MPS Physics Research Programs (MPS Physics)
This NSF grant funds innovative, foundational research across multiple physics disciplines, including quantum, particle, nuclear, plasma, and living systems, without requiring immediate commercial applications.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: October 6, 2076 (Application deadline) | Rolling (Proposals accepted anytime)
Funding Amounts: $180 million estimated program funding; approximately 300 awards
Summary: Supports foundational theoretical, experimental, computational, and observational physics research across core and cross-cutting programs.
Key Information: Unaffiliated individuals are ineligible; applicants must meet NSF PAPPG proposer eligibility requirements.
Description
The NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences supports research that advances understanding of nature at every scale, from quantum effects inside atoms to living systems and the structure of the universe. This opportunity funds individual investigators and groups, centers and national user facilities, multidisciplinary collaborations, equipment and instrumentation development, and new research tools and techniques.
NSF particularly welcomes intellectually ambitious, potentially transformative foundational research, including high-risk inquiries, new theories and methods, and connections across disciplines. Near-term products, commercial outcomes, or later-stage development are not required. Priorities include opportunities for exceptional early-career investigators and scientifically justified use of AI, advanced computation, and automation to enable new questions or capabilities.
