U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) X-Labs Initiative

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is soliciting proposals for the NSF X-Labs initiative, a flexible and outcomes-driven effort to build and accelerate novel platform technologies. The initiative aims to support full-time, interdisciplinary research and development (R&D) teams with operational autonomy, technical expertise, and organizational flexibility. Proposing teams must specify their Mission, which must align with a current Topic released by NSF under this solicitation. The teams will be evaluated based on their Written Proposals, and a smaller number of teams will be invited to submit an Oral Proposal Package and participate in oral presentations. The selected teams will be awarded a Phase 0 contract, and after a Phase 1 Go/No Go selection, they may proceed to Phase 1. Some key points about this opportunity include: • The NSF X-Labs initiative is a flexible and outcomes-driven effort to build and accelerate novel platform technologies. • Proposing teams must specify their Mission, which must align with a current Topic released by NSF under this solicitation. • The teams will be evaluated based on their Written Proposals, and a smaller number of teams will be invited to submit an Oral Proposal Package and participate in oral presentations. • The selected teams will be awarded a Phase 0 contract, and after a Phase 1 Go/No Go selection, they may proceed to Phase 1. • The Phase 0 contract will last approximately 9-12 months, and the Phase 1 contract will last approximately 24-36 months. • The teams will be expected to achieve significant R&D outcomes beyond the generation of papers and scientific datasets.