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Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier: Core Research (FW-HTF)

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NSF 23-543

Important information about NSF’s implementation of the revised 2 CFR

NSF Financial Assistance awards (grants and cooperative agreements) made on or after October 1, 2024, will be subject to the applicable set of award conditions, dated October 1, 2024, available on the NSF website. These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.

Important information for proposers

All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Supports research on the interaction of technology and people in the workplace, with a focus on the design of intelligent technologies and work organization that improves the quality of work, ensures worker safety, and enhances societal impact.

Supports research on the interaction of technology and people in the workplace, with a focus on the design of intelligent technologies and work organization that improves the quality of work, ensures worker safety, and enhances societal impact.

Synopsis

In 2016, the National Science Foundation (NSF) unveiled a set of “Big Ideas,” 10 bold, long-term research and process ideas that identify areas for future investment at the frontiers of science and engineering (see https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/big_ideas/index.jsp). The Big Ideas represent unique opportunities to position our Nation at the cutting edge of global science and engineering leadership by bringing together diverse disciplinary perspectives to support convergence research. As such, when responding to this solicitation, even though proposals must be submitted to the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) Office of Emerging Frontiers and Multidisciplinary Activities (ENG/EFMA), once received, the proposals will be managed by a cross-disciplinary team of NSF Program Directors.

The overarching vision of this program is to support multi-disciplinary research to sustain economic competitiveness, to promote worker well-being, lifelong and pervasive learning, and quality of life, and to illuminate the emerging social and economic context and drivers of innovations that are shaping the future of jobs and work.

For the purposes of this solicitation, work is defined as mental or physical activity to achieve income, profit, or other tangible benefits. A proposal for a research grant in this program must focus on advancing fundamental understanding of future work and work outcomes for workers and society.

The specific objectives of the Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier program are to (1) facilitate inter-disciplinary or convergent research that employs the joint perspectives, methods, and knowledge of behavioral science, computer science, economics, engineering, learning sciences, research on adult learning and workforce training, and the social sciences; (2) develop deeper understandings of how human needs can be met and values respected in regard to how new technologies, conditions, and work experiences are changing; (3) support deeper understanding of the societal infrastructure that accompanies and leads to new work technologies and new approaches to work and jobs, and that prepares people for the future world of work; (4) encourage the development of a research community dedicated to designing intelligent technologies and work organization and modes inspired by their positive impact on individual workers, the work at hand, the way workers learn and adapt to technological change, creative and inclusive workplaces (including remote locations, homes, classrooms, or virtual spaces), and benefits for social, economic, educational, and environmental systems at different scales; (5) promote deeper basic understanding of the interdependent human-technology partnership to advance societal needs by advancing design of intelligent technologies that operate in harmony with human workers, including consideration of how adults learn the new skills needed to interact with these technologies in the workplace, and by enabling broad and diverse workforce participation, including improving accessibility for those challenged by physical, learning or cognitive impairment and other visible and invisible disabilities; and (6) understand, anticipate, and explore ways of mitigating potential risks including inequity arising from future work at the human-technology frontier.

Proposals to this program should describe inter-disciplinary or convergent research that addresses technological, human, and societal dimensions of future work. Technological innovations should be integrated with advances in cognitive and behavioral sciences, computer science, economic science, engineering, learning sciences, education, research on adult learning and workforce training, and the social sciences. Proposals that address the impact of large-scale disruptions such as the Covid-19 pandemic on the future of jobs and work are also of interest. Submissions are encouraged from institutions in EPSCOR jurisdictions (https://new.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/epscor/state-websites) and emerging research institutions, as defined in the CHIPS & Science Act, Section 10002(5) (42 USC 18901(5)).

Program contacts

Nasser Alaraje
fwhtf-contacts@nsf.gov (703) 292-8063 EDU/DUE
Jordan M. Berg
ENG/CMMI
fwhtf-contacts@nsf.gov (703) 292-5365 ENG/CMMI
David Corman
fwhtf-contacts@nsf.gov (703) 292-8754 CISE/CNS
Dan Cosley
fwhtf-contacts@nsf.gov (703) 292-8832 CISE/IIS
Julie I. Johnson
fwhtf-contacts@nsf.gov (703) 292-8624 EDU/DRL
Sara Kiesler
fwhtf-contacts@nsf.gov (703) 292-8643 SBE/SES
Songqi Liu
fwhtf-contacts@nsf.gov (703) 292-8950 SBE/SES
Daniel McAdams
ENG/CMMI
fwhtf-contacts@nsf.gov (703) 292-4654 ENG/CMMI
Alexandra Medina-Borja
fwhtf-contacts@nsf.gov (703) 292-7557 ENG/CMMI
Linda Molnar
fwhtf-contacts@nsf.gov (703) 292-8316 TIP/ITE
Debora Rodrigues
TIP/TI
fwhtf-contacts@nsf.gov (703) 292-4767
Betty K. Tuller
fwhtf-contacts@nsf.gov (703) 292-7238 SBE/BCS

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