Human Networks and Data Science
The Human Networks and Data Science program funds research using data and network science to better understand human behavior across various topics, with a focus on improving health, prosperity, and security, through two tracks: Infrastructure and Core Research.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: January 14, 2027 (HNDS-R, permission only) | February 4, 2027 (HNDS-I) | July 8, 2027 (HNDS-R, permission only) | August 5, 2027 (HNDS-I)
Funding Amounts: $10,000–$1,200,000 per award; 1–5 years; $8 million total program funding
Summary: Supports data and network science research and infrastructure that advance understanding of human behavior in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences.
Key Information: Direct HNDS-R submissions require advance program-officer permission and written approval as a supplementary document.
Description
The Human Networks and Data Science (HNDS) program supports research at the intersection of the social, computer, and statistical sciences. Run by NSF’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), it seeks new answers to fundamental questions about individual and group behavior through dynamic, distributed, or heterogeneous data. The program particularly welcomes data-rich insights about human networks that can improve health, prosperity, and security.
HNDS has two tracks. Infrastructure projects (HNDS-I) develop large-scale databases and analytic tools that enable previously impossible data-intensive SBE research. Core Research projects (HNDS-R) apply data and network science methods to advance theory in an SBE discipline, including through large datasets, linked qualitative and quantitative approaches, and multilevel network analysis. Innovative use of NSF-supported data infrastructure is encouraged.
