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

NSF PD-17-8085: Systems Science

Closed Closed Opportunity NSF PD-17-8085 ☆ 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.

• Expected awards15
• Award amountsNot given on Grants.gov
• 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 (89% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The Systems Science (SYS) program supports fundamental research leading to a theoretical foundation for design and systems engineering. In particular, the Systems Science program seeks intellectual advances in which underlying theories (such as probability theory, decision theory, game theory, organizational sociology, behavioral economics or cognitive psychology) are integrated and abstracted to develop explanatory models for design and systems engineering in a general, domain-independent fashion. Ideally, the explanatory models, derived from the underlying theoretical foundations will lead to testable hypotheses. Based on collected evidence supporting or falsifying the hypotheses, new insights are gained allowing the explanatory models to be refined or updated. Systems research that does not address the Engineering of Systems is out of scope. Domain-specific applications of the theoretical foundations are also out of scope. Research that focuses on domain-specific applications, but simultaneously advances our fundamental understanding of design and systems engineering will be considered for co-funding with other programs (see "Related Programs" below for examples). Such proposals should be submitted to the appropriate disciplinary program, with the System Science program identified as a secondary program. Research topics of interest in SYS include, but are not limited to: Processes: Search Strategy, Guidance and Control Design and systems engineering are processes consisting of a large number of synthesis and analysis steps in sequence or parallel, at gradually increasing levels of detail and accuracy. SYS supports research towards understanding the nature of this search process: How best to monitor, guide and control the search process? Which progress metrics to use? Which search strategy to use? How best to frame individual design decisions? How to determine appropriate abstractions for specification and analysis at each step in the process? To what extent should the expected downstream process steps be considered when contemplating the current search steps? Organizations: Decomposition, Communication and Incentivisation Systems engineering and design processes are executed in an organizational context. Depending on the nature of the artifact being developed, different processes and corresponding organizational structures are best.

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.