Linguistics Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences and Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, administers the Linguistics Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (Ling-DDRI). This funding opportunity is designed to support doctoral-level research in linguistics, enabling students to enhance the quality and scope of their dissertation projects. The Ling-DDRI program specifically targets scientific inquiry into the fundamental aspects of human language, with a focus on grammatical properties, language structure, and interdisciplinary issues that inform linguistic theory. The Linguistics Program supports investigations in several key areas of linguistic science, including syntax, semantics, pragmatics, morphology, phonetics, and phonology. The program is especially receptive to proposals that incorporate interdisciplinary perspectives—such as connections to cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, computational modeling, or social sciences. Projects that explore language production, perception, comprehension, acquisition, and variation, as well as the relationship between linguistic phenomena and human neurobiology, are encouraged. However, clinical research and pedagogical tool development are explicitly outside the program's scope. Funding through Ling-DDRI is intended to cover direct research expenses not typically supported by the student’s university. Eligible expenses include travel to research sites, equipment and materials, participant compensation, and data collection costs. The maximum direct cost allowed per award is $12,000, with indirect costs determined by the institution’s negotiated rate. Awards may last up to 24 months. The program anticipates issuing between 25 and 35 awards annually, subject to available funding, with an estimated annual allocation between $300,000 and $400,000. Eligible applicants must be doctoral students enrolled in U.S.-accredited institutions of higher education. The proposal must be submitted by the student’s institution on their behalf. The principal investigator (PI) must be the student’s advisor or another faculty member, and the student must be listed as a co-principal investigator (co-PI). There are no restrictions on how many times a faculty member can serve as PI, but doctoral students are limited to two DDRI submissions during their graduate career. Applications may be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov, but not through FastLane. Proposals are reviewed using NSF’s standard merit review process, which includes evaluation of intellectual merit and broader impacts. Project summaries and descriptions must clearly state research objectives, theoretical framework, methodological details, and plans for dissemination and broader societal benefits. Supplementary documentation must include a two-page data management plan and a signed statement from the PI affirming the student’s readiness to conduct the proposed research. Letters of recommendation and academic transcripts are not permitted. Applications are accepted biannually, with submission target dates of January 15 and July 15 each year. The program operates on a recurring basis, with the next anticipated submission deadline being January 15, 2026. Program contacts include Rachel M. Theodore (rtheodor@nsf.gov, 703-292-4770), Wilson De lima Silva (widelima@nsf.gov, 703-292-7096), Jorge Valdes Kroff (jvaldesk@nsf.gov, 703-292-7920), and Kenyatta Johnson (kenjohns@nsf.gov, 703-292-4850). Additional technical support is available through the Research.gov Help Desk or Grants.gov Contact Center.

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