Strengthening American Infrastructure | 25 534

Opportunity Information: Apply for 25 534

The National Science Foundation's Strengthening American Infrastructure (SAI) program funds research that aims to make U.S. infrastructure more robust, reliable, and effective by putting people and real-world decision-making at the center of the work. The program is built around the idea that infrastructure is not only an engineering challenge, but also a human and societal one: how communities plan, govern, maintain, and use infrastructure strongly influences whether it improves quality of life, supports economic growth, and delivers services fairly and efficiently. SAI is looking for use-inspired, fundamental research that can be genuinely transformative, meaning it should advance basic knowledge while also being clearly connected to strengthening a specific infrastructure area.

A defining feature of SAI is its emphasis on integrating social, behavioral, and economic sciences with other science and engineering disciplines. NSF is specifically interested in research that deepens understanding of human reasoning and decision-making, governance, and social and cultural processes, and then ties that understanding directly to the development, operation, or maintenance of infrastructure. In practice, competitive projects will not treat the human-centered components as an add-on; instead, they will tightly weave those perspectives together with technical and disciplinary expertise (for example, combining behavioral science with civil engineering, computer science, environmental systems, public policy, or other relevant fields) to produce substantial and potentially pathbreaking results for a chosen infrastructure focus.

The program frames effective infrastructure as a foundation for broad socioeconomic benefits. NSF highlights that stronger infrastructure can spur private-sector innovation, grow the economy, create jobs, improve the efficiency of public services, strengthen communities, expand equal opportunity, protect the natural environment, enhance national security, and reinforce U.S. leadership. SAI proposals are therefore expected to connect their research aims to one or more of these outcomes through the lens of infrastructure performance and the human systems that shape it.

Eligibility to submit proposals is limited to specific U.S.-based organization types: U.S.-based for-profit organizations (including small businesses) with strong research or education capabilities; non-profit, non-academic organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research labs, and professional societies tied to research or education; accredited U.S. institutions of higher education (including two-year and four-year schools such as community colleges) acting on behalf of their faculty; and federally recognized Tribal Nations (American Indian or Alaska Native tribes, bands, nations, pueblos, villages, or communities recognized under the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act). If a proposal plans to route funding to an international branch campus of a U.S. institution (including via subawards or consultants), the proposer must clearly explain the project benefits of performing work at the international branch campus and justify why those activities cannot be carried out at the U.S. campus.

Principal Investigators must hold appointments at U.S.-based campuses or offices of eligible organizations (IHEs, eligible non-profit non-academic organizations, eligible for-profit organizations, or Tribal Nations). There are no stated restrictions on who may serve as co-PIs, senior/key personnel, or consultants, which gives teams flexibility to assemble the interdisciplinary expertise SAI expects.

From the opportunity details provided, SAI is a discretionary NSF grant program (Funding Opportunity Number 25-534) in the science and technology research and development category. The application deadline listed is April 17, 2025, and the award ceiling is $750,000. General questions are directed to NSF-SAI@nsf.gov. The listing references multiple NSF CFDA numbers (47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.083), reflecting NSF's cross-disciplinary structure and the program's intent to draw on expertise across many fields.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening American Infrastructure" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.083.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-01-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-04-17. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $750,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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