MPS Astronomical Sciences Research Programs (MPS Astro)
MPS Astronomical Sciences Research Programs (MPS Astro) supports investigators and collaborations in astronomy research, ground-based technology, and facility projects to deepen understanding of the universe.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: November 16, 2026 (Target submission) | Rolling (Full proposals)
Funding Amounts: $100 million anticipated program funding; proposals requesting up to five years encouraged when justified
Summary: Supports foundational astronomical research, ground-based technologies and instrumentation, and larger astronomical projects and facilities.
Key Information: Unaffiliated individuals cannot apply; proposals must demonstrate foundational advances in astronomical sciences.
Description
NSF’s Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences administers this consolidated opportunity through Astronomical Sciences Core Research, Astronomical Sciences Technology & Instrumentation, and Astronomical Sciences Innovations. It supports individual investigators and collaborations conducting observational, theoretical, computational, laboratory, and archival studies, alongside technology development and larger facility projects.
The programs seek to advance fundamental understanding of the universe, from solar phenomena and potentially habitable planets to black holes and cosmology. NSF particularly welcomes intellectually ambitious, potentially transformative research, interdisciplinary connections, and scientifically justified uses of AI, advanced computation, and automation. Work need not promise a near-term product, deployment, commercial outcome, or later-stage development. Both incremental foundational advances and bold, high-risk inquiries are within scope.
