Science of Learning Centers | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Science of Learning Centers (SLC) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PD 07 7278) is designed to build large-scale, long-term research Centers that strengthen the intellectual, organizational, and physical infrastructure needed to push the science of learning forward over many years. At its core, the program emphasizes research that deliberately integrates multiple disciplines so teams can develop shared concepts, experimental approaches, and explanatory frameworks that open up new lines of inquiry about what learning is and how it works. The program frames "learning" broadly and includes learning in animals, humans, and machines, which means proposals can range from basic biological mechanisms and cognition to computational learning systems and technology-enabled learning environments, so long as the work is truly integrative and advances understanding at a deeper level.

A key aim of the SLC program is to move the frontiers of the sciences of learning while also connecting that research to real scientific, technological, educational, and workforce challenges. In practical terms, NSF is looking for efforts that both generate fundamental insight and position research communities to take advantage of new discoveries and respond to emerging needs. The solicitation explicitly welcomes many approaches and topics, including questions about what affects learning, how learning operates across different levels of analysis (for example, neural, behavioral, social, and computational levels), and how principles derived from biological learning can inform artificial systems (and how advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence can, in turn, sharpen scientific theories of learning in living systems). High value is placed on creativity, on strong links between theory and empirical work, on innovative models for conducting and transferring research, and on inventive uses of technology that enable new types of data, experimentation, or dissemination.

Science of Learning Centers are expected to be organized around a unifying research focus and built as multidisciplinary environments, often involving partnerships across academia and industry as well as connections to education providers at multiple levels and other public or private entities. Earlier in the program, NSF also made Catalyst awards, which were intended to help teams form partnerships and carry out early research activities that require multiple areas of expertise. However, the listing notes that there are currently no active competitions for full SLC Centers or for Catalyst awards at this time. Instead, the program is currently accepting proposals in several related mechanisms: Workshops, EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER), Rapid Response Research (RAPID), and Supplements to existing NSF awards (including awards funded through other NSF programs). For EAGER and RAPID submissions specifically, principal investigators must contact the NSF program officer before submitting; proposals submitted without prior contact will be returned without review, consistent with the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide requirements.

From an administrative and eligibility standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant program in science and technology research and development. It spans a wide set of NSF CFDA areas, reflecting its cross-cutting nature: 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). There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement indicated. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity, subject to any clarifications in the full program text). The posting date is March 23, 2009, with a creation date of February 18, 2015 in the record. While earlier target dates for full proposals are referenced historically, the current status indicates proposals are accepted anytime under the currently available mechanisms. The record lists estimated total funding of $3,000,000 and an award ceiling of $250,000, which aligns more with smaller mechanisms like workshops, EAGER/RAPID, or supplements rather than the originally described large-scale Center awards.

For applicants, the main takeaway is that the SLC program is fundamentally about building integrated, multidisciplinary research efforts that advance a rigorous science of learning across biological, human, and machine domains, with an emphasis on novel, theory-plus-data approaches and meaningful pathways to research transfer. While the traditional Center competitions are not currently running, NSF is still using the SLC umbrella to support time-sensitive, exploratory, and community-building work through workshops, EAGER, RAPID, and award supplements, with the important procedural requirement of pre-submission contact with the program officer for EAGER and RAPID proposals.

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