ECosystem for Leading Innovation in Plasma Science and Engineering (ECLIPSE)

The National Science Foundation, through the ECosystem for Leading Innovation in Plasma Science and Engineering program, supports translational research and workforce development at the interface of fundamental plasma science and technological innovation. ECLIPSE is a meta-program spanning multiple NSF Directorates, including Engineering, Geosciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, STEM Education, and the Office of Integrative Activities. The program builds on NSF support for multidisciplinary plasma science and engineering and is intended to create greater organizational unity for research that may span or fall between existing NSF programs. Its primary goal is to identify and capitalize on opportunities to apply fundamental plasma science investigations to societal and technological needs within the science and engineering areas supported by participating NSF programs. Research considered through ECLIPSE must clearly articulate a fundamental scientific or engineering challenge in plasma science and engineering that may be relevant to more than one NSF program and must substantively explain how resolving that challenge will address specific societal or technological needs identified by research communities, policymakers, or other stakeholders. Relevant topics include plasma surface interactions for manufacturing, materials processing, and catalysis; atmospheric pressure plasmas and microplasmas; dusty plasmas; sensors for highly non-equilibrium plasmas; computational modeling of multicomponent or multiphase plasma systems; plasmons in nanophotonics and nano-optics; chemical measurement science involving plasmas; and fundamental chemical reactions and mechanisms in plasmas. Proposals primarily addressing technology development supported by other United States government funding agencies are not eligible and may be returned without review. ECLIPSE encourages efforts that increase diversity within the plasma science and engineering community and broaden participation of under-represented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, other Minority Serving Institutions, institutions in EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions, and collaborations involving these institutions are specifically welcomed. Proposers are also encouraged to explain how their activities may enhance workforce development for STEM careers associated with plasma science and engineering. ECLIPSE does not replace existing NSF programs, and eligibility and other program-specific requirements therefore depend on the participating program through which a proposal is submitted. The source does not specify an ECLIPSE-wide award minimum, maximum, total funding amount, number of awards, or mandatory cost-sharing requirement. Applicants seeking ECLIPSE consideration must begin the proposal title with the identifying acronym "ECLIPSE:" and submit the proposal to one of the related or otherwise participating NSF programs that most closely aligns with the proposed research. Applicants should review the description and solicitation for the receiving program and are strongly encouraged to consult a cognizant Program Officer before preparing a proposal when programmatic fit is uncertain. Proposals outside the scientific scope of the receiving program may be transferred or returned without review. Proposals should request ECLIPSE consideration only when they address both required ECLIPSE criteria. Depending on the receiving program, a Letter of Intent or preliminary proposal may be required before submission of the full proposal. Full proposals submitted through Research.gov follow the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, while proposals submitted through Grants.gov follow the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide. Review depends on both the requirements of the receiving NSF program and the two defining ECLIPSE criteria. The proposal must clearly establish a fundamental plasma science or engineering challenge with relevance potentially extending across NSF programs and provide a substantive connection between resolving that challenge and identified societal or technological needs. This connection may be addressed through Intellectual Merit or Broader Impacts, depending on the proposal. ECLIPSE also encourages broader-impact activities involving diversity, broadening participation, and workforce development. Proposals marked for ECLIPSE consideration that fail to address both defining criteria may be returned without review or reviewed solely in the context of an individual NSF program. Submission timing is governed by the participating program receiving the proposal. For participating AGS, CBET, CMMI, and ECCS divisions, the listed current proposal window runs from September 30, 2025 through September 29, 2026 and recurs annually from September 30 through September 29. Other listed deadlines include September 1 through September 30, 2026 for CHE Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms-B; October 6, 2026 for the HBCU Undergraduate Program Research Initiation Awards; October 20, 2026 for HBCU Excellence in Research; October 1 through November 2, 2026 for Chemical Measurement and Imaging; and November 16, 2026 for Plasma Physics. The Plasma Physics deadline is due by 5 p.m. in the submitting organization's local time. The source states that the due date for any ECLIPSE proposal is the due date, if any, of the relevant receiving program, and proposals submitted outside the applicable window, target date, or deadline may be returned without review. Program contacts include Jeremiah D. Williams, Mangala Sharma, Lucy M. Camacho, Chenyang S. Jiang, Rohit Ramachandran, Tingyu Li, Rosa Ale Lukaszew, Yolander R. Youngblood, and Vyacheslav Slava Lukin. The shared program email is eclipse@nsf.gov. Jeremiah D. Williams, Program Director in MPS/PHY, can be reached at 703-292-4687. Because ECLIPSE operates through participating NSF programs, award timing, performance period, funding amount, and any program-specific pre-application requirements are governed by the applicable receiving program rather than by a single ECLIPSE-wide schedule. The published deadlines and windows include annual recurrence rules, so applicants should identify the receiving program first and follow its applicable submission cycle.

Consult the cognizant Program Officers when programmatic fit is uncertain; select the receiving program most closely aligned with the proposal goals; request ECLIPSE consideration only when both required ECLIPSE criteria are addressed; explicitly connect the fundamental plasma science or engineering challenge to identified societal or technological needs; proposals outside the receiving program's scientific scope or applicable submission period may be returned without review