Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS)

The Launching of Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) program supports the launch of the careers of pre-tenure faculty whose research is in Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) fields at institutions that do not traditionally receive significant amounts of MPS funding. The LEAPS awards enable PIs from these institutions to initiate productive research programs and generate results useful for preparing subsequent competitive proposals to traditional NSF funding opportunities. Some key points about this opportunity include: • Awards are for 24 months with budgets of up to $250,000 total costs (direct plus indirect). • Proposals must be submitted by Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) accredited in, and having a campus located in the U.S., that are not currently classified as a Doctoral University with Very High Research Activity (R1 institutions). • The Principal Investigator must fulfill certain conditions, including holding a doctoral degree in a discipline in which the Divisions of the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences support fundamental research, being in the pre-tenure period of a tenure-track or tenure-track equivalent faculty appointment, and not having previously served as Principal or co-Principal Investigator on an NSF research award.