The U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories. NSF was established in 1950 by Congress to promote the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare, and secure the national defense.
This grant program is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding in neural and cognitive systems through an innovative, convergent, and multidisciplinary approach. It prioritizes high-risk, high-payoff projects that transcend disciplinary research efforts, focusing on the integration and collaboration across different fields to address the complexities of brain and behavior. Specifically, it targets four areas: Neuroengineering and Brain-Inspired Concepts and Designs, Individuality and Variation, Cognitive and Neural Processes in Realistic, Complex Environments, and Data-Intensive Neuroscience and Cognitive Science. Proposals are expected to be ambitious and integrative, with the potential for significant scientific or technical breakthroughs. There are two classes of awards: FOUNDATIONS, for projects that advance the foundational aspects of one or more focus areas, and FRONTIERS, for highly collaborative projects that aim to solve complex challenges through interdisciplinary work. This initiative is part of NSF’s contribution to the BRAIN Initiative and encourages community-driven efforts to explore new frontiers at the interface of neuroscience and other disciplines.