International Collaboration in Chemistry between US Investigators and their Counterparts Abroad | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Division of Chemistry, offered this grant opportunity to expand and strengthen international, investigator-to-investigator collaboration in basic chemistry research. The program is designed specifically around bilateral partnerships, meaning a U.S. research team works directly with a counterpart team located in one of the participating partner jurisdictions. Proposals are expected to be written in English and to clearly demonstrate that the science benefits from the international collaboration, not merely that two groups are working in parallel. The overall intent is to create meaningful, coordinated research efforts that leverage complementary expertise, facilities, and perspectives across countries, while supporting fundamental (basic) research in chemistry.

A key feature of the opportunity is that NSF partnered with several well-known foreign research funding agencies so that collaborative projects could be supported on both sides. The partnering agencies listed are: the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) in Austria; the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) in Brazil; the National Research Agency (ANR) in France; the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) in Israel; the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) in Japan; the National Research Fund (FNR) in Luxembourg; the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) in Russia; and the National Science Council (NSC) in Taiwan. In practical terms, this structure signals that projects should be constructed to meet NSF expectations for the U.S. side while aligning with the partner agency expectations for the foreign side, enabling true two-country collaboration rather than a one-sided subcontracting arrangement.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this was a discretionary grant program within the federal “Science and Technology and other Research and Development” category, associated with CFDA 47.049 (Mathematical and Physical Sciences). NSF anticipated making about 40 awards, supported by an estimated total program budget of $10,000,000. Individual award sizes were relatively substantial for a chemistry collaboration program, with an expected range (award floor to ceiling) of $300,000 to $600,000. The opportunity explicitly stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants were not required to contribute non-federal funds as a condition of the award.

The timeline for the competition required a two-step submission process. A preliminary proposal was required first, due August 1, 2012 (by 5 p.m. local time of the proposer). Full proposals were then due October 16, 2012. The opportunity was posted May 29, 2012, carried an original and current closing date of October 16, 2012, and was later archived on November 16, 2012. These dates indicate a structured screening process where preliminary submissions likely helped NSF manage review workload and ensure proposed collaborations fit the program’s bilateral intent before full proposals were prepared.

Eligibility was broad across standard U.S. research-performing institutions but still clearly defined. Proposals could be submitted by U.S. universities and colleges (including accredited two-year and four-year institutions, including community colleges) with a campus located in the United States, acting on behalf of their faculty. In addition, certain non-profit, non-academic organizations were eligible, such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar U.S.-based organizations associated with educational or research activities. The listing “Others (see text…)” signals that the formal eligibility categories on the posting were clarified by these specific organizational descriptions.

The program also included notable limits and participation rules for principal investigators (PIs) tied to NSF Chemistry’s broader portfolio. U.S. PIs were allowed to submit either an ICC proposal or an unsolicited proposal to NSF’s Division of Chemistry in 2012, but not both. In addition, the ICC program would not accept proposals from U.S. investigators who already held an individual investigator award from the Division of Chemistry, unless the ICC submission was being made as their renewal proposal. For investigators who already had an active NSF Chemistry award and wanted to add an international component, NSF advised them not to use this competition as a workaround; instead, they were encouraged to contact the program directors managing their current award to ask about the possibility of supplemental funding to support international collaboration.

Overall, this opportunity can be understood as a targeted mechanism for funding high-quality, basic chemistry research that is explicitly strengthened by a two-country partnership with one of the listed foreign jurisdictions. It combined a relatively sizable per-award budget, a defined set of partner agencies, and rules intended to keep submissions aligned with NSF Chemistry program management (avoiding duplicate submissions and ensuring current grantees pursued appropriate supplement pathways when relevant). For full official details, the announcement pointed applicants to NSF Publication 12-562 and provided support contacts through grants.gov for access issues.

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