Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) | 22 503

Opportunity Information: Apply for 22 503

The National Science Foundation (NSF) opportunity called Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) is a two-year grant program designed to help pre-tenure faculty in Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) fields establish strong, independent research trajectories early in their academic careers. The central idea is to provide an on-ramp for researchers who are building a lab, group, or research agenda for the first time and who would benefit from targeted, early support that positions them to compete successfully for larger, more traditional NSF awards later. In practice, LEAPS-MPS is meant to be a launching mechanism: it funds the initial research push, with the expectation that the work and momentum generated will lead directly to competitive submissions to ongoing NSF programs such as standard core disciplinary programs or the NSF CAREER program.

A defining feature of LEAPS-MPS is its emphasis on institutions that have not historically received substantial NSF-MPS funding. The solicitation explicitly calls out environments where early-career faculty may have fewer built-in resources or less institutional momentum for large external grants, including certain minority-serving institutions (MSIs), predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs), and Carnegie-classified Research 2 (R2) universities. By focusing on these settings, NSF MPS is aiming to broaden where high-impact mathematical and physical sciences research is seeded and sustained, and to help faculty in these contexts overcome structural barriers that can make it harder to build a nationally competitive research program quickly.

The program also ties its research capacity-building goal to a broader participation and equity objective. LEAPS-MPS emphasizes “excellence through diversity” and seeks to broaden participation in the MPS disciplines, including increased inclusion of people from groups that have been historically underrepresented in these fields. The solicitation specifically highlights Black and African American, Hispanic and Latino, Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and other Native Pacific Islander communities. Proposals are welcomed from principal investigators who share NSF’s commitment to diversity, signaling that the program values both strong research plans and thoughtful approaches to broadening participation and improving representation in the mathematical and physical sciences ecosystem.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, LEAPS-MPS awards provide up to $250,000 in total costs (meaning the cap includes both direct and indirect costs) for a 24-month project period. The NSF anticipated making around 40 awards under this solicitation (Opportunity Number 22-503; CFDA 47.049), making it competitive but meaningfully sized for a targeted early-career mechanism. The funding instrument is a discretionary grant within the broad federal category of science and technology research and development.

Eligibility is more restrictive than many NSF programs in one important way: the Principal Investigator must be a U.S. citizen or a lawfully admitted U.S. permanent resident at the time the proposal is submitted, and other visa holders are not eligible to serve as PI under this specific solicitation. Proposals must be directed to the appropriate program within one of the five NSF MPS divisions, which indicates that while LEAPS-MPS is a cross-cutting MPS initiative, the work still needs to align with and be reviewed within the relevant disciplinary program structure.

Overall, LEAPS-MPS can be understood as a capacity-building bridge for early-career MPS faculty in underfunded or less traditionally NSF-MPS-funded institutional contexts. It supports the initial establishment of an independent research program with a clear expectation of follow-on competitiveness, while also advancing NSF’s strategic priority to broaden participation and strengthen diversity across the mathematical and physical sciences.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 08, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 07, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 22 503

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