Arctic Research Opportunities

The National Science Foundation, through the Arctic Sciences Section in the Office of Polar Programs within the Directorate for Geosciences, supports scientific research about the Arctic region and provides operational support for Arctic research activities. The Arctic Research Opportunities solicitation invites investigators at eligible U.S. organizations to propose research that advances fundamental, process, and systems-level understanding of the rapidly changing Arctic natural environment and its social and cultural systems. Research may also address connections between the Arctic and lower latitudes and, where appropriate, improve the capacity to project future change. The program portfolio includes Arctic Natural Sciences, Arctic Social Sciences, Arctic System Science, Arctic Observing Network, Polar Cyberinfrastructure, and Arctic Research Coordination and Policy Support. Supported work ranges from disciplinary and interdisciplinary research to observing, cyberinfrastructure, research coordination, networking, and large-project development. Arctic Natural Sciences supports research on Arctic processes, including ecosystems, hydrology, atmospheric and oceanic dynamics, climatology, and glaciology. Arctic Social Sciences supports research on social and cultural systems, including socioeconomic change, migration, community well-being, security, sustainable development, globalization, international relations, and data-related innovation. Arctic System Science emphasizes interactions among components of the Arctic system. Arctic Observing Network supports long-term observations and related sensor and observing strategies, while Polar Cyberinfrastructure supports data transfer, curation, management, discovery, analysis, interoperability, high-performance computing, and related tools. Arctic Research Coordination and Policy Support promotes communication, coordination, collaboration, capacity building, synthesis, and connections among researchers, communities, policy makers, industry, and other interested parties. Approximately $50,000,000 may be available per fiscal year, subject to availability of funds. NSF anticipates approximately 75 to 80 awards per year, with the detailed award section estimating 75 awards. Awards may be standard or continuing grants or cooperative agreements, and award size and duration depend on available funds and the proposed activity. The solicitation does not establish a general minimum or maximum individual award amount. Voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. Projects may request fieldwork costs directly in their grant budgets or use third-party support arranged through the Arctic Research Support and Logistics program. Applicants requesting third-party research support, ship time, or related services may need supplementary documentation describing the scope and costs. Arctic Observing Network projects may include up to five years of observations, and Research Networking Activities may be up to five years in duration. Eligible applicants include accredited U.S. two- and four-year institutions of higher education, including community colleges; U.S. nonprofit non-academic organizations directly associated with educational or research activities; U.S.-based commercial organizations, including small businesses, with appropriate scientific or engineering research or education capabilities; and federally recognized Tribal Governments. The solicitation also discusses cooperative projects involving foreign organizations, but support is provided only for the U.S. portion, and the additional eligibility language states that only U.S. organizations are eligible to submit proposals. Other Federal Agencies and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers must contact the appropriate program and satisfy applicable NSF exceptions before preparing a submission. There are no stated restrictions on who may serve as PI and no limits on the number of proposals per organization, PI, or co-PI. Full proposals may be submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov and must follow the applicable NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide or NSF Grants.gov Application Guide. Collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations must use Research.gov. The Project Summary must identify the intended program or programs on its last line. Most Project Descriptions are limited to 15 pages, while initial-stage Large Project Support proposals may use up to 20 pages. Required or conditionally required supplementary materials can include a Data Management and Sharing Plan, Results from Prior NSF Support, an Ethical Considerations and Approaches document, a Safe and Harassment Free Working Environments Plan for applicable off-campus or off-site research, collaboration documentation, and scope and cost documents for third-party research support. Proposals involving communities or Greenland research institutes must include documentation confirming collaboration or, at minimum, community awareness as specified by the solicitation. NSF evaluates proposals using Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts, together with solicitation-specific criteria. Reviewers consider the potential to advance knowledge, benefit society, explore creative or transformative concepts, provide a sound and well-organized plan, demonstrate appropriate qualifications, and show that adequate resources are available. Proposals are additionally evaluated for their potential to advance understanding of the Arctic or its impact on global systems. Arctic Observing Network proposals must demonstrate the scientific-community value of collected data, Arctic System Science proposals must explain their contribution to system-level understanding, and research outside the geographic Arctic must explain how it increases Arctic knowledge. NSF states that it strives to notify applicants whether proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months, although complex proposals and proposals from new awardees can require additional processing time. Arctic Natural Sciences and Arctic Social Sciences use recurring target dates of January 15 and July 15 annually. As of August 7, 2026, the next expected target date is January 15, 2027. Arctic System Science, Arctic Observing Network, Arctic Research Coordination and Policy Support, and Polar Cyberinfrastructure accept proposals at any time. No letter of intent or preliminary proposal is required. Program inquiries may be directed to the relevant Arctic Sciences program office at 703-292-8030, including ARCSS@nsf.gov, ASSP@nsf.gov, AON@nsf.gov, ANS@nsf.gov, PolarCI@nsf.gov, and ARCCoord@nsf.gov. Research Support and Logistics inquiries may be directed to RSL@nsf.gov. Research.gov technical assistance is available at 1-800-673-6188 or rgov@nsf.gov, while Grants.gov assistance is available at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

Address both Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts and explicitly explain how the work advances understanding of the Arctic or its interaction with global systems. Identify the intended program or programs in the last line of the Project Summary. Address program-specific review criteria directly. Begin community collaboration and logistics planning early; collaboration letters may require two or more months and third-party service providers may require 4-6 weeks to prepare supporting documents.