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

NSF PD-08-1698: Developmental Sciences

Closed Closed Opportunity NSF PD-08-1698 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Major Research Instrumentation Program: (MRI) (NSF 27-500). Status: Closes January 29, 2027 (83 days left). It is in our archive of U.S. National Science Foundation notices from 2025.

• Total funding$6.0 million
• Expected awards28
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to any type of organization.

• Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses, businesses, individuals.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Most of the program's money (87% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

DS supports basic research that increases our understanding of cognitive, linguistic, social, cultural and biological processes related to human development across the lifespan. Research supported by this program will add to our knowledge of the underlying developmental processes that support social, cognitive and behavioral functioning, thereby illuminating ways for individuals to live productive lives as members of society. DS supports research that addresses developmental processes within the domains of cognitive, social, emotional and motor development across the lifespan by working with any appropriate populations for the topics of interest including infants, children, adolescents, adults and non-human animals. The program also supports research investigating factors that affect developmental change, including family, peers, school, community, culture, media, physical, genetic and epigenetic influences. Additional priorities include research that incorporates multidisciplinary, multi-method, microgenetic and longitudinal approaches; develops new methods, models and theories for studying development; includes participants from a range of ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds and cultures; and integrates different processes (e.g., memory, emotion, perception, cognition), levels of analysis (e.g., behavioral, social, neural) and time scales. The budgets and durations of supported projects vary widely and are greatly influenced by the nature of the project. Investigators should focus on innovative, potentially transformative research plans and then develop a budget to support those activities, rather than starting with a budget number and working up to that value. While there are no specific rules about budget limitations, a typical project funded through the DS program is approximately three years in duration with a total cost budget, including both direct and indirect costs, between $100,000 and $200,000 per year. Interested applicants are urged to explore the NSF awards database for the DS program to review examples of awards that have been made. The DS program also accepts proposals for workshops and small conferences. These typically have total cost budgets, including direct and indirect costs, of approximately $35,000.Prospective PIs are encouraged to send a 1-page summary of the proposed activities to the DS program directors in advance of submitting a conference/workshop proposal to ascertain its fit to the program.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, NSF 27-500, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.