1,000+ Opportunities
Find the right grant
Search federal, foundation, and corporate grants with AI — or browse by agency, topic, and state.
This listing may be outdated. Verify details at the official source before applying.
Find similar grantsNSF X-Labs (Specific topics: Scientific Instrumentation for Sensing and Imaging, Quantum Systems: Interconnects and Integrated Photonics) is sponsored by U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.
Get a weekly digest of new grants like this
A free weekly digest of new foundation and federal funding opportunities as they're added to Granted. Unsubscribe anytime.
Or search similar grants →Extracted from the funder's official program page to help you evaluate fit faster.
NSF X-Labs | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) The U.S. National Science Foundation X-Labs (NSF X-Labs) initiative is designed to launch and scale a new generation of organizations focused on independent research, development and innovation.
These organizations will address technical challenges and bottlenecks that university and industry labs cannot easily solve through traditional methods. The NSF X-Labs initiative is led by the NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP). Read the updated NSF X-Labs funding opportunity .
Read the updated NSF X-Labs Quantum Systems: Interconnects and Integrated Photonics Topic Announcement . Read the updated NSF X-Labs Scientific Instrumentation For Sensing and Imaging Topic Announcement . Apply for funding through the NSF X-Labs portal .
NSF announces $1. 5B NSF X-Labs initiative to pursue generational breakthrough science efforts NSF announces new initiative to launch and scale a new generation of transformative independent research organizations to advance breakthrough science NSF X-Labs events and resources To learn more, plan to join these upcoming webinars or watch the recordings and view the slides from past webinars: Thursday, May 28, 1–2 p. m.
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) Introduction to NSF X-Labs Funding Opportunity – Scientific Instrumentation for Sensing and Imaging Watch the May 28 recorded webinar . View the May 28 webinar slides. Thursday, June 4, 2–3 p.
m. EDT Introduction to NSF X-Labs Funding Opportunity - Quantum Systems: Interconnects and Integrated Photonics Watch the June 4 recorded webinar. View the June 4 webinar slides.
Tuesday June 23, 2:30–3:30 p. m. EDT Q&A for NSF X-Labs – Scientific Instrumentation for Sensing and Imaging Watch the June 23 recorded webinar.
Tuesday, June 30, 2–3 p. m. EDT Q&A for NSF X-Labs - Quantum Systems: Interconnects and Integrated Photonics Register for the June 30 Q&A session.
The NSF X-Labs initiative positions the agency to support the next generation of American scientific entrepreneurs more effectively. The initiative is grounded in the recognition that many of the technology acceleration and translation challenges of today require new approaches executed by coordinated, interdisciplinary teams.
This new initiative aligns with NSF and administration priorities to explore innovative models for funding and sharing high-value scientific research infrastructure and results. What makes NSF X-Labs unique?
The NSF X-Labs' program design is informed by thoughtful science policy scholarship and entrepreneurship from both emerging and established think tanks, metascience experts, congressionally chartered study commissions and the broader scientific community.
The NSF X-Labs initiative will support full-time teams of entrepreneurs, technologists, researchers, scientists and engineers who will enjoy operational autonomy as they pursue technical breakthroughs with the potential to reshape or create entire technology sectors.
NSF X-Labs teams will move beyond traditional research outputs (e.g., publications and datasets), with sufficient resources, financial runway and independence to transition critical technology from early concept or prototypes to commercially viable platforms ready for private investment to help scale and deploy them. NSF anticipates significant investment in 2026, featuring large, multiyear awards for selected teams.
Shaping the NSF X-Labs initiative To help shape the NSF X-Labs initiative, NSF TIP issued a request for information (RFI) and received numerous positive and constructive responses from the broader community, including academia, policymakers, nonprofits, philanthropy, state and local government, venture capital and the private sector.
To learn more, read the RFI and view recordings of an informational webinar and a Q&A session about the RFI.
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Independent teams of entrepreneurs, technologists, researchers, scientists, and engineers. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows anticipates significant investment in 2026, featuring large, multiyear awards. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
NSF X-Labs (Specific topics: Scientific Instrumentation for Sensing and Imaging, Quantum Systems: Interconnects and Integrated Photonics) is funded by U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
Materials Research Seed Grant Program (Proto-IRG Seed Grant Program) is sponsored by The Ohio State University (OSU) Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research (IMR). This program aims to seed innovative, collaborative directions and teams in materials research at The Ohio State University, positioning OSU as a world leader in emerging fields. These teams are expected to form the basis of Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) for future NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) competitions.
Advancing Research at the Intersection of Biology and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF) BIO. NSF BIO supports research combining biology and AI/ML to advance biological discovery or develop AI/ML methods inspired by biological systems, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration. This includes research related to biomedical devices (from imaging through medical devices) and systems.
Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) Multilateral Research Call is sponsored by Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI). This call supports multi-country research aligned with the African Union's Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034 (STISA-2034). One of the five thematic streams targets Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies, which can include aspects of ICT infrastructure. Proposals are expected to build on existing continental efforts.
The FY2027 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program closes November 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET with roughly $28 million, awards from $50,000 to $3 million, and no cost-share requirement. It is down about $6 million from FY2026, it funds equipment and nothing else, and it lands ten days before the NSF MRI deadline. Here is how to split an equipment wishlist across two overlapping windows.
Read articleOn October 8, 2026 NSF's Technology, Innovation and Partnerships directorate awarded $30 million over four years to National Math Stars — fully matched by private philanthropy. A K-12 talent-identification nonprofit held the prime slot, not a university. That combination is the template, and NextGen Workforce is next.
Read articleOn October 8, 2026 NSF named the founding partners of the X-Labs Consortium — Astera, Ginkgo Bioworks, the Sloan Foundation, the Secunda Family Foundation, Occam Foundry, and the Florida Quantum Center — representing over $300 million in commitments. For a program that funds teams with no institutional home, the facilities layer changes what a credible Phase 0 proposal looks like.
Read article