Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships
NSF funds large-scale, long-term integrative center awards for U.S. doctoral-granting institutions of higher education to pursue innovative interdisciplinary science and engineering research, education, broadening participation, and knowledge transfer with partners.
⚑ Doctoral degree-granting U.S. institutions of higher education only as lead applicants; partners may include universities, labs, museums, industry, state/local labs, and international organizations. · PI must be a full-time faculty member with an established record of leading research teams. · Large-center, long-term cooperative agreement award; requires broad interdisciplinary and education/broadening-participation components. · Broad NSF science and engineering scope; not limited to a specific discipline or topic area.
This is a large, basic-research center program in science/engineering, with some education and broadening-participation components, but it is not centered on IPPRA’s core survey/risk/public-opinion lines. Deven Carlson and David Hogg could plausibly fit only the education/workforce and broader impacts pieces, but the opportunity is not really their PI-level research program.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-10-09
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 90 strong | technical depth: central; funds basic research |
| IPPRA | 58 good | peripheral portfolio topic: energy; social/behavioral work is minor; funds basic research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
The Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program supports exceptionally innovative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term awards. STCs focus on creating new scientific paradigms, establishing entirely new scientific disciplines and developing transformative technologies which have the potential for broad scientific or societal impact. STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships among institutions of higher education, national laboratories, industrial organizations, other public or private entities , and via international collaborations, as appropriate. They provide a means to undertake potentially groundbreaking investigations at the interfaces of disciplines and/or highly innovative approaches within disciplines. STCs may involve any area of science and engineering that NSF supports. STC investments support the NSF vision of creating and exploiting new concepts in science and engineering and providing global leadership in research and education.
Centers provide a rich environment for encouraging future scientists, engineers, and educators to take risks in pursuing discoveries and new knowledge. STCs foster excellence in education by integrating education and research, and by creating bonds between learning and inquiry so that discovery and creativity fully support the learning process.
NSF expects STCs to both involve individuals who are members of groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in science and engineering at all levels within the Center (faculty, staff, students, and postdoctoral researchers) as well as be a leader in broadening participation in STEM. Individuals who may be underrepresented in STEM include those who identify as women, persons with disabilities, Blacks and African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacific Islanders. The terms for these racial and ethnic populations are derived from the US government's guidance for federal statistics and administrative reporting ( OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 15, Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and Administrative Reporting ). Although these social identities are listed separately, they do not exist in isolation from each other and the intersection of one of more of these social identities may need to be considered when designing plans for diversity, equity, and inclusion within the STC Center. Centers may use either proven, or innovative mechanisms based on the relevant literature, to address issues such as recruitment, retention, success, and career progression of all individuals in the Center.
Centers must undertake activities that facilitate knowledge transfer, i.e., the exchange of scientific and technical information with the objective of disseminating and utilizing knowledge broadly in multiple sectors. Examples of knowledge transfer include technology transfer, providing key information to public policy-makers, or dissemination of knowledge from one field of science to another.
Eligibility
*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -Preliminary proposals and invited full proposals may only be submitted by domestic (United States) institutions of higher education that are located in the United States, its territories or possessions, and have doctoral degree-granting research and education programs in any area of research supported by NSF. The lead institution is expected to develop partnerships or arrangements with other universities, colleges, or other institutions, such as national laboratories, research museums, private sector research laboratories, state and local government laboratories, and international organizations as appropriate to enable the Center to attain its strategic goals.
*Who May Serve as PI: The PI must be a full-time faculty member at an institution of higher education and have an established record of leading research teams.
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.