Science of Organizations
The Science of Organizations program funds basic research to improve the design, development, and effectiveness of various types of organizations through scientific methods and generalizable insights.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: February 2, 2027 (Full Proposal Target Date) | September 30, 2076 (Current Closing Date) | Rolling (Proposals accepted anytime)
Funding Amounts: $3,270,000 estimated total program funding; 20 expected awards; no cost sharing or matching required
Summary: Supports basic research advancing fundamental, generalizable knowledge about how organizations form, develop, operate, and achieve effectiveness.
Key Information: Projects focused on implementing and evaluating organizational programs, rather than advancing fundamental knowledge, are not appropriate.
Description
The Science of Organizations (SoO) program at the U.S. National Science Foundation funds basic research that builds a scientific evidence base for improving the design, development, management, and effectiveness of organizations. It addresses organizations of all kinds: public and private, established and entrepreneurial, formal and informal, and profit and nonprofit. The program also supports theory on individuals’ behavior and well-being within organizations and relationships between people, organizations, and systems.
SoO welcomes rigorous scientific approaches that develop and refine theories, empirically test theories and frameworks, or create new measures and methods. Research should produce generalizable insights useful to practitioners, policymakers, and researchers. Projects may examine organizations, cross-organizational relationships, or institutions, including individuals, groups, and teams within them.
