Accelerating Research Translation (ART)

Overview

Per Sponsor: Due to a lapse in appropriations, NSF is closed. NSF will continue to accept proposals in accordance with published guidelines. Please continue to watch this site for changes to NSF's operating status, reopening guidance for employees, and if necessary, general instructions for recipients.

Per ASU LS Team: ASU Limited Submissions will run this opportunity with a rapid review system to better accommodate the sponsor's immediate timeline. Notice: The limitations for this program are very project specific. Due to the nature of the Tracks, we will accept applications for Tracks 1-5 and determine eligibility after the internal deadline has passed.  

The U.S. innovation economy is primarily driven by research outcomes that are successfully translated into practice across various economic, technology, and public policy sectors. Over the last several decades, a large proportion of such transformational research outcomes has emerged from federally funded research at U.S. Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs). Despite this, at many IHEs, there is still significant room to create, support and build capacity to enable and grow a vibrant research translation ecosystem. Advancing U.S. scientific and economic leadership requires an increase in the number and capacity of robust research translation ecosystems in IHEs in our nation. The ART program seeks to achieve this goal by building, growing, and sustaining the institutional capacity needed to increase the scale and pace of translation of innovative ideas and knowledge, especially stemming from federal investments, into tangible products, services, tools, and methods that will ultimately create lasting economic impacts. Specifically, the primary goals of this program are to create, build, and sustain the capacity and infrastructure for research translation at IHEs located in all different geographies across the United States and to enhance their role in regional innovation ecosystems. In addition, this program seeks to effectively train undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty in research translation, entrepreneurship, technology transfer-related areas, and community-engaged scholarship, benefiting individuals by providing the skills, networks and resources to engage with opportunities across a much wider range of career options. 

Track 1: Accelerating Technology Transfer (ACT): This Track seeks to increase the capacity of only IHEs with low to medium RTRL. IHEs that are a good fit for this Track are those that have a low to moderate level of research activity and are in a position to identify high-promise discoveries/innovations, solicit disclosures of such discoveries/innovations, evaluate those discoveries/innovations and their product or service markets for protectability and product-market-fit potential, and protect  IP thereby incentivizing and initiating a pipeline for subsequent translation activity to de-risk technologies, conduct proof-of-concept work, and advance technologies through partnership or new venture creation. …read more>

Track 2: Growing Capacity for Research Translation (GROW): This Track is aimed at IHEs that have a relatively high level of research with a modest research translation infrastructure in place but relatively low research translation readiness level (RTRL) and the potential to elevate it substantially. This Track is aimed at IHEs that: (a) recognize and are ready to unleash the existing innovation potential to create sustained economic and collective impacts, and (b) build, strengthen and sustain the overall institutional capacity to accelerate the pace and level of research translation.  This Track is not intended to support IHEs that already have high RTRL. …read more>

Track 3: Technology Transfer Resource Centers (RESOURCE): The goal for this Track is for an IHE or a non-profit (referred as lead organization hereafter) with considerable expertise in technology transfer and entrepreneurship to launch a regional Technology Transfer Resource Center (RESOURCE). The proposal to this Track should be led by a single IHE that has a high RTRL or a non-profit organization with relevant technology translational experience. As the financial, regulatory, and administrative requirements of generating, protecting, and capitalizing on intellectual property become more robust and complex, many institutions with limited resources need this capacity to become effective in supporting faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and students who would benefit from being (or are) engaged in entrepreneurship and technology transfer-related activities. The lead organization should propose the establishment of a RESOURCE that will provide technology transfer-related services to multiple other low-RTRL IHEs in the RESOURCE region who would be the members and primary beneficiaries/users of the RESOURCE. The RESOURCE would provide them with access to resources, knowledge, processes, tools, templates, and established programs that may be leveraged to serve, support, and create efficiencies by creating easy access. The lead organization may recruit, as consultants or experts, experienced regional technology transfer program managers that currently provide centralized technology transfer services to multiple IHEs in their region. …read more>

