National Science Foundation Translation to Practice
The NSF Translation to Practice program funds research teams to move scientific discoveries toward real-world impact through technology development, partnerships, and workforce training in STEM, offering support across three translational tracks.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: April 1, 2025 (Supplement) | April 1, 2026 (Supplement) | September 16, 2025 (Full proposal, TTP-T/P) | January 20, 2026 (Full proposal, TTP-T/P) | May 19, 2026 (Full proposal, TTP-T/P) | September 15, 2026 (Full proposal, TTP-T/P) | January 19, 2027 (Full proposal, TTP-T/P) | May 18, 2027 (Full proposal, TTP-T/P) | April 1, 2027 (Supplement, annual recurring)
Funding Amounts: Up to $600,000 (TTP-E, 2 yrs), $1,200,000 (TTP-T, 3 yrs), or $2,000,000 (TTP-P, 4 yrs); estimated total program funding $30M.
Summary: Supports translation of STEM research to real-world practice through three tracks, promoting partnerships, innovation, and societal impact.
Key Information: TTP-T and TTP-P require I-Corps training unless recently completed; TTP-P proposals require a non-academic NSF-Catalyzed Partner.
Description
The NSF Translation to Practice (TTP) program funds activities that move scientific discoveries and innovations from the laboratory into real-world practice, with the goal of realizing tangible societal, economic, and workforce impacts. The program supports projects in all STEM fields and offers three distinct tracks:
- TTP-Explore (TTP-E): For current NSF awardees seeking to extend their research toward high-risk, use-inspired translational activities.
- TTP-Translate (TTP-T): For maturing use-inspired research and initial translational activities toward practical solutions.
- TTP-Partner (TTP-P): For projects that require strategic partnerships, especially with non-academic organizations, to drive technology development and deployment.
The program encourages broad participation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a range of translational outcomes, including commercialization, open-source development, standards setting, and startup formation. TTP-T and TTP-P awardees must complete NSF I-Corps Teams training (unless recently completed for the same technology).
