Integrative Strategies for Understanding Neural and Cognitive Systems | 21 517

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF Integrative Strategies for Understanding Neural and Cognitive Systems (NSF 21-517)

What is the NSF 21-517 opportunity trying to fund?

This solicitation supports bold, cross-disciplinary research that explains brain function and behavior in ways that a single field cannot accomplish alone. The emphasis is on integrating theories, computational models, experimental methods, engineering approaches, and (where relevant) educational or community-building activities to create genuinely new research directions.

What does NSF mean by “integrative strategies” in this program?

“Integrative” means the project should intentionally connect multiple disciplines and methods (for example, combining theory, computation, experiments, engineering, and/or broader community activities) so the overall approach is more than the sum of its parts. The program is meant for work that needs integrative thinking or coordinated teams to succeed, not work that stays within a single established disciplinary silo.

How is this solicitation different from submitting to a standard NSF core program?

A key requirement is that proposals must go beyond the scope of any single NSF core program. If a project would fit comfortably within a standard disciplinary program, NSF describes it as non-responsive for this opportunity. The intent is to fund research that truly depends on crossing boundaries and combining approaches.

Is the program focused on high-risk, high-reward research?

Yes. A defining feature is an explicit emphasis on high-risk, high-reward work. Projects are expected to take meaningful scientific or technical risks in exchange for the possibility of major advances, rather than aiming for incremental improvements.

How does this program relate to the federal BRAIN Initiative?

The solicitation is part of NSF’s participation in the federal BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies). NSF also describes a goal of building a connected, synergistic portfolio of projects, where results, tools, and conceptual frameworks can reinforce one another across investigators and communities.

What are the main research focus areas in NSF 21-517?

Projects must advance foundational understanding in one or more of four focus areas:

• Neuroengineering and brain-inspired concepts and designs: new neural technologies, engineered systems that interact with neural circuits, and computational or hardware designs inspired by principles of brain function.
• Individuality and variation: how and why neural and cognitive processes differ across individuals, contexts, development, or populations.
• Cognitive and neural processes in realistic, complex environments: moving beyond simplified lab tasks toward more naturalistic settings where perception, action, social interaction, and context unfold together.
• Data-intensive neuroscience and cognitive science: methods for large, complex datasets, including analytics, machine learning approaches, theory-driven data integration, and infrastructure or workflows that support reproducible discovery.

What types of proposal categories does NSF consider under this solicitation?

NSF will consider two main classes of proposals:

• FOUNDATIONS awards: high-risk, high-payoff projects that deepen the fundamental basis of one or more focus areas, often by introducing new conceptual frameworks, methodologies, or integrative models.
• FRONTIERS awards: especially ambitious, highly collaborative projects intended to connect multiple integrative research threads at once and tackle problems that would be essentially intractable without substantial coordination across disciplines, institutions, or toolkits.

When are FRONTIERS awards offered?

FRONTIERS awards are offered only in the FY2021 and FY2023 competitions and are described as less frequent, special competitions for the most ambitious category.

What kind of collaboration is expected for FRONTIERS projects?

FRONTIERS projects are described as “highly collaborative” and aimed at problems requiring substantial coordination. Based on the solicitation description, this can involve coordination across disciplines, institutions, and/or methodological toolkits, with multiple integrative threads connected within a single project.

Are community-building activities supported, or only research projects?

Community-driven efforts are encouraged in addition to traditional research awards. The solicitation mentions activities such as workshops, synthesis activities, or papers that map emerging directions and help organize research communities around new questions at the intersection of neuroscience and other fields.

What is NSF hoping to achieve beyond individual project outcomes?

NSF describes an intent to shape the broader research landscape by fostering links across investigators and communities, enabling shared tools and frameworks, clarifying shared challenges, building common language across disciplines, and identifying promising new frontiers.

What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?

The award ceiling is $3,000,000.

How many awards does NSF anticipate making?

NSF anticipates making about 15 awards.

What is the closing date listed for this solicitation cycle?

The original closing date listed for this specific solicitation cycle was February 15, 2021.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as broadly open (unrestricted), subject to any clarifications in the full solicitation.

What does it mean that this is a “discretionary” NSF grant?

The opportunity is described as a discretionary NSF grant, meaning awards are made through NSF’s competitive, proposal-based selection process as described in the solicitation.

What NSF program does this solicitation extend?

The solicitation extends the Neural and Cognitive Systems (NCS) program for three years (FY2021 through FY2023).

Why are multiple CFDA numbers listed for this opportunity?

Multiple NSF CFDA numbers are associated with the program (47.041, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076), reflecting the cross-directorate nature of the opportunity and that proposals may span multiple NSF scientific and engineering domains.

What kinds of methods or approaches fit the “data-intensive” focus area?

The solicitation highlights the need for methods that can handle large, complex datasets, including new analytics, machine learning approaches, theory-driven data integration, and infrastructure or workflows that enable reproducible discovery.

What does “realistic, complex environments” mean in this context?

It refers to research that pushes beyond simplified laboratory tasks and studies cognition and neural processes in more naturalistic settings, where perception, action, social interaction, and context unfold together.

What does the “individuality and variation” focus area cover?

It targets understanding how and why neural and cognitive processes differ across individuals and across changes in context, development, or populations.

What does “neuroengineering and brain-inspired concepts and designs” include?

This area can include new neural technologies, engineered systems that interact with neural circuits, and computational or hardware designs inspired by principles of brain function.

What makes a proposal “non-responsive” to this solicitation?

Based on the description provided, a proposal is considered non-responsive if it fits comfortably within a standard disciplinary NSF core program and does not go beyond the scope of any single core program. The solicitation is intended for research that requires integrative, boundary-crossing approaches.

Does NSF prefer incremental advances or major leaps?

The program is positioned for major breakthroughs and explicitly emphasizes high-risk, high-reward projects that aim for significant advances rather than modest or incremental improvements.

What is the funding opportunity number for this solicitation?

The funding opportunity number is 21-517.