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: Rolling (Full proposals) | October 7, 2076 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $150 million anticipated program funding; approximately 300 awards
Summary: Supports foundational chemical sciences research, including ambitious, potentially transformative work across nine disciplinary programs.
Key Information: Each individual may appear on at most two proposals annually as PI, co-PI, or senior/key personnel, with specified exceptions.
Description
The NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences supports foundational chemical sciences research through nine programs under this solicitation. Supported work includes synthesis and characterization of molecules, catalysts, assemblies, and nanostructures; chemical measurement and imaging; understanding chemical structure, dynamics, and transformations; and developing theories, computational methods, and data tools. Individual researchers and small teams may propose work within one program or across multiple programs.
NSF particularly welcomes intellectually ambitious, potentially transformative research, including interdisciplinary connections and scientifically justified uses of AI, advanced computation, and automation. Both incremental advances and bold, high-risk inquiries are supported. Projects need not promise near-term products, deployment, commercial outcomes, or later-stage development. Industrial and international collaborations are encouraged.
