Centers for Chemical Innovation | 23 575

Opportunity Information: Apply for 23 575

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCI) Program is a competitive grant opportunity designed to build research centers that tackle big, long-horizon questions in fundamental chemistry. The core idea is to support ambitious, center-scale efforts that are hard to do through single-investigator awards, especially problems where progress depends on sustained collaboration, shared infrastructure, and coordinated research planning. NSF positions CCIs as flexible, fast-moving centers that can pivot as new scientific opportunities emerge, form new collaborations quickly, and generate results that are genuinely transformative for chemistry while also attracting attention beyond the immediate research community.

A defining feature of the CCI Program is that it is structured in two phases. Phase I provides substantial support for teams to develop and de-risk the vision for a major research center: sharpening the scientific agenda, building the management and governance approach, refining collaborative structures, and laying out a credible plan for broader impacts. Phase I is essentially a build-and-prove period that prepares a team to request the larger, longer Phase II center funding later. Phase II is not automatic; teams are expected to demonstrate strong progress in Phase I, and only those with satisfactory performance are positioned to apply for Phase II. In this solicitation, Phase I awards made in FY 2024 are expected to pursue Phase II funding in FY 2027.

In terms of research scope, the FY 2024 Phase I competition is open to projects across all fields supported by NSF's Division of Chemistry, with the requirement that proposals have a clear chemistry-centered focus and strong potential for transformative impact. NSF also signals particular interest in fundamental chemistry that aligns with certain national budget priorities. Those highlighted areas include Advanced Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, Semiconductor Research, Biotechnology, Climate Research and Sustainability, Clean Energy, and Quantum Information Science. The emphasis is still on fundamental chemistry, but the solicitation makes clear that chemistry ideas that connect to these priority domains are especially encouraged.

The Phase II competitions are restricted by prior award status. For FY 2024 Phase II, only teams that were funded as Phase I awards initiated in FY 2021 are eligible to apply. Looking ahead, the FY 2025 Phase II competition will be open to projects funded as Phase I awards in FY 2022, and it will also allow renewals of Phase II proposals that were funded in FY 2020. This staged eligibility structure reflects the program's pipeline model, where Phase I cohorts mature into Phase II competitions on a defined timeline.

Eligible applicants are limited to two broad categories of U.S.-based organizations. First, U.S. non-profit, non-academic organizations may apply, such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar organizations that are directly tied to research or educational activities. Second, accredited U.S. Institutions of Higher Education may apply, including both two-year and four-year colleges and universities (including community colleges), as long as they have a campus located in the United States and are submitting on behalf of faculty members. If a proposal includes funding that would flow to an international branch campus of a U.S. institution (including via subawards or consultants), NSF requires a specific justification: the proposal must explain the benefits of carrying out work at the international branch campus and why those activities cannot be performed at the U.S. campus.

The solicitation also sets unusually strict leadership and participation rules for the research team. Even though CCIs are inherently multi-investigator centers, the proposal must name only one Principal Investigator (PI), and co-PIs are not allowed. Everyone else in the leadership team is listed as Other Senior Personnel (often described as Faculty Associates). The PI must be affiliated with an eligible submitting organization. In addition, NSF limits how many proposals any one person can be involved in at each stage: an individual may participate as PI or Other Senior Personnel in only one CCI preliminary proposal, one Phase I full proposal, and one Phase II full proposal submitted to this competition. If someone appears on more than one submission at the same stage, NSF may return the affected proposals without review, so teams need to coordinate carefully to avoid overlap.

From a broader impacts standpoint, NSF makes it clear that CCIs are expected to integrate research excellence with intentional benefits beyond the lab. The program explicitly calls out innovation, education, broadening participation, and informal science communication as core elements that should be built into the center rather than added as an afterthought. In practice, that means a competitive CCI proposal typically pairs a high-risk, high-reward chemistry agenda with credible plans for training and workforce development, pathways to translate fundamental insights into enabling technologies, inclusive participation strategies, and outreach or public-facing communication that helps wider audiences understand why the science matters.

Key administrative details included in the opportunity listing are: the agency is the National Science Foundation; the funding instrument is a grant; the activity category is science and technology and other research and development; the CFDA number is 47.049; the opportunity number is 23-575; it is categorized as discretionary funding; and the original closing date listed is 2024-10-22. The listing does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided text, so applicants would need to consult the full solicitation for funding levels, duration expectations, and any additional submission requirements.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Centers for Chemical Innovation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-22. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 23 575

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