NSF launches three new Science and Technology Centers with $90M investment in transformative research

The U.S. National Science Foundation is investing $90 million over five years to support three new NSF Science and Technology Centers (NSF STC). These centers will advance American leadership in science and technology, strengthen the nation's STEM workforce, and accelerate innovation in fields ranging from artificial intelligence and biotechnology to fusion energy and robotics.

The three centers will bring together researchers from universities, national laboratories, industry, and other partners to pursue ambitious, collaborative research. Each center will receive approximately $6 million annually for an initial five-year period, with the opportunity to compete for up to five additional years of support.

"Maintaining the United States' leadership in science and technology requires bold research, strong partnerships, and a skilled workforce," said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF Director. "As advances in foundational science and technology open new possibilities, these Science and Technology Centers will help American researchers seize those opportunities, accelerate scientific discovery, and develop the talent and technologies needed to turn innovation into solutions that benefit the American people."

Since its inception in 1987, the NSF STC program has driven the emergence of new fields of discovery, catalyzed strong partnerships, advanced breakthrough technologies, sparked numerous start-up companies, and trained generations of researchers and innovators. The program supports large-scale, transformational research that opens new areas of discovery and drives technological innovation. By combining expertise across organizations and partnering with industry and other groups, STCs tackle complex, high-risk challenges in foundational research and help move promising ideas toward real-world benefits. The centers also strengthen the nation's scientific and technical workforce by providing students and early-career researchers with hands-on experience in emerging fields and technologies.

These investments in the STC program advance priorities outlined in recent White House and Office of Science and Technology Policy guidance, including the White House "Fiscal Year 2027 Administration Research and Development Budget Priorities and Cross-Cutting Actions" and "Ushering in a New Golden Age of American Innovation: Fiscal Year 2028" memoranda. The class of 2026 STCs focus on strengthening foundational research, advancing critical and emerging technologies, developing the science and technology workforce, and translating discoveries into technological advances and national benefits. STCs provide a uniquely effective framework for advancing these priorities by building sustained partnerships across universities, industry, and government and accelerating the use of new ideas and technologies for scientific discovery.