Expeditions in Computing (Expeditions)
NSF funds large, long-term, ambitious foundational computing research projects led by U.S. institutions of higher education, typically by multidisciplinary teams, for up to seven years.
⚑ Large-center-style awards up to $15M over 7 years · One of the larger CISE investments; highly competitive · International branch campus costs require justification that work cannot be done at the U.S. campus
This is a large foundational computing program aimed at new architectures, AI, networking, robotics, and hardware substrates. IPPRA’s strengths are in social-behavioral risk, public opinion, education policy evaluation, and hazard communication, so this would not plausibly be pursued as a PI-led team grant.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-08-18
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 90 strong | technical depth: central; funds basic research |
| IPPRA | 48 partial | outside portfolio topics; social/behavioral work is minor; funds basic research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
The far-reaching impact and rate of innovation in the computer and information science and engineering fields has been remarkable, generating economic prosperity, and enhancing the quality of life for people.
More than a decade ago, the NSF Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (NSF CISE) established the NSF Expeditions program to provide the NSF CISE research community with the opportunity to pursue ambitious, foundational research agendas that promise to define the future of computing and information.
Investigators are strongly encouraged to come together within or across departments or institutions to identify compelling, transformative research agendas that look ahead by at least a decade and promise disruptive innovations in computer and information science and engineering for the years ahead. Expeditions may advance a range of areas including, but not limited to, fundamentally new architectures for intelligence and the hardware and compute substrates that make them possible; rigorous physical and mathematical theories of how systems learn, generalize, and can be interpreted; neuroscience-inspired approaches to learning, memory, reasoning, and behavioral steering; intelligence embodied in the physical world through general physical intelligence, advanced robotics hardware, and novel architectures and learning paradigms for embodied systems; transformative approaches to next generation communication and networking; and high-risk, high-reward areas that no single discipline could pursue alone.
Now funded at levels up to $15,000,000 over seven years, NSF Expeditions projects represent some of the largest single investments made by the CISE Directorate. These awards are designed to promote the formation of large, multidisciplinary research teams to address transformative foundational computing research problems. This reflects CISE’s recognition that achieving deep and lasting breakthroughs often require advances in multiple fields or sub-fields. Awards made through this program will complement research areas supported by other CISE programs. The program responds to core recommendations in the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2028 Research and Development Budget Priorities Memorandum that calls for foundational research in the physical sciences and engineering, including computer science. NSF Expeditions also supports longer grant durations for transformative research, giving scientists the time and autonomy to pursue bold, ambitious projects whose most important results may take years to emerge.
Eligibility
*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of sub-awards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: U.S. National Science Foundation <grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · National Science Foundation conventions SEE AN NSF EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — National Science Foundation's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.