Cognitive Neuroscience

The Cognitive Neuroscience (CogNeuro) program is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering in the United States. Within NSF, this program operates under the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, specifically the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences. The program is designed to advance foundational knowledge of how the brain enables human cognition and behavior, aligning with NSF’s broader mission to promote the progress of science and benefit society. The primary purpose of the CogNeuro program is to fund research that increases understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive processes such as perception, attention, learning, memory, decision making, language, and social cognition. Successful proposals are expected to articulate strong theoretical frameworks and include experimental or analytical approaches that test predictions derived from those theories. The program emphasizes integration between physiological measures and behavioral outcomes, requiring that studies meaningfully connect neural data with observable cognition or behavior. Research that fails to establish this connection, focuses exclusively on clinical populations, or lacks relevance to human cognition may be returned without review. Funding under this program supports a wide range of research methodologies reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of cognitive neuroscience. Eligible approaches include neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, and magnetoencephalography, as well as non-invasive brain stimulation methods, lesion studies, intracranial recordings, computational modeling, genetic approaches, and pharmacological interventions. Projects may involve human participants, non-human primates, or other animal models, provided there is a clear and direct benefit to understanding human cognition. The program encourages convergence across multiple methods to strengthen scientific insight. In addition to intellectual merit, proposals must demonstrate broader impacts. These impacts extend beyond academic publication and may include outreach to underserved communities, involvement of students in research, development of tools or applications for public use, or contributions to science communication and advocacy. Investigators are encouraged to design activities that increase the visibility and accessibility of cognitive neuroscience and to allocate budget resources accordingly when appropriate. Strong mentoring plans are also required, particularly those that support the development of early-career researchers and trainees through structured and intentional activities. The application process requires submission of full proposals through Research.gov or Grants.gov in accordance with the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide. Investigators are strongly encouraged to contact a program director prior to submission with a one-page summary outlining intellectual merit and broader impacts to assess program fit. Required proposal components include detailed research plans, broader impacts statements, mentoring plans where applicable, and supporting documentation such as suggested reviewers. Proposals are evaluated using NSF’s merit review criteria, focusing on intellectual merit and broader impacts. Funding amounts typically range from approximately 175000 to 225000 dollars per year over a period of three to five years, with total awards generally falling below 1000000 dollars. Larger awards are rare and usually involve multidisciplinary collaboration. There is no stated cost-sharing requirement. Award decisions follow NSF’s standard review and funding processes, and declined proposals cannot be resubmitted for at least one year unless otherwise permitted. Data sharing is expected, and investigators must comply with NSF research security and policy requirements. At the time of publication, no specific application deadlines are listed, and the program is awaiting a new solicitation release. As a result, the opportunity is not currently accepting applications but is expected to recur. Interested applicants should monitor NSF announcements and maintain communication with program officers. Key contacts include program directors Elizabeth F. Chua, Dwight Kravitz, and Joseph C. Toscano, who can provide guidance on proposal suitability and program expectations.