Expeditions in Computing
Last verified by NonDilute: 2026-06-08. Official notice and agency instructions control.
If you lead a large interdisciplinary computing research team with a decade-spanning vision and institutional backing, this is NSF's largest single CISE investment vehicle.
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What this is
This is NSF's flagship center-scale funding mechanism for computing research, designed for large research teams tackling bold, decade-spanning research agendas. Awards reach $15 million over seven years and explicitly encourage multi-department and multi-institution collaboration. The program prioritizes disruptive innovations requiring concurrent advances across multiple fields—not incremental improvements to existing areas. This is research-focused, not startup-focused, and requires institutional affiliation.
Who can apply
Primarily universities and research institutions; solo founders and small startups should not apply. The program requires large research teams and institutional affiliation. See NSF's Additional Information on Eligibility section for full organizational requirements, but expect only established research organizations and established companies with research divisions to qualify.
Eligible applicant types
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Full description — from the agency
The far-reaching impact and rate of innovation in the computer and information science and engineering fields has been remarkable, generating economic prosperity and enhancing the quality of life for people throughout the world. More than a decade ago, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) established the Expeditions in Computing (Expeditions) program to build on past successes and provide the CISE research and education community with the opportunity to pursue ambitious, fundamental research agendas that promise to define the future of computing and information. In planning Expeditions projects, investigators are strongly encouraged to come together within or across departments or institutions to combine their creative talents in the identification of compelling, transformative research agendas that look ahead by at least a decade and promise disruptive innovations in computer and information science and engineering for many years to come. Now funded at levels up to $15,000,000 for seven years, Expeditions projects represent some of the largest single investments currently made by the CISE directorate. Together with the Science and Technology Centers and the National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes that CISE supports, Expeditions projects form the centerpiece of the directorate's center-scale award portfolio. With awards funded at levels that promote the formation of large research teams, CISE recognizes that concurrent research advances in multiple fields or sub-fields are often necessary to stimulate deep and enduring outcomes. The awards made in this program will complement research areas supported by other CISE programs, which target particular computer and information science and engineering fields. Additionally, CISE offers Innovation Transition (InTrans) awards for teams nearing the end of their Expeditions as well as Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) Frontier projects. The goal of InTransis to continue the long-term vision and objectives of CISE’s center-scale projects. Through InTrans awards, CISE will provide limited funds to match industry support.
Topics: nsf expeditions computing · fundamental computing research · large team research grants · computer science innovation · interdisciplinary computing projects · center-scale awards · transformative research agenda
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