MPS Physics Research Programs

The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences supports the MPS Physics Research Programs to advance foundational research at the frontiers of discovery in physics. The opportunity encompasses research ranging from quantum effects within atoms and molecules to living systems, gravitation, particle physics, plasma physics, quantum information science, astrophysics and cosmology. NSF emphasizes intellectually ambitious and potentially transformative foundational research, including incremental advances as well as bold, high-risk inquiries capable of reshaping fields. Projects do not need to promise a near-term product, deployment, commercial outcome, or later-stage technology development to be competitive. NSF particularly welcomes work that challenges prevailing paradigms, develops new theories or methods, creates research tools or datasets, opens new lines of inquiry, creates opportunities for exceptional early-career investigators, connects disciplines, or uses emerging technologies such as AI, advanced computation and automation when scientifically justified. The solicitation covers the core programs Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics - Experiment; Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics - Theory; Elementary Particle Physics - Experiment; Elementary Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology - Theory; Gravitational Physics; Integrative Activities in Physics; Nuclear Physics - Experiment; Nuclear Physics - Theory; Particle Astrophysics - Experiment; Physics of Living Systems; Plasma Physics; and Quantum Information Science. It also covers the cross-cutting Advanced Physics Instrumentation, Focused Research Hubs in Theoretical Physics, and Physics at the Information Frontier programs. Supported activities can include theoretical, experimental, computational and observational studies involving single investigators and groups, centers and institutes, national user facilities, multidisciplinary collaborations, equipment and instrument development, and new tools and techniques such as AI and machine learning. Proposals may fit one program or span multiple programs, and NSF may arrange co-review by multiple programs. NSF anticipates approximately 300 awards and an estimated total program budget of $180,000,000, subject to availability of funds. Awards may be Standard Grants, Continuing Grants, or Cooperative Agreements. The solicitation does not state a general minimum or maximum individual award amount. NSF seeks projects spanning a wide range of funding levels and durations and encourages investigators to consider appropriate mechanisms for preliminary or time-sensitive work, including Planning Proposals, RAPID, EAGER, and RAISE. Where longer awards would benefit ambitious and transformative research and reduce administrative burden, NSF encourages proposals requesting up to five years of support. Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. No indirect cost limitation or other general budgetary limitation is specified in the solicitation. Eligible proposer categories are those identified in Chapter I.E of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide in effect for the proposal's due date. The solicitation specifically states that unaffiliated individuals are not eligible. There are no restrictions or limits on who may serve as PI and no limit on proposals per organization. No formal limit is intended on proposals per PI or co-PI, although NSF strongly encourages submission of a single proposal for possible co-review rather than multiple related proposals to several programs. PIs considering more than one submission, or those already holding an active Physics award, are encouraged to consult the relevant program before preparing another proposal, subject to the stated exceptions. Proposals outside the scope of the selected program may be returned without review. Consultation is required before submission for certain Arctic or Antarctic infrastructure or logistical-support projects, and the resulting correspondence must be provided to NSF. Full proposals may be submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov and must follow the applicable NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide and, for Grants.gov submissions, the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide. Collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations must use Research.gov. Letters of intent and preliminary proposals are not required. Required proposal preparation includes the applicable PAPPG components, with particular attention to Collaborator and Other Affiliations documentation for every senior personnel member and Current and Pending Support information. Letters of collaboration should be included only when an external collaborator is critical to project success and must use the solicitation's prescribed statement; qualifying letters of scientific collaboration membership are also permitted in the specified format. Letters that do not comply with the prescribed requirements may cause a proposal to be returned without review. Proposals are accepted at any time rather than under a single solicitation-wide closing date. Individual programs publish preferred target submission dates, and NSF encourages submission before the applicable target date so that a proposal can be considered during the corresponding panel review cycle. A proposal received after a target date may not be reviewed until the following panel review cycle. NSF evaluates proposals under the National Science Board-approved Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria. Review may involve ad hoc review, panel review, internal NSF review, site visit review, or reverse site review, with at least two primary reviewers assigned to each research proposal. Advanced Physics Instrumentation and long-duration proposals may receive site-visit review. Conference, workshop, or symposium proposals of up to $200,000 do not require external review. After an initial compliance check, an NSF Program Officer reviews the proposal, and in most cases three or more external experts also participate. Program-specific questions should be directed to the applicable NSF program inbox: AMO-E@nsf.gov, AMO-T@nsf.gov, EPP-E@nsf.gov, EPP-T@nsf.gov, Gravity@nsf.gov, IAP@nsf.gov, NP-E@nsf.gov, NP-T@nsf.gov, PA@nsf.gov, POLS@nsf.gov, Plasma@nsf.gov, QIS@nsf.gov, FRHTP@nsf.gov, or PIF@nsf.gov; Advanced Physics Instrumentation applicants should contact the appropriate core research program. Research.gov technical questions may be directed to rgov@nsf.gov or 1-800-381-1532, and Grants.gov questions to support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726. Awardees are generally required to submit annual project reports and a project outcomes report for the general public. Because proposals are accepted anytime and target dates vary by individual program, there is no single recurring solicitation deadline or calculable next application cycle for this opportunity.

Emphasize intellectually ambitious foundational research and clearly address Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts; scientifically justify use of AI, advanced computation, or automation rather than using these tools incidentally; submit ahead of the applicable program target date when possible to improve the chance of review in the corresponding panel cycle; submit a single proposal to the most appropriate program rather than multiple related proposals and allow NSF to arrange co-review; consult the relevant program when scope is uncertain or before specified conference, workshop, long-duration, Arctic, or Antarctic activities; follow prescribed collaboration-letter wording because noncompliant letters may cause return without review