Research Coordination Networks (RCN) | 17 594

Opportunity Information: Apply for 17 594

The National Science Foundation's Research Coordination Networks (RCN) program is designed to help research and education communities move faster and in smarter directions by funding the coordination work that makes strong, field-shaping collaboration possible. Instead of paying for new experiments or primary research, RCN supports the connective tissue of science: structured communication, shared planning, joint training activities, synthesis efforts, and community-building that allow investigators to align what they are already doing (or are planning to do) and turn those parallel efforts into something more coherent, impactful, and forward-looking. The overall purpose is either to advance an established area by improving coordination and integration, or to open up new directions by bringing together people, methods, and perspectives that do not typically interact.

A central emphasis of the program is networking across boundaries. NSF explicitly encourages proposals that connect investigators across disciplines, institutions, geographic regions, and international borders, with the idea that major advances often come from bridging communities that use different tools, data types, or conceptual frameworks. The solicitation highlights particular interest in fresh approaches to networking and collaboration, including creative use of collaborative technologies, intentional training components (especially those that help develop a shared skill base in a community), activities that broaden participation, and efforts to develop community standards for data and metadata. In practice, that means an RCN might focus on setting shared protocols for data collection and documentation, building interoperable data practices, organizing working groups and workshops, creating shared training materials, or developing roadmaps and research agendas that help a field converge on high-value questions and methods.

RCN awards are meant to catalyze new connections rather than subsidize networks that are already established and functioning. NSF is clear that proposals should not simply support the routine operations of existing networks or ongoing collaborations that are already well formed. The program also draws a bright line around not funding primary research; the value proposition is coordination and synthesis, not generating the underlying datasets through new research projects. Successful RCN concepts typically have a clear rationale for why the network needs dedicated support now, what barriers to coordination exist, and how the proposed activities will lead to measurable community-level outcomes such as new collaborations, shared infrastructure or standards, improved training pathways, or broader integration across subfields.

To keep the network coherent, NSF expects proposals to be organized around a unifying theme. That theme can be a broad research question, a particular methodology or technology, a shared data challenge, or an emerging interdisciplinary area that needs a coordination push to mature. The theme functions like a backbone for the network, ensuring that meetings, working groups, and products are not just a series of disconnected events but instead build toward common goals and deliverables that advance science or education at the community level.

The program is supported across multiple NSF directorates and disciplines. Participating units include Biological Sciences (BIO), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Geosciences (GEO), Education and Human Resources (EHR), Engineering (ENG), and Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). Because fit matters and because RCN proposals can overlap in scope with other NSF solicitations, principal investigators are encouraged to discuss their idea with the relevant program officer, and this contact is required for proposals going to CISE. NSF also notes that some other NSF solicitations can accept RCN-type proposals or otherwise support networking activities when appropriate, so early communication with the right Program Director is strongly recommended to avoid misalignment.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary NSF grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 17-594) with proposals accepted at any time rather than tied to a single annual deadline. The award ceiling listed is $500,000, and NSF anticipates making around 25 awards. The opportunity is categorized under science and technology and other research and development, with CFDA numbers including 47.041, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, and 47.083. Eligibility is listed broadly as "others" with further clarification in the solicitation's eligibility section, which is typical for NSF programs where eligibility depends on institution type and proposal specifics.

Finally, NSF points to evidence that these kinds of interdisciplinary networking investments can produce meaningful scholarly impact, citing Porter et al. (2012) in BioScience, which examines links between funded interdisciplinary networking and research influence. That citation reinforces the program's basic argument: when coordination is done intentionally and creatively, it can reshape how a community works, accelerate discovery, and strengthen education and training even without directly funding the underlying research itself.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Coordination Networks (RCN)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.083.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 29, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Proposals accepted anytime. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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