Decision, Risk and Management Sciences

The Decision, Risk and Management Sciences (DRMS) program, administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF), supports rigorous scientific research aimed at enhancing the understanding and effectiveness of decision making among individuals, groups, organizations, and society as a whole. Situated within the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) directorate and specifically under the Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SES), DRMS funds research grounded in the social and behavioral sciences that seeks to expand theoretical knowledge and address vital societal and scientific questions. The DRMS program funds a wide range of research activities, including standard disciplinary and interdisciplinary research projects, conferences, and Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIGs). Core areas of focus include judgment and decision making, decision analysis and aids, risk perception and communication, public policy decision processes, and management science, including organizational design. Projects must be theory-driven and generalizable. Submissions that are purely algorithmic and better suited to operations research are directed to the Operations Engineering (OE) program instead. In addition to standard funding opportunities, DRMS supports two specialized funding mechanisms for atypical circumstances. The RAPID mechanism is available for urgent research tied to ephemeral data, such as studies following natural disasters or unexpected events. The EAGER mechanism, on the other hand, is occasionally used for high-risk, high-reward, proof-of-concept projects with the potential for transformative outcomes. For both of these mechanisms, applicants must consult Chapter II.E of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). DRMS operates on a recurring submission cycle with two target dates annually: January 19 and August 18. These dates are recurring, with proposals accepted annually on or around these dates. All proposals must comply with the submission requirements outlined in the most current version of the NSF PAPPG applicable to the target date. Submission is facilitated through either Research.gov or Grants.gov, with each platform requiring adherence to specific proposal preparation guidelines. Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIGs) are a notable offering within DRMS, aiming to enhance the quality of dissertation research conducted by doctoral students in DRMS-supported areas. Detailed instructions for DDRIG proposals are found in a separate DRMS-DDRIG solicitation. The program is led by two Program Directors: Dr. Robert E. O’Connor and Dr. Claudia Gonzalez-Vallejo, both reachable via email or phone at the NSF. Deadlines for proposal submissions fall on January 19 and August 18 each year, and applicants are expected to prepare in accordance with the current PAPPG. Although office hours for DRMS are currently suspended, other resources such as recorded webinars and links to relevant professional societies are provided to aid applicants in understanding the focus and scope of the program.