Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) program is a discretionary grant opportunity designed to strengthen real, working partnerships between universities and industry. The central idea is to support collaborations where academic researchers and industry professionals jointly tackle research challenges that are both scientifically ambitious and broadly useful, while also helping people move between academic and industrial environments to share skills, perspective, and practical know-how. GOALI is particularly aimed at arrangements that create meaningful two-way exchange: university researchers gaining experience in industry settings, and industry scientists and engineers contributing to academic research and training.

GOALI supports an intentionally wide range of university-industry linkage models. Funding can back project-based collaborations as well as fellowship or traineeship-style arrangements. The program highlights three priority collaboration types: (1) faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, and students spending time in an industrial setting to conduct research and gain hands-on experience; (2) industrial scientists and engineers participating directly with academic teams to bring industry perspective, systems thinking, and integrative problem-solving into university research; and (3) interdisciplinary teams spanning both sectors that work together on research projects. In practice, these structures are meant to accelerate learning on both sides, build durable collaboration pipelines, and increase the likelihood that fundamental discoveries move into real-world use without turning the project into a purely product-development effort.

A defining feature of GOALI is its emphasis on high-risk, high-gain work that remains fundamentally research-driven. NSF frames the target as transformative research that goes beyond what industry would normally fund on its own. That means proposals are expected to push into new concepts, new methods, and early-stage ideas where the technical uncertainty is high but the potential payoff is substantial. The solicitation also welcomes efforts to solve generic, broadly relevant problems rather than narrow proprietary needs, and it explicitly includes the development of innovative collaborative education programs that connect university training with industry realities. Another recurring theme is direct knowledge transfer between academia and industry, not just through publications, but through people, joint work, and shared research practices.

In terms of scope, GOALI sits across much of NSF, covering many disciplines represented in the CFDA listings, including Engineering (47.041), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (47.049), Geosciences (47.050), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (47.070), Biological Sciences (47.074), Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (47.075), Education and Human Resources (47.076), and the Office of International Science and Engineering (47.079). This broad footprint signals that GOALI is not confined to one technical area; instead, it is meant to be used wherever an industry partnership can strengthen fundamental research and training outcomes.

Logistically, proposals are accepted on an ongoing basis rather than tied to a single annual deadline, but NSF advises applicants to coordinate with the appropriate disciplinary program office before submitting, especially if they are seeking supplemental funding or need clarity on current internal deadlines and review cycles. The listing indicates an estimated total funding level of about $5,000,000 and an expected number of awards around 80, reflecting that GOALI often supports multiple projects distributed across NSF programs rather than functioning like a single large, centralized competition.

Eligibility and funding rules are particularly important for GOALI partnerships. While the opportunity includes “other” eligible applicants as clarified in NSF’s additional eligibility information, the key operational constraint is that NSF funds cannot be awarded to the industry partner. NSF funding must be used by the academic institution, while the industry partner participates in the research effort and helps facilitate pathways such as use-inspired application and commercialization. For fellowship or traineeship support under GOALI, only U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents may apply for that type of individual support. The opportunity also states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement, which can reduce administrative barriers for academic applicants, though industry participation and commitment are still integral to a credible GOALI project.

Overall, GOALI is best understood as NSF’s mechanism for encouraging serious, research-centered collaboration with industry while keeping the work anchored in fundamental, publishable, broadly valuable science and engineering. It aims to produce both technical advances and workforce development benefits by letting people and ideas move more freely between academic labs and industrial R&D environments, with an emphasis on transformative outcomes that would be difficult to achieve through either sector working alone. For full details, NSF refers applicants to the official solicitation: NSF Publication 12-513, and provides Grants.gov support via grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov for access or submission issues.

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: National Science Foundation

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development

Next opportunity: Advancing Health Services through System Modeling Research

Previous opportunity: Physical and Engineering Sciences in Oncology

USGrants.org Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for 12 513

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (12 513) also looked into and applied for these:

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Subscribe to Leads

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "12 513", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.