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.
The Law & Science Program aims to fund proposals that explore the social scientific studies of law and law-like systems of rules, along with the application of science and technology within legal contexts. It promotes inherently interdisciplinary and multi-methodological research endeavors. The grant supports projects that enhance understanding of human behavior's integration with law, legal institutions, or processes, and the interplay between law and basic sciences. Its areas of interest are vast, covering issues such as crime, cyberspace, economic factors, environmental science, evidentiary matters, forensic science, governance, human rights, information technology, and the implications of science and technology on legal processes among others. It encourages various types of proposals, including standard research grants, grants for collaborative research, and conference awards, while also participating in specialized NSF funding opportunities like the CAREER Program, REU, RUI, RAPID, and EAGER.