Opportunity Information: Apply for PD 09 7252
Apply for PD 09 7252
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Perception, Action Cognition" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.075 Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 23, 2015 and posted on Mar 6, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 3, 2015 The April proposal window is only for workshop and conference proposals, not for research proposals. Proposals for workshops and conferences that will be held less than one year after submission may be returned without review. The June proposal window is only for workshop and conference proposals, not for research proposals. Proposals for workshops and conferences that will be held less than one year after submission may be returned without review. This proposal window is for research proposals only. Workshop and conference proposals should not be submitted during this submission window. This proposal window is for research proposals only. Workshop and conference proposals should not be submitted during this submission window. This proposal window is for research proposals only. See below for submission windows for workshop and conference proposals.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Perception, Action, and Cognition (PAC) program is a discretionary grant opportunity within the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences directorate (CFDA 47.075) that funds basic research aimed at understanding how humans perceive the world, control action, and think. A defining feature of this program is its emphasis on work that is strongly grounded in theory. In practice, that means proposals are expected to do more than report effects or correlations; they should be motivated by clear theoretical claims, sharpen or test competing explanations, and generate insights that generalize beyond a single task or dataset.
The PAC panel considers a broad set of core topics in human cognition and behavior. These include vision, audition, and haptics (touch), as well as attention, memory, reasoning, written and spoken discourse, and motor control. The program is intentionally inclusive about theoretical approaches, welcoming perspectives such as symbolic computation, connectionist models, ecological approaches, nonlinear dynamics, and complex systems frameworks. Methodologically, PAC supports both experimental work and modeling, including projects that blend behavioral experiments with computational or mathematical models to explain underlying mechanisms.
PAC also explicitly supports cross-program relevance and cooperative review. Proposals can be co-reviewed with other NSF programs when the science naturally spans areas, such as Linguistics, Developmental and Learning Sciences, Cognitive Neuroscience, and related programs. This is helpful for interdisciplinary projects that sit between traditional boundaries, for example studies that link language processing to memory and attention, or motor control to perceptual decision-making, as long as the contribution to basic understanding of human perception, action, or cognition is central.
While the focus is on basic human processes, PAC will consider studies that involve clinical populations, nonhuman animals, or computational modeling as the primary method, but only when there is a direct and explicit payoff for fundamental questions about human perception, action, or cognition. In other words, clinical or animal work is not supported simply for its applied or comparative value; it must be positioned to inform general theory about human mechanisms. Similarly, purely computational projects must connect tightly to human behavioral or cognitive phenomena and clarify core principles rather than functioning as stand-alone engineering demonstrations.
There are also notable submission and administrative requirements tied to NSF’s systems. After submitting through FastLane and receiving a proposal number, each Principal Investigator must email two specific documents to sbe_pac@nsf.gov within one week (and must email them rather than uploading via FastLane). The email subject line should include the proposal number and the PI’s name. The required attachments are: (1) an Excel spreadsheet (using the NSF PAC template) with two worksheet pages used to help NSF identify conflicts of interest for assembling reviewers, and (2) a single PowerPoint slide (using the PAC template) listing all senior personnel and affiliations, the proposal title, and a very brief 1 to 3 sentence summary of the main hypotheses and methods. Any figures on that slide must already appear in the proposal. The slide filename must be the PI’s last name followed by the seven-digit proposal number (for example, Smith127999). This slide is used during panel discussion, so it functions as a standardized, at-a-glance synopsis for reviewers.
In terms of timing, the opportunity has recurring full proposal target dates of February 1 and August 1 each year for research proposals. The solicitation also distinguishes workshop and conference proposals from research proposals: certain windows (notably referenced as April and June) are reserved for workshops and conferences, and the NSF notes that workshop or conference proposals scheduled to occur less than one year after submission may be returned without review. The specific record provided lists a posted date of March 6, 2009, with later administrative updates, and it notes that there is no cost sharing or matching requirement. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of applicant organizations may apply, subject to any additional constraints described in the full program text.
Overall, PAC is best suited for investigators proposing theory-driven, mechanism-oriented research on how humans perceive, attend, remember, reason, communicate, and control action, using rigorous experiments and/or models. Competitive proposals typically make a strong case for why the questions matter for foundational theory, how the methods will decisively test that theory, and how the results will advance a broader understanding of perception, action, and cognition rather than only addressing a narrow applied outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the NSF Perception, Action, and Cognition (PAC) program?
The Perception, Action, and Cognition (PAC) program is a discretionary National Science Foundation (NSF) funding opportunity within the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences directorate (CFDA 47.075). It supports basic research aimed at understanding how humans perceive the world, control action, and think.
What kind of research does PAC fund?