Track 4: Education and Training (ET): The goal for this Track is the development of resources for formal or informal education and training related to the broad areas related to research translation, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, startup formation, commercialization, industry collaboration, product development, as well as engaged scholarship, all aimed ultimately at creating sustained economic impacts. This Track invites proposals from IHEs or non-profits (referred as lead organization hereafter) with any combination of either a strong, vibrant and established research translation ecosystem, and/or demonstrated experience to develop, evaluate, and deploy educational and training resources related to entrepreneurship, product development, technology transfer, industry partnership, and related activities. The primary beneficiaries for the education and training resources to be developed will be IHEs that have a low RTRL, focused on researchers, entrepreneurs, as well as licensing professionals in industry. It is expected that these resources developed from projects supported under this Track will be useful and catalytic for the ART awardee institutions currently in the cohort and those that will become part of future cohorts. …read more>

Track 5: Coordination for Accelerating Research Translation (CART): The goal for this Track is to support creation of a central hub that will nationally facilitate and coordinate: (a) the development of education and training resources covered in Track 4, (b) development of a  community of practice focused on research translation; (c) the creation of an integrated platform for coordinating, evaluating, and monitoring the progress being made by teams that are supported under Tracks 1, 2, and 3; and (d) the creation of an ART Ambassadors Network for the Track 2 program participants.  The lead organization for this Track should be an IHE or a non-profit with a demonstrated record for entrepreneurship and technology transfer related activities and the ability to coordinate and facilitate complex, interdisciplinary projects and activities at multiple organizations including IHEs, non-profits, foundations, and private sectors. The lead organization can work/partner with other IHE or non-profits as it sees appropriate. …read more>

• An eligible IHE can submit a maximum of one proposal for Track 1 or 2 (but not both).
• For Tracks 3, 4, and 5, an eligible organization can submit a maximum of one proposal per Track. 
• Applicants eligible for Tracks 1 and 2 cannot submit proposals for Tracks 3, 4 and 5 and vice versa.

Please note additional eligibility requirements stated for submission of proposals to different Tracks noted in this solicitation.

Per ASU LS Team: After the posted internal deadline, this opportunity will be first come, first served.

Internal Deadline: December 3, 2025 (for Tracks 1-5)
Sponsor Deadline: January 15, 2026 (for Tracks 2 and 5); March 12, 2026 (for Tracks 1, 3, and 4)

Estimated Number of Awards: 40
NSF anticipates making up to: 20 Track 1 awards, 10 Track 2 awards, 5 Track 3 awards, 4 Track 4 awards, and 2 Track 5 awards, depending on the quality of submissions and the availability of funds.
Anticipated Funding Amount: $178,000,000

Award amounts:
Track 1: Accelerating Technology Transfer (ACT) -- A Track 1 award is expected to be up to a total of $3 million for a duration of 3 years. ACT awardees demonstrating strong performance, as demonstrated by successfully meeting evaluation criteria during the award may have an opportunity to receive renewal support for up to 2 more years and total funding up to $1 million, subject to the availability of funds.
Track 2: Growing Capacity for Research Translation (GROW) -- A Track 2 award may be budgeted for up to a total of $6 million for a duration of 4 years.
Track 3: Technology Transfer Resource Centers (RESOURCE) --  A Track 3 award is expected to be up to a total of $8 million for a duration of 4 years. Some awardees demonstrating strong performance, as demonstrated by successfully meeting evaluation criteria during the award, including progress toward self-sustainability, may have an opportunity to receive renewal support for up to 4 more years and additional funding of up to $2 million, subject to the availability of funds. 
Track 4: Education and Training (ET) -- Track 4 awards may be budgeted up to a total of $3 million for a duration of 3 years. Some awardees demonstrating strong performance, as demonstrated by successfully meeting evaluation criteria during the award, including progress toward self-sustainability, may have an opportunity to receive renewal support for up to 2 more years and additional funding up to $2 million (subject to the availability of funds), to scale up the deployment and adoption of the developed resources and training materials nationally.
Track 5: Coordinating Accelerating Research Translation (CART) -- The Track 5 CART cooperative agreement award may be budgeted up to a total of $3 million for a duration of 5 years. Some awardees demonstrating strong performance, as demonstrated by successfully meeting evaluation criteria during the award, including progress toward self-sustainability, may have an opportunity to receive renewal for up to 5 more years and additional funding up to $3 million, subject to the availability of funds.