially transformative foundational research. Proposals need not promise a near-term product, deployment, or commercial outcome, nor need they address later-stage development to be competitive.

NSF Priorities

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) supports foundational research that leads to scientific breakthroughs and opens new frontiers of human knowledge. NSF investments in scientific discovery underpin technological innovation across industries, strengthening U.S. economic competitiveness, enhancing national security, and improving quality of life for all Americans.

NSF's priority under this funding opportunity is to advance foundational research, spanning both incremental advances that build systematically on prior scholarship and bold, high-risk inquiries capable of reshaping entire fields. NSF places particular emphasis on projects that challenge prevailing paradigms, ask important questions, develop new theories or methods, create research tools or datasets that enable further research, or open new lines of inquiry. Proposals need not promise a near-term product, deployment, or commercial outcome, nor must they address later-stage development in a named technology priority to be competitive. NSF further recognizes that the most consequential discoveries increasingly emerge at the boundary between disciplines, and it therefore strongly encourages proposals that forge novel connections across scientific domains.

Within this mandate, NSF is especially interested in intellectually ambitious and potentially transformative research; work that creates opportunities for exceptional early-career investigators; and proposals that leverage emerging technologies, including AI, advanced computation, and automation, to make new modes, methods, or scales of science possible. The use of these tools should be scientifically justified rather than incidental. Beyond accelerating existing workflows, such tools open fundamentally new scientific questions, reveal patterns invisible to prior methods, and enable experimental and analytical capabilities.

To support this vision, NSF seeks proposals spanning a wide range of funding levels and project durations. NSF is working to expand opportunities at both ends of this spectrum, including rapid grants that allow researchers to quickly test exploratory ideas and longer, larger awards that provide sustained support for ambitious, transformative research. For preliminary or time-sensitive work, NSF encourages investigators to use mechanisms such as Planning Proposal, RAPID, EAGER, and RAISE (see Chapter II.F of the PAPPG for more information). Where longer awards would benefit the pursuit of ambitious, transformative research and reduce administrative burden on investigators, NSF encourages proposals requesting up to five years of support. Investigators may consider the options above, and others, outside of the project sizes and durations specified in this funding opportunity.

NSF welcomes submissions from all researchers, particularly those earlier in their careers and those working in the foundational research areas highlighted in the Administration's FY28 Research and Development Budget Priorities Memorandum. NSF also expects the highest standards of scientific rigor, transparency, reproducibility, research integrity, and adherence to tenets of Gold Standard Science in proposals, as appropriate for the field of science and research modality.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact.

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

  • 47.049 - Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 300

Anticipated Funding Amount: $150,000,000

Subject to availability of funds.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

  • Letters of Intent: Not required
  • Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not required

  • Full Proposals:

B. Budgetary Information

  • Cost Sharing Requirements:

    Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

  • Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:

    Not Applicable

  • Other Budgetary Limitations:

    Not Applicable

C. Due Dates

  • Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time):

    Proposals Accepted Anytime

    Full proposals are accepted anytime starting September 1, 2026.

Proposal Review Information Criteria

Merit Review Criteria:

National Science Board approved criteria apply.

Award Administration Information

Award Conditions:

Standard NSF award conditions apply.

Reporting Requirements:

Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.

I. Introduction

In alignment with the Administration's Fiscal Year 2028 Research and Development Priorities Budget Memorandum, the U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF MPS) supports multiple disciplinary research programs in chemistry that connect molecular-level understanding to advances across different domains. These programs support a large and vibrant research community engaged in foundational research in the chemical sciences. The research supported by these programs creates a strong scientific foundation for future technologies and the broad chemical industry, which is central to the U.S. economy and our daily lives.

For example, NSF investment into click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry have led to advancements that were widely adopted across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and enabled applications in new drugs, targeted cancer treatments, and chemical manufacturing. Development of semiconductor nanocrystals, which was also supported by NSF, became the foundation of brighter and more color-accurate displays used in commercial televisions, monitors and other consumer electronics, as well as applications in high-resolution biomedical imaging.