PAC funds basic, mechanism-oriented research on human perception, action, and cognition. The program emphasizes projects that advance foundational understanding rather than narrow applied outcomes.
What is the program's defining emphasis?
A defining feature of PAC is that proposals are expected to be strongly grounded in theory. Proposals should be motivated by clear theoretical claims, sharpen or test competing explanations, and produce insights that generalize beyond a single task or dataset.
Are proposals that only report effects or correlations appropriate for PAC?
Typically no. The program description indicates proposals are expected to do more than report effects or correlations; they should be theory-driven and designed to test or refine explanatory accounts.
What core topics are included in PAC's scope?
The PAC panel considers a broad range of topics in human cognition and behavior, including vision, audition, haptics (touch), attention, memory, reasoning, written and spoken discourse, and motor control.
Does PAC require a particular theoretical approach?
No. PAC is inclusive about theoretical approaches and welcomes perspectives such as symbolic computation, connectionist models, ecological approaches, nonlinear dynamics, and complex systems frameworks.
What methods does PAC support?
PAC supports experimental work and modeling, including projects that combine behavioral experiments with computational or mathematical models to explain underlying mechanisms.
Can a proposal be interdisciplinary or span multiple NSF programs?
Yes. PAC explicitly supports cross-program relevance and cooperative review when the science naturally spans areas. Proposals may be co-reviewed with other NSF programs such as Linguistics, Developmental and Learning Sciences, Cognitive Neuroscience, and related programs.
What are examples of cross-program projects that could fit PAC?
Examples described include studies linking language processing to memory and attention, or linking motor control to perceptual decision-making, as long as the central contribution advances basic understanding of human perception, action, or cognition.
Does PAC fund studies involving clinical populations?
PAC will consider studies involving clinical populations only when there is a direct and explicit payoff for fundamental questions about human perception, action, or cognition. Clinical work is not supported solely for applied value.
Does PAC fund research using nonhuman animals?
Nonhuman animal studies may be considered only when they are positioned to inform general theory about human mechanisms in perception, action, or cognition, rather than being proposed only for comparative value.
Are purely computational or modeling-only projects eligible?
PAC may consider computational modeling as a primary method only when it is tightly connected to human behavioral or cognitive phenomena and clarifies core principles, rather than serving as a stand-alone engineering demonstration.
How and when are full research proposals due?
The program has recurring full proposal target dates of February 1 and August 1 each year for research proposals.
Are workshop and conference proposals handled differently from research proposals?
Yes. The solicitation distinguishes workshop and conference proposals from research proposals. Certain windows (notably referenced as April and June) are reserved for workshops and conferences.
Is there any timing constraint for workshop or conference proposals?
Yes. NSF notes that workshop or conference proposals scheduled to occur less than one year after submission may be returned without review.
What submission system is used for PAC proposals?
The opportunity indicates proposals are submitted through NSF FastLane.
Are there special post-submission email requirements after submitting in FastLane?
Yes. After submitting through FastLane and receiving a proposal number, each Principal Investigator (PI) must email two specific documents to sbe_pac@nsf.gov within one week. These documents must be emailed rather than uploaded via FastLane.
What should be included in the email subject line sent to the PAC mailbox?
The email subject line should include the proposal number and the PI's name.
What two documents must be emailed to sbe_pac@nsf.gov after submission?
The required attachments are: (1) an Excel spreadsheet (using the NSF PAC template) with two worksheet pages to help NSF identify conflicts of interest for assembling reviewers, and (2) a single PowerPoint slide (using the PAC template) listing all senior personnel and affiliations, the proposal title, and a brief 1 to 3 sentence summary of the main hypotheses and methods.
What is the purpose of the Excel spreadsheet?
The Excel spreadsheet is used to help NSF identify conflicts of interest when assembling reviewers.
What information must be on the required PowerPoint slide?
The slide must list all senior personnel and affiliations, the proposal title, and a very brief 1 to 3 sentence summary of the main hypotheses and methods.
Can the PowerPoint slide include figures?
Yes, but any figures on the slide must already appear in the proposal.
How should the PowerPoint slide file be named?
The slide filename must be the PI's last name followed by the seven-digit proposal number (for example, Smith127999).
How is the PowerPoint slide used by NSF?
The slide is used during panel discussion as a standardized, at-a-glance synopsis for reviewers.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The information provided states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of applicant organizations may apply, subject to any additional constraints described in the full program text.
What kinds of proposals are likely to be competitive in PAC?
Competitive proposals typically make a strong case for why the questions matter for foundational theory, how the methods will decisively test that theory, and how the results will advance broader understanding of perception, action, and cognition rather than addressing only a narrow applied outcome.
When was this opportunity posted?
The record provided lists a posted date of March 6, 2009, with later administrative updates.
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