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The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) leads and supports research to improve insights and discoveries in support of its mission, the federal statistical system, and research communities. As a principal statistical agency within the National Science Foundation (NSF), our specific work is strategic and nuanced, working to advance our mission to collect, interpret, analyze, and disseminate objective data on the science and engineering enterprise within a global context.
NCSES maintains an active research agenda that guides practice, strategy, and internal decision-making. Our research is conducted in a variety of ways. Although some of our work is driven by NCSES staff, other investigations partner with our data collection contractors and external collaborators. Explore highlights of our current research initiatives below.
NCSES's Commitment to Quality
NCSES encourages staff to pursue research interests independently and through strategic collaborations. One area of focus in recent years has been record linkage of NCSES data with other sources to answer new questions about STEM doctorate holders and other topics of interest. NCSES also conducts methodological experiments on our surveys to improve data collection procedures, with a particular focus on reducing costs and improving nonresponse. In addition, NCSES routinely conducts qualitative testing of survey questions and questionnaires to continuously improve our survey instruments.
Existing Research Partnerships
NCSES partners with several organizations in support of its research program.
- Our Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) provides research opportunities primarily to U.S. institutions of higher education and their collaborators to conduct a variety of research projects that support the strategic objectives of NCSES and partner federal statistical agencies. Much of what appears on the annual BAA is informed by the Research Agenda. More information can be found on our Funding Opportunities page.
- Data science training
- Secure data access
- Data linkage research
- Rich context project
- NCSES coordinates with the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) to support research and data quality. NCSES financially supports the FCSM grant program coordinated by NSF’s Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics program .
- We provide technical consultation on the development of the government-wide probability-based online panel, Ask US. More information will be provided on this project as it develops.
- Discovery of emerging trends for U.S. federally funded R&D
- Initiative on skilled technical workforce
Continuing Innovations
All major funding decisions for NCSES are guided by our Research Agenda. Some of our major research areas include:
- Privacy and data protections
- Innovative use of auxiliary data
- Reducing respondent burden
- Understanding sexual orientation and gender identity in STEM
NCSES also uses experimental online panel surveys, called bridge panels, as an internal mechanism for research. With these bridge panels, a subsample of our survey population is used to test survey improvements, such as new versions of survey questions and new methods of data collection. If testing shows positive results, these changes will be implemented in the next wave of the survey.
Visit our FAQ page for more information. You may also contact us at [email protected] .
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An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS. A lock ( Lock Locked padlock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Attention: Multifactor authentication is required to sign into Research.gov effective on Oct. 27, 2024. See Dear Colleague Letter (NSF 25-011 ) .
Funding Search
Microorganism-mediated organismal resilience to climate change (mmorcc) | nsf 25-014.
Encourages proposals that advance our understanding of microorganisms and their role in climate change through a public-private partnership.
Build and Broaden: Enhancing Social, Behavioral and Economic Science Research and Capacity at Minority-Serving Institutions (B2) | NSF 25-505
Nsf call for iucrc (industry-university cooperative research center) proposals for a center pursuing optical tissue-mimicking phantoms for biomedical applications | nsf 25-013.
Invites submissions responsive to the Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) program solicitation in the broad topic area of tissue-mimicking phantoms for optical medical devices.
Organismal Response to Climate Change (ORCC) | NSF 25-504
Supports integrative, cross-disciplinary research that explores the mechanistic and eco-evolutionary responses of organisms to climate change, aiming to improve predictions, develop solutions for mitigating impacts and support the bioeconomy.
Announcing the Opportunity for NSF Researchers to Participate in BioMADE Project Calls as Part of an Integrated Project Team | NSF 25-012
Invites proposals that span from basic research to translation in collaboration with BioMADE and participating NSF programs in the Directorates for Biological Sciences and Engineering in areas that will advance the U.S. bioeconomy.
Addressing Systems Challenges through Engineering Teams (ASCENT) | NSF 25-503
Supports fundamental research, through an NSF-Intel partnership, on heterogeneous integration of semiconductor technologies using advanced packaging to drive future communication, computing, biotechnology, energy and other applications.
Cultural Anthropology Program Senior Research Awards (CA-SR) | NSF 25-502
Supports research aimed at understanding patterns, causes and consequences of human social and cultural variation, including research that has implications for confronting anthropogenic problems.
- Additional upcoming deadlines
Building Synthetic Microbial Communities for Biology, Mitigating Climate Change, Sustainability and Biotechnology (Synthetic Communities) | NSF 25-501
Supports research into synthetic microbial communities, including how they form and evolve, how to use them to address biological questions and/or how to build them for biotechnology or bioengineering applications.
Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowships (EAR-PF) | NSF 25-500
Supports independent postdoctoral research and professional development in research areas supported by the Division of Earth Sciences.
Geospace Cluster (AGS-GC) | PD 24-7789
Supports fundamental and solutions-based research and education on the Earth's near-space environment and the sun-Earth system, including the societal impacts of space weather.
Infrastructure Cluster (AGS-IC) | PD 24-7791
Supports state-of-the-art facilities and instrumentation to enable research by the scientific community in atmospheric and geospace sciences, including research aircraft, supercomputers and community governed models of atmospheric processes.
Atmosphere Cluster (AGS-AC) | PD 24-7790
Supports fundamental research on atmospheric processes, including chemical, physical and dynamic factors that influence weather, climate, air quality and the water cycle.
NSF-UKRI/EPSRC Lead Agency Opportunity on Understanding and Exploiting Quantum Information in Chemical Systems | NSF 24-134
Invites collaborative U.S.-U.K. research proposals focused on advancing quantum information science in chemical systems, promoting transatlantic partnerships by allowing a single submission and merit review through a lead agency process.
Safety, Security, and Privacy of Open-Source Ecosystems (Safe-OSE) | NSF 24-608
Supports efforts to address safety, security and privacy vulnerabilities in open-source ecosystems to enhance their resilience and ability to manage current and future risks.
- Preliminary proposal required
Use-Inspired Creativity Extension for the Bioeconomy (UICREX-Bioeconomy) | NSF 24-133
Invites current award recipients from select BIO and MPS Directorate programs to request extended funding for high-risk biotechnology and bioeconomy-related research with significant potential for commercial translation and impact on the U.S. bioeconomy.
Special Guidelines for Submitting Joint Proposals under the Quad AI-ENGAGE Collaborative Research Opportunity | NSF 24-132
Invites multilateral research proposals from the U.S., Australia, India and Japan to advance innovation through critical technologies such as AI, robotics and sensing to empower farmers to tackle real-world challenges and increase crop yields and resilience.
Advancing Research at the intersection of Biology and Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) | NSF 24-131
Encourages proposals that advance biological research through use of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) or through development of AI/ML methods using biological data and systems in areas supported by the four Divisions of the BIO Directorate.
ECosystem for Leading Innovation in Plasma Science and Engineering (ECLIPSE): Special Focus on PFAS and Microelectronics | NSF 24-130
Encourages interdisciplinary research proposals using plasma science and engineering to address two critical challenges: removing persistent environmental pollutants known as PFAS and developing novel, more efficient methods for microelectronics fabrication.
Molecular Foundations for Biotechnology (MFB) | NSF 24-607
Supports collaborative high-risk, high-reward projects to develop cutting-edge tools and methods that advance RNA biological research and biotechnology for applications across various sectors, including agriculture, energy and global health.
Multilateral Partnerships Leveraging Excellence (MultiPLEx) | PD 24-7298
Supports international multilateral research partnerships that address urgent global challenges by leveraging diverse expertise from countries outside the U.S., focusing on advancing research and understanding of effective multilateral collaboration.
Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (POSE) | NSF 24-606
Supports new managing organizations to catalyze distributed, community-driven development and growth of open-source ecosystems.
NSF ANR Chemistry Lead Agency Opportunity on Sustainable Chemistry: Catalysis with Earth-Abundant Elements | NSF 24-129
Encourages U.S.-French collaborative research proposals to develop sustainable catalysts and catalytic strategies using earth-abundant elements, focusing on organometallic catalysis, organocatalysis, and photocatalysis.
Cultural Anthropology Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (CA-DDRIG) | NSF 24-605
Supports doctoral research aimed at understanding patterns, causes and consequences of human social and cultural variation, including research that has implications for confronting anthropogenic problems.
Post-Baccalaureate Research and Training (PBRT) in the Biological Sciences Supplemental Funding Opportunity | NSF 24-128
Encourages supplemental funding requests to support research and training opportunities for post-baccalaureate students who wish to engage in research or pursue a career in STEM but have faced barriers to gaining experience as an undergraduate student.
NSF and the Romanian Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) Lead Agency Opportunity in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences | NSF 24-125
Encourages international collaboration in mathematical and physical sciences by enabling U.S. and Romanian researchers to submit a single proposal for joint review, thus streamlining the research process.
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