Law & Science
U.S. National Science Foundation · Opportunity PD-21-128Y
Proposals accepted anytime
Who can apply
- Unrestricted
About this opportunity
The Law & Science Program considers proposals that address social scientific studies of law and law-like systems of rules, as wellas studies of how science and technology are applied in legal contexts.The Program is inherently interdisciplinary and multi-methodological.Successful proposals describe research that advances scientific theory and understanding of the connections between human behavior and law, legal institutions, or legal processes; or the interactions of law and basic sciences, including biology, computer and information sciences, STEM education, engineering, geosciences, and math and physical sciences.Scientific studies of law often approach law as dynamic, interacting with multiple arenas, and with the participation of multiple actors.Fields of study include many disciplines, and often address problems including, though not limited, to: Crime, Violence, and Policing Cyberspace Economic Issues Environmental Science Evidentiary Issues Forensic Science Governance and Courts Human Rights and Comparative Law Information Technology Legal and Ethical Issues related to Science Legal Decision Making Legal Mobilization and Conceptions of Justice Litigation and the Legal Profession Punishment and Corrections Regulation and Facilitation of Biotechnology (e.g., Gene Editing, Gene Testing, Synthetic Biology) and Other Emerging Sciences and Technologies Use of Science in the Legal Processes LS supports the following types of proposals: Standard Research Grants and Grants for Collaborative Research Conference Awards LS also participates in a number of specialized funding opportunities through NSF’s cross-cutting and cross-directorate activities, including, for example: Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) For information about these and other programs, please visit the Cross-cutting and NSF-wide Active Funding Opportunities homepage.
Portfolio context — this listing covers more than this opportunity
This opportunity is funded under Assistance Listing 47.075 (“Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences”), a broad federal program that made about 824 new awards per year over the last five fiscal years (median award $204k). Those figures describe that whole portfolio — not this specific solicitation, so we don't show them as if they were this opportunity's track record.
Applicant counts per solicitation are not published by any federal agency — no one can honestly sell you that number. NSF publishes funding rates by directorate in its Merit Review Digest — source.
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