Pathways to Enable Secure Open-Source Ecosystems
This grant funds projects to plan, build, or enhance open-source ecosystems, focusing on safety, security, and sustainability to address national and societal challenges.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: March 2, 2027 (Full proposal) | September 7, 2027 (Full proposal)
Funding Amounts: Track 1: up to $300,000 for 1 year; Tracks 2 and 3: up to $1,500,000 for 2 years; $40 million total program funding
Summary: Supports planning, building, and securing sustainable open-source ecosystems around science and engineering research products.
Key Information: Track 1 and Track 2 awardees must participate in I-Corps for PESOSE, with a prior-completion waiver available for Track 2.
Description
NSF’s Pathways to Enable Secure Open-Source Ecosystems (PESOSE) program supports the translation of existing open-source science and engineering research products into sustainable, secure ecosystems addressing national and societal challenges. Managed by the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, the program covers products such as software, hardware, machine learning models, languages, and data platforms.
PESOSE funds ecosystem planning, establishment and expansion, and improvements to safety, security, and privacy. It emphasizes managing organizations with strong governance, distributed development, and active communities across academia, industry, and government. Security-focused projects address technical and socio-technical vulnerabilities, including code flaws, supply-chain weaknesses, and insider threats. The goal is to turn promising research outputs into widely used, resilient technologies and services that strengthen U.S. innovation and competitiveness.
