Cognitive Neuroscience

The Cognitive Neuroscience (CogNeuro) program, administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF), supports research that seeks to advance our understanding of the neural mechanisms underpinning human cognition. It is situated within the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (SBE/BCS) under the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences. The program aims to promote theoretical and empirical advancements in the study of human cognition, funding projects that explore areas such as attention, memory, decision making, language, learning, emotion, and social cognition. It encourages proposals that integrate rich and precise physiological data with behavioral analyses to test theories, rather than studies that simply measure physiology or behavior in isolation. Eligible research must link physiological measures directly to theoretical constructs of human cognition. The program accepts a wide array of methodologies, including neuroimaging (fMRI, EEG, MEG), non-invasive stimulation (e.g., TMS, tDCS), lesion studies, intracranial recordings, optogenetics, genetic methods, optical imaging, computational modeling, and pharmacological interventions. These methods may involve both human and non-human primate models, but must always serve the broader purpose of understanding human cognition. Proposals lacking a specific connection between behavior and physiology, or those that focus solely on clinical populations or non-human animals without relevance to human cognition, will be returned without review. Beyond scientific merit, successful proposals are expected to have strong broader impacts. These might include community outreach, STEM education—especially in underserved populations—involving students in research activities, developing tools for public use, or engaging in science communication. Applicants are encouraged to budget for these activities if appropriate. Additionally, mentoring plans should be tailored and proactive, extending beyond standard lab duties and leveraging the unique research context to support the development of junior researchers. Applicants are advised to consult with a program officer by submitting a one-page summary of their proposed research, including statements of intellectual merit and broader impacts. This pre-submission step allows investigators to receive feedback about whether their work aligns with the goals of the CogNeuro program. Proposals must be submitted in accordance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), which overrides any contradictory directions elsewhere. The program's average award size ranges between $175,000 and $225,000 annually over a period of 3 to 5 years. Proposals requesting more than $1 million are rare and generally need to be multidisciplinary in nature. Proposals declined for funding are not eligible for resubmission for at least one year from the date of the original deadline unless explicitly stated otherwise in the program officer's feedback. Substantially unchanged resubmissions will be returned without review. Two proposal cycles are available annually, with target deadlines on February 1 and August 15. These dates repeat annually. For the upcoming cycle, the next due dates are August 17, 2026, and February 1, 2027. Applicants should note that data sharing is a program expectation, and they are strongly encouraged to submit a “List of Suggested Reviewers” along with their proposal. For more information, potential applicants may contact the program via [email protected] or reach out directly to the program directors: Elizabeth F. Chua ([email protected]), Dwight Kravitz ([email protected]), or Joseph C. Toscano ([email protected]). Business operations support is available through Kenyatta Johnson ([email protected]).