Multilateral Partnerships Leveraging Excellence

Multilateral Partnerships Leveraging Excellence (MultiPLEx) is a grant from the National Science Foundation that funds international multilateral research partnerships addressing urgent global challenges by leveraging diverse expertise from countries outside the United States. The program focuses on advancing research and building understanding of effective multilateral scientific collaboration.

Eligible applicants are U.S. researchers and institutions proposing partnerships with multiple international partners. Proposals must demonstrate how the collaborative nature of the research adds value beyond what could be achieved by any single nation.

Multilateral Partnerships Leveraging Excellence (MultiPLEx) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation Multilateral Partnerships Leveraging Excellence (MultiPLEx) NSF's implementation of the revised 2 CFR NSF Financial Assistance awards (grants and cooperative agreements) made on or after October 1, 2024, will be subject to the applicable set of award conditions, dated October 1, 2024, available on the NSF website .

These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.

Important information for proposers All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements.

Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Updates to NSF Research Security Policies On July 10, 2025, NSF issued an Important Notice providing updates to the agency's research security policies, including a research security training requirement, Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program annual certification requirement, prohibition on Confucius institutes and an updated FFDR reporting and submission timeline.

Supports international multilateral research partnerships that address urgent global challenges by leveraging diverse expertise from countries outside the U.S., focusing on advancing research and understanding of effective multilateral collaboration.

Supports international multilateral research partnerships that address urgent global challenges by leveraging diverse expertise from countries outside the U.S., focusing on advancing research and understanding of effective multilateral collaboration. Many of the most pressing challenges in research and innovation require collaboration across national and disciplinary boundaries to achieve important advances.

A growing number of topics are best addressed on a multilateral basis, building partnerships that leverage diverse expertise, data, infrastructure, and perspectives to advance understanding on critical topics of regional or global importance. At the same time, funders, research organizations, and researchers alike typically have limited experience with multilateral partnerships.

The Office of International Science and Engineering’s MultiPLEx program seeks to support visionary, and ambitious international multilateral research partnerships that are required to hasten progress in addressing grand challenges by leveraging research excellence in the U.S. and around the globe. The program also seeks to advance understanding of effective multilateral collaboration.

MultiPLEx welcomes proposals that Address urgent research and/or societal challenge of global importance (including but not limited to critical and emerging technology research) and require an inherently international multilateral approach to achieve impactful research results, partnering with at least two countries other than the U.S. Proposals that engage partners across distinct geographic regions are an area of interest.

Make clear how the proposed international collaboration will enable research advances and broader impacts that go beyond what can be accomplished by a narrower team. Include a diverse group of U.S. institutions and/or individuals, leveraging the full range of talent that society has to offer MultiPLEx funds support the U.S. research team.

Research partners should seek funding from their own national funding agencies or from other sources. A typical MultiPLEx award will be up to three years in duration. The MultiPLEX program is not intended to replace existing OISE or directorate programs.

Proposals submitted to MultiPLEX must fall outside the scope of existing OISE or directorate programs. Any proposal submitted to MultiPLEx that is not responsive to this Program Description may be transferred to another OISE program or returned without review. OISE may periodically issue a Dear Colleague Letter inviting MultiPLEx proposals in specific priority areas.

PIs interested in submitting proposals that do not respond to a DCL are strongly encouraged to consult a MultiPLEx program director prior to submission to confirm appropriateness. Unless specified in a DCL, MultiPLEx proposals may be submitted any time. Awards made through this program Browse projects funded by this program Map of recent awards made through this program Office of International Science and Engineering (OD/OISE)