NSF Convergence Accelerator
National Science Foundation — Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP)
$750K–$5M
Researched for this program: 5 rejection traps · 6 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓
NSF multi-team challenge grants for convergence R&D
The NSF Convergence Accelerator funds multidisciplinary teams to solve complex national-scale challenges through convergence research and rapid prototyping. Teams from academia, industry, and nonprofits receive Phase 1 awards (12 months) followed by competitive Phase 2 continuation awards (36 months). For-profit companies may lead proposals via a parallel Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) pathway. The program issues annual cohorts focused on specific technology tracks (past tracks: equitable water, chemical sensing, bio-inspired design, AI, quantum, open knowledge networks).
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $750,000 – $5,000,000
- Realistic amount
- Typical Phase 1 award is the full $750,000. Phase 2 awards up to $5M are granted to a subset of Phase 1 teams invited af…
- Deadline
- Between intakes — 2025 cohort solicitation archived June 2025; 2026 cohort solicitation not yet released. NSF typically publishes a new cohort Dear Colleague Letter by spring each year.
- Status
- between-intakes
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- milestone
Who qualifies
- U.S.-based for-profit companies are eligible as lead applicants via the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) pathway on SAM.gov
- Non-profit and academic institutions apply via the standard NSF solicitation
- Teams must be multi-stakeholder, combining at least 2 sector types (industry, academic, government, nonprofit)
- No prior NSF funding required
- Work must be performed in the United States
- Phase 2 proposals limited to invited Phase 1 awardees
Hard requirements
- Must be incorporated
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Salaries and fringe benefits for research and business development personnel
- Equipment and materials directly related to the convergence research
- Subcontracts to academic, government, or industry partners
- I-Corps Teams training costs ($50,000 mandatory allocation)
- Travel for team collaboration and stakeholder engagement
- Prototyping and proof-of-concept development costs
Ineligible expenses
- Voluntary committed cost sharing (prohibited)
- Indirect costs above the federally negotiated rate
- Real estate purchase or construction
- Pre-award or pre-proposal costs
How to apply
-
1
Monitor for new cohort announcement
NSF announces new annual cohort tracks via a Dear Colleague Letter, typically March–May. Subscribe to NSF TIP updates at nsf.gov/tip/updates. For-profit companies monitor SAM.gov for the parallel BAA.
~2 hrs
-
2
Submit Letter of Intent (required)
LOI describes team composition, proposed track focus, and convergence approach. Required for all teams. Typically 2-week window after solicitation release.
~8 hrs
-
3
Develop full Phase 1 proposal
Full proposal includes research plan, team bios, commercialization strategy, budget, and letters of collaboration. Academic PI required for standard solicitation; for-profit lead uses BAA format. Submitted via Research.gov (standard) or SAM.gov/grants.gov (BAA).
~80 hrs
-
4
Complete I-Corps training (if Phase 1 awarded)
All Phase 1 awardees must participate in NSF I-Corps Teams training ($50,000 budgeted within the award). Training spans 7 weeks and focuses on customer discovery and go-to-market strategy.
~40 hrs
-
5
Compete for Phase 2 invitation
Phase 1 teams pitch at NSF Demo Day. NSF selects a subset for Phase 2 continuation proposals. Phase 2 teams receive up to $5M over 3 years and must demonstrate a clear transition to practice or commercial deployment plan.
~60 hrs
For-profits must use the BAA pathway on SAM.gov — the standard NSF solicitation blocks for-profit leads. Budget $50K for mandatory I-Corps training within Phase 1.
Deadline & timing
NSF releases an annual solicitation for each new cohort with 30–60 days to submit Letters of Intent, followed by full proposals. Watch the Convergence Accelerator updates page for the 2026 cohort announcement. For-profit companies must respond to the BAA posted on SAM.gov rather than the standard solicitation.
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