Grants / U.S. National Science Foundation / U.S. National Science Foundation

National Science Foundation Translation to Practice (NSF TTP)

Open Closes November 17, 2026 (17 days left) Opportunity 25-540

• Award ceiling$2.0 million
• Award floor$600,000
• Expected awardsnot stated
• Total funding$30.0 million
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Add the deadline to your calendar

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to the applicants described in the notice.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

*Who May Serve as PI: By the submission deadline, a PI must hold either: A tenured or tenure-track position, or A primary, full-time, paid appointment in a research or teaching position (with exceptions granted for family or medical leave), as determined by the submitting institution. The NSF TTP-E track requires the proposers to have an active, eligible, NSF research award. NSF TTP-E proposers should have at least one year remaining on their NSF award and should have submitted (and had approved) 1-2 annual reports to date. As part of this track, EAGER, RAPID, or RAISE awards are not eligible to receive NSF TTP-E funds. TTP-E proposers MUST provide a 3- to 5-page description of future translational activities to their cognizant NSF Program Officer (PO) via email and gain their approval via email, before submission of an NSF TTP-E proposal. For the NSF TTP-P track, in addition to the PI, proposals must include a co-PI or Senior/Key Personnel who is a member or employee of an NSF-Catalyzed Partner. Partnerships with U.S. institutions of higher education are valued, but NSF TTP strongly prioritizes NSF-Catalyzed Partnerships that are able to help bring the product, process, or service to the market, potentially through licensing agreements, startup or small business formation, incorporation into an existing open-source ecosystem, development into standards setting arrangements, etc.

Is this a realistic fit?

• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The U.S. NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP) partners across sectors to advance three primary focus areas – accelerating technology translation and development, fostering regional innovation and economic growth, and preparing the American workforce for future high-wage jobs in STEM fields. The translation of research to practice ensures that the insights and innovations developed through scientific study and experimentation have tangible, positive impacts for the Nation. These impacts include improving the quality of life, promoting economic and job growth, ensuring national security, and maintaining global competitiveness. Indeed, scientific and engineering breakthroughs have the potential to address critical societal challenges in industries such as aerospace, agriculture, communications, education, energy, healthcare, national security, and transportation – but the translation of discoveries and innovations from the laboratory to society often takes many forms including non-linear pathways. The NSF TTP program was developed with several goals in mind: To identify and support use-inspired research and translational activities enabling a continuum from foundational research to practice; To develop partnerships and collaborations between institutions of higher education and other entities (e.g., industry, state/local/national government agencies, philanthropies, open-source ecosystems, for-benefit, for-profit and non-profit organizations, international organizations, etc.); To promote and advance the education and training of students and postdoctoral researchers, encouraging the participation of all Americans in STEM including innovation and entrepreneurship; and To identify future customer needs and opportunities and bring these to the forefront in the conduct of use-inspired research and translational activities. The NSF TTP program offers three tracks that represent different starting points or stages in moving discoveries and innovations from the laboratory to practice: NSF TTP-Explore (NSF TTP-E) is a pilot track that is likely to be the first step for researchers seeking to translate their basic research to practice. To be eligible for the NSF TTP-E track, proposers must have an active, eligible, NSF research award (see Eligibility Information for further details).

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

How to apply

1. Read the full notice and attachments on Grants.gov and the agency's announcement. The notice is the official source for deadlines and requirements.
2. Make sure your organization has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID; registration can take several weeks.
3. Register on Grants.gov and submit through Workspace before the deadline and time given in the notice. Our application guide walks through each step.

Questions go to U.S. National Science Foundation, grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov, 703-292-4203.

Open the official notice