MPS Chemistry Research Programs (MPS Chem)
NSF MPS Chemistry Research Programs fund ambitious, foundational research across multiple areas of chemical science, without requiring immediate commercial or developmental outcomes.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: September 1, 2026 (proposals accepted anytime beginning this date) | August 20, 2076 (final deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to $150,000,000 total program funding; typical awards vary; proposals may request up to five years of support.
Summary: Supports foundational and potentially transformative research in chemical sciences across multiple disciplinary programs.
Key Information: Proposals accepted anytime starting September 1, 2026; annual cap of two proposals per investigator across all covered programs.
Description
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) supports foundational research in the chemical sciences through a suite of disciplinary programs. These programs fund intellectually ambitious and potentially transformative research that advances fundamental understanding of chemical processes, structures, and systems. Proposals are welcome across a broad range of chemistry subfields, including chemical catalysis, measurement and imaging, mechanisms and properties, structure and dynamics, synthesis, systems and solutions, theory and computation, chemistry of life processes, and macromolecular, supramolecular, and nanochemistry. The focus is on research that builds new knowledge, methods, or tools, rather than near-term commercial products or late-stage technology development.
NSF encourages submissions from both individual investigators and collaborative teams, with particular interest in projects that cross disciplinary boundaries, leverage emerging technologies, or support early-career researchers. The program seeks proposals that demonstrate high scientific rigor, transparency, and the potential for broad impacts in science and society.