Chemical research areas supported by these programs include, but are not limited to:

  • Designing, synthesizing, and characterizing new molecules, catalysts, macromolecular assemblies, and nanostructures.
  • Improving efficiency and advancing the ability to create new chemical structures, functions, and reactivities.
  • Developing novel tools, instrumentation, and methodologies, including data and machine learning tools to observe, quantify, and control chemical systems.
  • Advancing understanding of chemical composition, structure, dynamics, and transformation.
  • Developing new theories, computational methods, models, and data analytics tools.
  • Predicting and understanding complex chemical behavior that changes over a wide range of length and time scales.
  • Integrating experimental research with computational approaches.
  • Foundational chemistry research that directly addresses key interdisciplinary areas, such as the intersection of chemistry with biological sciences, materials, and nanoscience.

II. Program Description

This NOFO covers proposal submissions to the following NSF MPS disciplinary chemistry research programs.

Research proposals that fit within a single program and interdisciplinary proposals spanning multiple programs are welcome. The programs support both individual researchers and small teams. Collaborations with industrial and international partners are encouraged.

Projects supported by these programs can be found under the links above or using NSF awards search, including project budgets.

Proposals should advance one or more of the following measures of success:

  • Publications from research or other scholarly outputs
  • Data sets established or expanded
  • Invention disclosures
  • New technologies or techniques established
  • Undergraduates, graduates, and postdoctoral fellows supported

Progress on measures of success must be reported in each annual report.

Important Additional Information:

All proposals to these programs (other than the exceptions below) must be submitted through this solicitation; otherwise, they will be returned without review.

Proposals under the following special categories are also welcome through this NOFO:

  • Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaisons with Industry (GOALI): When submitting, select "GOALI" as the proposal type. Proposal titles should begin with "GOALI:" See additional guidance in the PAPPG.
  • NSF-DFG Lead Agency Opportunity in Chemistry and Chemical Process and Transport Systems: Proposal titles should begin with "NSF-DFG:" See additional guidance in the program page.
  • NSF and US-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) Collaborative Research Opportunities: Proposal titles should begin with "NSF-BSF:" See additional guidance in NSF 20-094.

The proposal types below may be submitted after consultation with the cognizant NSF program officer:

  • EArly-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER)
  • Rapid Response Research (RAPID)
  • Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAISE)
  • Conference proposals
  • Supplemental funding requests to existing grants

Information Sharing with Other Funding Agencies or Private Foundations

When permitted under a Memorandum of Understanding between NSF and another funding agency or private foundation, NSF may share information from proposals for consideration of joint funding with other organizations. NSF may also invite employees of those organizations to attend merit review panels as observers.

III. Award Information

Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds.

IV. Eligibility Information

Who May Submit Proposals:

Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

  • Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of sub-awards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus.
  • Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities.
  • Tribal Nations: An American Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges as a federally recognized tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. §§ 5130-5131.

Who May Serve as PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI: 2

There are annual limits on the number of submitted proposals that can list the same individual as either principal investigator (PI), co-PI or senior/key personnel. Beginning Sept. 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, no more than two proposals per year may list the same individual as either PI, co-PI or senior/key personnel. Additionally:

  • The limit applies to all proposals submitted annually (Sept 1 – August 31) across the nine disciplinary chemistry research programs covered by this solicitation (other than the exceptions below).
  • If two proposals list the same individual as PI, co-PI or senior/key personnel, at least one of those proposals must be a multi-investigator or collaborative proposal.

Any proposals submitted after reaching the two-proposal limit will be returned by NSF without review.

Declined proposals can be resubmitted in the same one-year period in which they were submitted, if major revisions are made and the annual submission limit described above has not been exceeded. A resubmitted proposal that has not addressed reviewers' and/or program officers' major comments or concerns may be returned by NSF without review, as outlined in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

These restrictions also cover the following funding opportunities:

The proposal types listed below are not subject to these limitations and may be submitted at any time after consultation with the cognizant NSF program officer:

  • Conferences
  • Supplemental funding requests to existing grants
  • EArly-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER)
  • Rapid Response Research (RAPID)
  • Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAISE)

Proposals submitted to other solicitations — e.g., NSF Centers for Chemical Innovation, Major Research Instrumentation, Research Experiences for Undergraduates Sites or Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) — are also not subject to the 2-proposal limit.

