NSF Opportunities for International Collaboration in QIS

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(October 23, 2023) The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced several new opportunities to facilitate international collaboration in Quantum Information Science (QIS), with mechanisms for joint or supplemental funding. Opportunities to apply for joint funding from NSF and partnering organizations are described in the announcements listed below (in reverse chronological order). Also highlighted here are some opportunities to apply for supplemental funding to initiate or enhance an international aspect of an ongoing QIS project funded by NSF. These examples of NSF Dear Colleague Letters encourage international collaboration in QIS in alignment with principles articulated in several bilateral quantum cooperation statements, and consistent with the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

  • Dear Colleague Letter: NSF-French National Research Agency (ANR) Quantum Information Science and Engineering Lead Agency Opportunity
  • Dear Colleague Letter: Special Guidelines for Submitting Collaborative Proposals under U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) of India Collaborative Research Opportunities
  • Dear Colleague Letter: International Multilateral Partnerships for Resilient Education and Science System in Ukraine (IMPRESS-U)
    • NSF 23-135: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23135/nsf23135.jsp
    • With Estonian Research Council (ETAG), Latvian Council of Science (LCS), Lithuanian Research Council (LMT), Polish National Science Centre (NCN) and Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), Ukrainian National Research Foundation (NRFU), the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG), and participating programs in NSF Directorates for BIO, CISE, EDU, ENG, GEO, MPS, SBE, and TIP.
    • For a variety of topics, including QIS
  • Dear Colleague Letter: U.S.-UK Research Collaboration under the NSF-UKRI/Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Lead Agency Opportunity
  • Dear Colleague Letter: Special Guidelines for Submitting Collaborative Proposals under U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) of India Collaborative Research Opportunities
  • Dear Colleague Letter: Research Collaboration Opportunity in Europe for NSF Awardees
  • Dear Colleague Letter: NSF-Swiss NSF Lead Agency Opportunity
  • Dear Colleague Letter: Special Guidelines for Submitting Proposals: NSF and DFG Opportunity for Collaborations in Physics
  • Dear Colleague Letter: International Collaboration Supplements in Quantum Information Science and Engineering Research
  • Dear Colleague Letter: CHE FY22 International Supplement
  • Dear Colleague Letter: Special Guidelines for Submitting Collaborative Proposals under National Science Foundation (NSF) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Collaborative Research Opportunities in Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Science
  • Dear Colleague Letter: Special Guidelines for Submitting Collaborative Proposals under National Science Foundation (NSF) and US-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) Collaborative Research Opportunities
  • Dear Colleague Letter: United States-Ireland-Northern Ireland R&D Partnership

Proposers should carefully read any DCL to which they are considering a submission. Each DCL describes the full process for that particular activity, from pre-proposal steps to submission instructions to how the review will be conducted. If there are any questions, please reach out to a cognizant program officer.

In addition to these opportunities, there are numerous ongoing opportunities to support international collaboration through regular NSF grants. For example, NSF funding is routinely used by Principal Investigators at U.S. universities to support faculty, staff, and students to attend workshops, travel to research facilities, and collaborate with international partners. Universities that receive NSF funding can also support visiting students and professionals using regular NSF grants, in alignment with the project goals, university policies, and the NSF PAPPG.