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

NSF PD-18-5342: Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering

Closed Closed Opportunity NSF PD-18-5342 ☆ 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$4.6 million
• 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 Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering program is part of the Engineering Biology and Health cluster, which also includes 1) Biophotonics; 2) Biosensing; 3) Cellular and Biochemical Engineering; and 4) Engineering of Biomedical Systems. The Disability andRehabilitation Engineering program supports fundamental engineering research that will improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities through: development of new technologies, devices, or software; advancement of knowledge regarding normal or pathological human motion; or understanding of injury mechanisms. Research may be supported that is directed toward the characterization, restoration, rehabilitation, and/or substitution of human functional ability or cognition, or to the interaction between persons with disabilities and their environment. Areas of particular interest are neuroengineering and rehabilitation robotics. The program will also consider research in the areas of: new engineering approaches to understand normal or pathological motion, both as a target for rehabilitation and as a means to characterize motion related to disability or injury; or understanding injury at the tissue or system-level such that interventions may be developed to reduce the impact of trauma and subsequent disability. Emphasis is placed on significant advancement of fundamental engineering knowledge that facilitates transformative outcomes. We discourage applications that propose incremental improvements. Innovative proposals outside of the above specific interest areas may be considered. However, prior to submission, it is recommended that the PI contact the Program Director to avoid the possibility of the proposal being returned without review. NSF does not support clinical trials; however, feasibility studies involving human volunteers may be supported if appropriate to the project objectives. The duration of unsolicited awards generally is one to three years. The typical award size is approximately $100,000 per year, with allowance of up to $130,000 or $200,000 per year for multidisciplinary collaborative projects or those involving investigators from multiple institutions, respectively. Proposals requesting a substantially higher amount than this, without prior consultation with the Program Director, may be returned without review.

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.