Proposers should contact the relevant program with any submission eligibility questions (see email alias listed in this solicitation).

V. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Research.gov or Grants.gov.

You must prepare your proposal according to Chapter II.D.2 of the PAPPG, unless this solicitation specifies different instructions. Always use the version of the PAPPG in effect on your proposal's due date.

In determining which method to utilize in the electronic preparation and submission of the proposal, please note the following:

Collaborative Proposals. All collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via Research.gov. PAPPG Chapter II.E.3 provides additional information on collaborative proposals.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

C. Research.gov/Grants.gov Requirements

You can submit proposals in response to this solicitation through Research.gov or Grants.gov, unless otherwise noted.

Information on how to prepare and submit proposals is available on the Submitting Your Proposal page on NSF.gov.

VI. NSF Proposal Processing and Review Procedures

Information on NSF's proposal processing and review procedures is available on the Overview of the NSF Proposal and Award Process page on NSF.gov.

A. Merit Review Principles and Criteria

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board-approved merit review criteria:

  • Intellectual Merit, which encompasses the potential to advance knowledge.
  • Broader Impacts, which encompass the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

Information on NSF's merit review principles and process can be found on the How We Make Funding Decisions page on NSF.gov.

B. Review and Selection Process

Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by

Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review, or Internal NSF Review.

No review methods other than panel review, ad hoc review, or internal NSF review will be used.

After a proposal passes an initial compliance check, it will be reviewed by an NSF Program Officer. In most cases, three or more external experts will also review it (either as ad hoc reviewers, panelists or both).

Visit the Overview of the NSF Proposal and Award Process page for more information on the proposal review and selection process.

In alignment with Executive Order 14332 (Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking), all else being equal after merit review, NSF may give preference to institutions with lower indirect cost rates.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of an award is made to the submitting organization by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer.

B. Award Conditions

Information on NSF award conditions can be found on the Award Terms and Conditions page on NSF.gov and Chapter VII of the PAPPG.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements:

Information on administrative and national policy requirements can be found on the National Policy Requirements for Recipients of NSF Awards page on NSF.gov.

Consistent with the requirements specified in 2 CFR § 200.332, recipients of NSF awards must adhere to the requirements for pass-through entities in establishing and managing subawards issued ensuring alignment with Administration and NSF policies and priorities.

In alignment with Executive Order 14332 (Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking), proposers should be aware that NSF awards offered under this funding opportunity may include termination for convenience provisions.

C. Reporting Requirements

Unless your award notice says otherwise, NSF requires the principal investigator of every grant to submit annual project reports and a project outcomes report for the general public. For complete reporting requirements, see Chapter VII of the PAPPG.

VIII. Agency Contacts

For questions related to the use of NSF systems contact:

  • Research.gov: NSF IT Service Desk at rgov@nsf.gov or 1-800-381-1532. The Service Desk is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday (except for federal holidays).

For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:

  • Grants.gov: The Grants.gov Contact Center at support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726. (Contact if the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) has not received a confirmation message from Grants.gov within 48 hours of submitting an application.)

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

IX. Other Information

For information on NSF directorates, programs and funding opportunities, go to NSF.gov.

About the National Science Foundation

The U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency created by the "National Science Foundation Act of 1950." More information about NSF can be found on NSF.gov.

  • Location:

Randolph Building, 401 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

  • General Information

(703) 292-5111

  • TDD (for the hearing-impaired):

(703) 292-5090

Privacy Act and Public Burden Statements

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the "National Science Foundation Act of 1950," as amended. More information can be found on the Privacy Act and Public Burden Statements page on NSF.gov.

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