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Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences

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NSF 22-604

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 the research of pre-tenure faculty in mathematical and physical sciences, with an emphasis on those at institutions that traditionally do not receive significant NSF funding, such as minority-serving, predominantly undergraduate or R2 institutions.

Supports the research of pre-tenure faculty in mathematical and physical sciences, with an emphasis on those at institutions that traditionally do not receive significant NSF funding, such as minority-serving, predominantly undergraduate or R2 institutions.

Synopsis

The Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) call has an emphasis to help launch the careers of pre-tenure faculty in Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) fields at institutions that do not traditionally receive significant amounts of NSF-MPS funding, such as some minority-serving institutions (MSIs), predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs), and Carnegie Research 2 (R2) universities. LEAPS-MPS has the additional goal of achieving excellence through diversity and aims to broaden participation to include members from groups historically excluded and currently underrepresented in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences, including Blacks and African Americans, Hispanics, Latinos, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native Pacific Islanders.

These grants are intended to support MPS principal investigators, particularly at the aforementioned institutions, for whom LEAPS funding would enable the PI to submit a subsequent successful proposal to a traditional, already-existing NSF funding opportunity, such as individual investigator programs, CAREER competitions, etc. By providing this funding opportunity, MPS intends to help initiate viable independent research programs for researchers attempting to launch their research careers such that LEAPS-MPS awards are followed by competitive grant submissions that build upon the research launched through this mechanism. This LEAPS-MPS solicitation welcomes proposals from principal investigators who share NSF's commitment to diversity.

Awards are for 24 months and are up to $250,000 total costs (direct plus indirect).

Proposals in response to this solicitation must be submitted for consideration to the appropriate program in one of the five MPS Divisions.

 

Program contacts

Name Email Phone Organization
Catalina Achim (OAD)
cachim@nsf.gov (703) 292-2048 MPS/OAD
Jacqueline Keane (AST)
jkeane@nsf.gov (703) 292-8123 MPS/AST
Anne-Marie Schmoltner (CHE)
aschmolt@nsf.gov (703) 292-4716 MPS/CHE
Souleymane O. Diallo (DMR)
somardia@nsf.gov (703) 292-8302 MPS/DMR
Tomek Bartoszynski (DMS)
tbartosz@nsf.gov (703) 292-4885 MPS/DMS
Kathleen V. McCloud (PHY)
kmccloud@nsf.gov (703) 292-8236 MPS/PHY

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