Linguistics Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants

The Linguistics Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (Ling-DDRI), administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF), supports basic scientific research in the domain of human language. Operating under the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences and specifically within the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, the program is designed to improve the quality and scope of doctoral dissertation projects in linguistics and related disciplines at accredited U.S. institutions. It funds dissertation research that contributes to the foundational understanding of language by supporting fieldwork, experimental approaches, and theoretical investigations. Projects may explore a variety of subfields including syntax, semantics, pragmatics, morphology, phonetics, and phonology, as well as interdisciplinary studies that intersect with psychology, computational modeling, speech sciences, neurobiology, child language development, and sociolinguistic variation. The purpose of the Ling-DDRI grant is to enhance dissertation projects that address significant scientific questions in linguistics, and to aid students in conducting advanced research beyond what their institutions may otherwise support. These awards do not provide full funding for a doctoral dissertation, but rather supplement the student’s research needs with a maximum of $12,000 in direct costs. Acceptable uses of funds include travel to research sites, participation in data collection activities, research-related equipment purchases, compensation for human subjects, and one domestic conference trip for preliminary findings dissemination. Salaries or stipends for the student or advisor, tuition, and unrelated publication costs are not allowable. Eligibility for these awards is limited to institutions of higher education in the United States, including two- and four-year colleges. Proposals must be submitted jointly by a principal investigator—typically the student’s advisor or a faculty member—and the doctoral student, who must be listed as a co-principal investigator. Each doctoral student is limited to two DDRI proposal submissions during their graduate career. There are no limitations on the number of proposals a faculty advisor can submit as PI. International fieldwork may be proposed but must be justified as necessary to the project. The application process requires submission through either Research.gov or Grants.gov, and all proposals must follow the guidelines provided in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). The proposal must include a 10-page project description, a one-page summary with sections on intellectual merit and broader impacts, biographical sketches for both the PI and co-PI, and a two-page data management plan. Supplementary documents may include letters of collaboration or institutional sponsorship, but must not include letters of recommendation or survey instruments. A signed PI statement is required to affirm the student’s readiness to conduct the proposed research. Proposals are reviewed through NSF’s standard merit review process, which evaluates both intellectual merit and broader societal impacts. Reviewers assess the project’s potential to advance scientific knowledge and its capacity to achieve beneficial outcomes beyond academia. Projects are judged on the basis of their creativity, methodological rigor, integration of research and education, and inclusion of underrepresented groups. Proposals must be clearly written and scientifically grounded, with a strong theoretical framework and well-defined research questions. This solicitation operates on a recurring schedule, with target deadlines of January 15 and July 15 each year. The maximum award duration is 24 months. Applications for the current cycle are due by January 15, 2026. Notification and award processing follow standard NSF procedures and timelines. The total expected program funding per fiscal year is estimated between $300,000 and $400,000, supporting approximately 25 to 35 awards annually. For questions or further details, applicants may contact one of the listed program directors or the NSF help desk.