Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) | Apply Online

GOALI (NSF) Grant Opportunity FAQs

What is the NSF GOALI program?

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) program is a discretionary grant opportunity designed to strengthen and deepen partnerships between universities and industry. It supports collaborative research and related workforce development experiences that encourage a real two-way exchange of people and ideas between academic and industrial environments.

What is the main goal of GOALI?

The central goal is to make university-industry collaboration more meaningful by helping researchers and practitioners move across the university-industry boundary. In practice, this means creating partnership structures where academic researchers gain exposure to industrial contexts, and industrial scientists and engineers contribute real-world perspectives and integrative problem-solving approaches to academic settings.

What types of support does GOALI provide?

GOALI supports either (1) project-based research funding or (2) fellowship/traineeship-style support. A major emphasis is on arrangements that place faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and students into industrial settings and, conversely, bring industrial scientists and engineers into academic environments.

Does GOALI fund short-term product development?

No. A defining feature of GOALI is an emphasis on high-risk, high-reward work that advances fundamental science and engineering. The program is positioned to support ambitious, exploratory research rather than incremental work aimed at near-term product development.

What kinds of outcomes does GOALI aim to achieve?

The solicitation highlights target outcomes such as: tackling foundational topics that go beyond standard approaches; developing new methods to solve generic problems that matter across sectors; building innovative collaborative education or training models that connect industry and universities; and enabling direct transfer of new knowledge between academia and industry.

Why does NSF fund GOALI collaborations instead of industry funding them directly?

GOALI is intended to support work that industry typically would not fund alone because it may be too exploratory, the payoff may be too uncertain or long-term, or the results are expected to be broadly useful rather than proprietary.

How many awards and how much total funding are anticipated?

Under the referenced announcement, the program anticipates around 80 awards with an estimated total funding level of about $5,000,000.

What is the funding opportunity number and NSF publication reference?

The referenced announcement lists NSF Publication 07-522 and Funding Opportunity Number 07-522.

What type of award is made under GOALI?

Awards are issued as grants.

What is the activity category for this opportunity?

The activity category is science and technology and other research and development.

Is GOALI limited to a specific discipline or NSF directorate?

No. GOALI is described as cross-cutting and can align with many NSF research areas. The breadth of participating areas signals that GOALI is less about a single discipline and more about the structure and value of the university-industry linkage, including interdisciplinary teams when appropriate.

Which NSF areas are mentioned as aligning with GOALI?

The opportunity references a wide range of NSF areas, including: Engineering; Mathematical and Physical Sciences; Geosciences; Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Biological Sciences; Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences; Education and Human Resources; Polar Programs; the Office of International Science and Engineering; and the Office of Cyberinfrastructure.

Who is eligible to submit a GOALI proposal?

Eligibility is centered on U.S. institutions of higher education that award degrees in research areas normally supported by NSF. Proposals must be submitted on behalf of faculty members who hold full-time appointments at those institutions.

Can industry submit the proposal directly?

Based on the provided information, proposals are submitted by universities (U.S. institutions of higher education) on behalf of eligible faculty. The program is built around collaboration with industry, but the submitting organization is the university.

Are partnerships beyond a simple university-industry pairing allowed?

Yes. The program explicitly encourages broader collaboration models, including three-way partnerships that involve industry plus federal laboratories or agencies, national laboratories, and nonprofit organizations working together with the university partner.

Are there citizenship or residency requirements?

For fellowship or traineeship support under GOALI, the individual receiving that support must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity does not require cost sharing or matching, which can reduce barriers to forming collaborations where industry contributions may be mentorship, access to facilities, data, specialized equipment, or practical context rather than direct cash support.

What kinds of non-cash contributions from industry fit GOALI collaborations?

The solicitation notes that industry contributions may include mentorship, access to facilities, data, specialized equipment, and practical context. These kinds of contributions can help create meaningful collaboration and workforce development experiences without requiring matching funds.

When are proposals accepted?

Proposals are accepted on an ongoing basis, with an important constraint: full proposals are only accepted during specific windows established by NSF directorates and participating programs for unsolicited proposals.

How do applicants confirm the acceptable submission windows?

Applicants are directed to confirm acceptable submission periods via the NSF website or by contacting the relevant program office.

Are there special instructions for supplemental funding requests?

Yes. For supplemental funding requests, investigators are expected to discuss the idea with their NSF program officer before submitting. This reflects the program emphasis on ensuring the collaboration model fits the goals and norms of the host directorate or program.

What makes a GOALI collaboration different from a typical university-industry project?

GOALI is structured to encourage collaborations that are more ambitious and more exploratory than typical industry-sponsored academic projects, while still maintaining a clear pathway for knowledge transfer and workforce development.

What is the “two-way exchange” concept in GOALI?

The two-way exchange refers to both (1) placing faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and students into industrial settings and (2) bringing industrial scientists and engineers into academic environments. The intent is for both sides to benefit through shared expertise, perspectives, tools, and problem contexts.

Does GOALI support workforce development as well as research?

Yes. The program description explicitly includes related workforce development experiences, and it emphasizes education or training models that connect industry and universities.

What is the overall purpose of GOALI in plain terms?

GOALI is a mechanism for building serious, mutually beneficial university-industry research relationships. The academic side gains exposure to industrial constraints, tools, and problem contexts, and the industry side gains access to new scientific ideas, methodologies, and talent, with NSF support enabling riskier, more fundamental research than industry would typically fund alone.