Translation and Diffusion | 25 528

Opportunity Information: Apply for 25 528

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Translation and Diffusion (TD) grant opportunity is focused on a problem that comes up repeatedly in STEM education: strong research findings and promising classroom practices often do not travel smoothly across settings, disciplines, or scales. This solicitation is meant to fund projects that improve how knowledge moves along the research-practice continuum in PreK-12 STEM education, whether that means translating foundational learning sciences into real classroom use, or taking insights from effective practice and using them to sharpen or reshape fundamental research. A central theme is that this movement should be genuinely two-way, where practice informs theory and theory informs practice, rather than treating classrooms as a final destination for research products.

The opportunity has two main goals. First, it aims to build the science of translation and diffusion itself by encouraging rigorous study of the theories, frameworks, and models that explain how ideas, tools, and evidence spread and become usable across boundaries. NSF is explicitly interested in knowledge transfer that crosses fields and levels of analysis, such as moving from biological factors to cognitive and socioemotional processes to observable behaviors, or from individuals to classrooms to schools, districts, and broader demographic contexts. It also highlights shifts from controlled lab settings to the complexity of authentic school environments. Second, the program seeks to push specific STEM education practices, research results, or scientific discoveries further along the continuum between research and practice, with the expectation that the work will help something concrete advance rather than staying at the level of general discussion.

NSF invites four types of proposals under this solicitation. Research on Translation or Diffusion proposals support scholarship that directly advances understanding of translation or diffusion mechanisms in PreK-12 STEM education. These projects may involve developing new models or refining existing ones, including adapting theories and frameworks from other domains, and then testing or studying them through research. They can also examine the reverse pathway, where effective classroom practices are treated as a source of evidence that can enrich foundational constructs and theories in STEM education research. Proof-of-Concept Research proposals support early-stage work that tests whether a specific research-based insight, approach, or product is feasible and viable for advancing practice in formal PreK-12 settings. These projects are not necessarily full implementation efforts; instead, they are meant to lay the groundwork for later, more systematic work by establishing methodological, theoretical, empirical, design, or social foundations. NSF also notes interest in projects that adapt insights across meaningfully different contexts, populations, subject domains, or levels of analysis, especially when such adaptation requires new theory-building and careful empirical work. Synthesis proposals fund efforts that critically integrate what is already known about a translation-and-diffusion topic relevant to PreK-12 STEM education. These proposals are expected to cover multiple disciplinary communities and literatures, identify gaps or weak spots in the knowledge base, and, when appropriate, map out high-value next steps for research and development. Finally, Conference/Workshop proposals are welcomed when they are clearly aligned with the program focus, typically serving as a way to convene communities, align terminology and frameworks, or accelerate agenda-setting in areas where knowledge is fragmented.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations. U.S. institutions of higher education (including community colleges and four-year universities) may apply on behalf of faculty, as can state and local governments, tribal nations that are federally recognized, U.S.-based for-profit organizations (including small businesses) with strong STEM research or education capabilities, and non-profit non-academic organizations such as museums, observatories, research labs, and professional societies. Other federal agencies and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) may be eligible but must follow NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) restrictions and guidance. Foreign organizations may also submit proposals, but in cooperative projects involving U.S. and foreign partners, NSF support is limited to the U.S. portion. If a proposal includes funding for an international branch campus of a U.S. institution, the submission must clearly explain why work at the international site benefits the project and why the activities cannot be performed at the U.S. campus.

Key administrative details included in the listing are that this is a discretionary grant opportunity from NSF under CFDA 47.076, titled Translation and Diffusion, with Funding Opportunity Number 25 528. The original closing date is 2025-04-01, and the posting indicates the creation date as 2024-12-22. The public summary does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards, so applicants would need to consult the full solicitation for typical budget ranges, project durations, and any tracks or limits tied to the proposal type.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Translation and Diffusion" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.076.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-12-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-04-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 25 528

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