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Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences

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NSF 25-535

Important information about NSF’s implementation of the revised 2 CFR

NSF Financial Assistance awards (grants and cooperative agreements) made on or after October 1, 2024, will be subject to the applicable set of award conditions, dated October 1, 2024, available on the NSF website. These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.

Important information for proposers

All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Supports the research in mathematical and physical sciences of pre-tenure faculty at institutions with historically lower levels of NSF funding and their efforts to prepare students for 21st century STEM workforce.

Supports the research in mathematical and physical sciences of pre-tenure faculty at institutions with historically lower levels of NSF funding and their efforts to prepare students for 21st century STEM workforce.

Synopsis

The Launching of Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) supports the launch of the careers of pre-tenure faculty whose research is in Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) fields at institutions that do not traditionally receive significant amounts of MPS funding, such as Carnegie Research 2 (R2) universities, minority-serving institutions (MSIs), predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs).

The LEAPS awards enable PIs from these institutions to initiate productive research programs and generate results useful for preparing subsequent competitive proposals to “traditional” NSF funding opportunities, such as a core program or a CAREER solicitation. A critical goal of the LEAPS-MPS Program is to develop the 21st-century STEM workforce representative of society’s full spectrum of talent by increasing the participation in STEM research of members of communities underrepresented and/or underserved in STEM and the number of members of these communities who can serve as role models.

Awards are for 24 months with budgets of up to $250,000 total costs (direct plus indirect).

Proposals in response to this solicitation must be submitted for consideration to the appropriate program in one of the five MPS Divisions.

Program contacts

Name Email Phone Organization
Catalina Achim (OAD)
cachim@nsf.gov (703) 292-2048 MPS/OAD
Simon C. Schuler (AST)
sschuler@nsf.gov (703) 292-8123 MPS/AST
Anne-Marie Schmoltner (CHE)
aschmolt@nsf.gov (703) 292-4716 MPS/CHE
Nitsa Rosenzweig (DMR)
nirosenz@nsf.gov (703) 292-7256 MPS/DMR
Tomek Bartoszynski (DMS)
tbartosz@nsf.gov (703) 292-4885 MPS/DMS
Kathleen V. McCloud (PHY)
kmccloud@nsf.gov (703) 292-8236 MPS/PHY

Awards made through this program

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