Astronomical Sciences Core Research (Astro-Core) — National Science Foundation funding opportunity
National Science Foundation · Federal agency

Astronomical Sciences Core Research (Astro-Core)

The MPS Astronomical Sciences Core Research program (Astro-Core) supports foundational research in the astronomical sciences. The program provides individual investigator and collaborative research grants for intelligenc...

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Deadline Fixed Location Alabama Type grant Level Federal Open posted Sep 21, 2026
✦ AI Summary
  • Who can apply: Federal-level applicants (see eligibility for details).
  • Issued by: National Science Foundation.
  • About: The MPS Astronomical Sciences Core Research program (Astro-Core) supports foundational research in the astronomical sciences. The program provides individual investigator and collaborative research grants for intelligence/machine learning…
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How was this generated?

The “key facts” mode pulls structured fields directly from the official source posting (amount, deadline, eligibility tags). The AI mode adds a short plain-English narrative on top, generated from the same source. Always verify with the agency before applying.

AI-generated. Always verify with the official source.

Who can apply — at a glance

  • Eligible applicants: see the Eligibility tab for the criteria from the official announcement.
  • Where: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia.
  • Award: amount not specified by the source.
  • Matching funds: not required.
  • Deadline type: Fixed.

Compiled from the official listing's structured fields — always verify with the funder before applying.

About the funder

National Science Foundation is a federal-level funder.

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Deadline
Fixed

About this opportunity

The MPS Astronomical Sciences Core Research program (Astro-Core) supports foundational research in the astronomical sciences. The program provides individual investigator and collaborative research grants for intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), laboratory, and archival data studies in astronomy and astrophysics. The program also considers proposals for projects and tools that enable or enhance astronomical research. Proposals may span multiple disciplines and/or areas of study and may utilize multiple techniques. This program was formerly known as Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants (AAG). Important Considerations: The Astro-Core program is anticipated to be especially competitive in Fiscal Year 2027. For this reason, please note the following:Multiple submissions by the same lead principal investigator (PI), whether as part of a collaborative project or not, are strongly discouraged. PIs who already have an active MPS Astronomical Sciences award that is not set to expire in the upcoming fiscal year should contact their cognizant Program Officer before considering submitting a proposal for another concurrent award. As stated in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (Chapter IV.E), previously declined proposals may be resubmitted only after substantial revisions to take into account major comments or concerns from the prior review. Resubmissions that have not been sufficiently revised may be returned without review. NSF recognizes that some research projects within this program may require more than three years to realize transformative research outcomes. Such proposals should include strong justification for the longer duration and the associated resources needed to undertake the project. Collaborative proposals that leverage the unique contributions of different groups are welcome but must be well justified. Collaborations that establish partnerships between the broad range of eligible institutions and build or strengthen research capacity are especially encouraged. Program Design: Proposals submitted to the Astro-Core program will be evaluated by experts in the appropriate disciplinary areas. Proposers should ensure that both their Project Summary and Project Description clearly place their work within the appropriate field of study. Review panels are organized within four broad research areas: Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology (EXC), Galactic Astronomy (GAL), Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics (SAA) and Planetary, Exoplanetary and Solar Astronomy (PLA). Proposals that span multiple of these areas are accepted. In all cases, proposals must demonstrate the astronomical context of the work. Proposals that do not adequately demonstrate the astronomical context may be returned without review. NSF strives to allocate federal funding to maximize scientific discovery in coordination with other funding agencies. Proposals that predominantly exploit NASA data or resources should be submitted to NASA. Proposals submitted to NSF with an extensive work effort to model or analyze data from NASA missions or archives must include a labeled section in the project description explaining why NASA data are required to advance the scientific goals of an NSF proposal. Please contact a cognizant NSF program officer if you have any questions about the suitability of your proposal for the Astro-Core program.  The community is encouraged to submit proposals that lay the foundation for capitalizing on NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, including but not limited to use of Data Preview and Data Release 1 catalogs. Such proposals may include science-focused research and/or activities that generate high-level data products that will maximize the community’s access to, and enhance the scientific impact of, the Rubin Legacy Survey of Space and Time.The Astro-Core program accepts proposals in solar astronomy, especially those leveraging data from NSF’s ground-based solar observatories.

Funding agency

National Science Foundation
Federal agency

Tags

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Who can apply

The MPS Astronomical Sciences Core Research program (Astro-Core) supports foundational research in the astronomical sciences. The program provides individual investigator and collaborative research grants for intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), laboratory, and archival data studies in astronomy and astrophysics. The program also considers proposals for projects and tools that enable or enhance astronomical research. Proposals may span multiple disciplines and/or areas of study and may utilize multiple techniques. This program was formerly known as Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants (AAG). Important Considerations: The Astro-Core program is anticipated to be especially competitive in Fiscal Year 2027. For this reason, please note the following:Multiple submissions by the same lead principal investigator (PI), whether as part of a collaborative project or not, are strongly discouraged. PIs who already have an active MPS Astronomical Sciences award that is not set to expire in the upcoming fiscal year should contact their cognizant Program Officer before considering submitting a proposal for another concurrent award. As stated in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (Chapter IV.E), previously declined proposals may be resubmitted only after substantial revisions to take into account major comments or concerns from the prior review. Resubmissions that have not been sufficiently rev

Geographic eligibility

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming
  • District of Columbia

How to apply

We don't have application instructions on file yet — head straight to the official source.

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Source documents

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Canonical NOFO, application packet, and forms
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Citation details

Source systemnsf
Source IDastro-core-astronomical-sciences-core-research
PostedSep 21, 2026

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