Important Updates to NSF Grant Programs

NSF’s Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST) provides the following information regarding current funding opportunities. For all programs, prospective proposers should pay close attention to the changes this year in the Grant Proposal Guide, NSF 16-1, which describes all requirements except for those superseded specifically in an individual solicitation:

AST is beginning a pilot "no-deadline" program for proposals in solar and planetary astronomy. Proposals that address topics related to planetary systems — including exoplanets, our own solar system, and solar physics — should be submitted in response to the new Solar and Planetary Research Grants (SPG) solicitation NSF 16-602. These proposals may be submitted at any time. Previously, these proposals were submitted to the Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants (AAG) program (see below). Although SPG proposals may be submitted any time throughout the year, proposals submitted to SPG after 15 November 2016, but judged to be more appropriate for the AAG program may be returned without review. If you are unsure whether your proposed research fits into SPG, please contact one of the program officers listed in the SPG solicitation website.

The Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Grants (AAG) program considers proposals in support of observational, theoretical, laboratory, and archival data studies in all other areas of astronomy and astrophysics. Proposals submitted by 15 November 2016 (5:00 pm local time of the submitting institution) will be considered for funding in FY2017. Please follow the guidelines in the GPG and in the new solicitation NSF 16-574.

Proposals for the Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation (ATI) program are due by 1 November 2016, also at 5:00 pm local time of the submitting institution.

The Partnerships in Astronomy and Astrophysics Research and Education (PAARE) program is not accepting new proposals this year.

NSF will not issue a second solicitation for the Theoretical and Computational Astrophysics Networks (TCAN) program. Given the realized budgets so far this decade, any funding for TCAN would come from a matching reduction in AAG funding, which would be contrary to the 2010 decadal survey recommendation. Prospective TCAN proposers should instead propose to the AAG or SPG programs described above. They may wish to designate their proposal as being responsive to the NSF emphasis area of Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering (CDS&E) if the proposal satisfies one or more of the special CDS&E criteria.