Perception, Action Cognition

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences and the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, offers the Perception, Action & Cognition (PAC) program to support theoretically motivated, empirically grounded, and methodologically sophisticated research on human perceptual, motor, and cognitive processes and their interactions. NSF is a federal agency that funds scientific research across multiple disciplines, with a mission to advance knowledge and promote the progress of science for societal benefit. PAC accepts diverse perspectives and methodologies, including computational modeling, so long as the research contributes to explanatory theories of human perception, action, or cognition. Projects that examine human behavior in realistic or real-world contexts and that include varied subject populations are strongly encouraged, with the expectation that findings will have a clear societal benefit. PAC is open to co-review with other programs within and outside the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate. Proposals are not eligible if their primary goal is to study structure-function mappings between PAC processes and neural activity, clinical populations without clear relevance to general human PAC understanding, or non-human animals without direct applicability to human processes. Investigators are advised to submit a one-page project summary, outlining intellectual merit and broader impacts, to sbe-pac@nsf.gov before applying to confirm program fit. Data sharing and dissemination of research materials is an expectation for funded projects. The PAC program funds research awards, CAREER awards, and conference or community development activities. Most research awards range between $350,000 and $600,000, CAREER awards range from $500,000 to $715,000, and conference or similar activities range between $20,000 and $50,000. Larger awards may be possible in special cases through co-funding or EPSCoR support. The anticipated annual funding pool is approximately $5,000,000 to $7,300,000 for new and continuing awards combined, with an estimated 25 to 35 awards annually. Of these, 20 to 30 are expected to be research awards, 0 to 5 CAREER awards, and 1 to 3 conference or related activity awards. Proposals must follow the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) for the relevant due date and may be submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov. PAC accepts proposals during two annual windows: January 15 to February 2, and July 15 to August 3, with these periods recurring annually. The January–February and July–August windows are for research proposals only. Conference proposal applicants should contact PAC program officers with a one-page topic description, anticipated speakers, and budget request prior to submission. The program contact is SBE PAC, reachable at sbe-pac@nsf.gov or by phone at (703) 292-8740. All proposals must be submitted by 5:00 PM local time of the submitting organization. Applicants whose proposals are declined must substantially revise their submissions before reapplying, as proposals without significant revisions will be returned without review. This funding opportunity is recurring annually, with application windows and deadlines remaining consistent from year to year. Prospective applicants are encouraged to prepare well in advance, considering NSF’s research security policies, data sharing expectations, and proposal preparation guidelines to improve their likelihood of success in the competitive review process.