 New NSF program offers flexible pathways to transition technologies from the laboratory to practice
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) published a new $30 million investment offering flexible pathways to translate innovative new technologies from the laboratory to practice. The NSF Translation to Practice (NSF TTP) program aims to invest in use-inspired and translational research, with a particular focus on fostering cross-sector partnerships that will catalyze the effective and efficient translation of research into practice, all the while advancing entrepreneurial education for all Americans.
"Critical to American competitiveness is bridging the gap between laboratory discoveries and their applications in real-world settings," said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP). "The NSF TTP aims to do just that, investing in teams at different stages of the journey, and ultimately accelerating their progression from the lab to the market and society."
This NSF TTP program benefits from lessons learned through prior NSF initiatives, including the Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program, which offered researchers the ability to gain market insights, launch commercial applications, and/or facilitate industry adoption. The TTP program maintains similar objectives but offers greater flexibility, making available three tracks that represent different starting points or stages in the translation of discoveries and innovations from the laboratory to practice.
"The NSF TTP program enables proposers to strategically join the track most well suited to their expertise, experience and objectives," said Barry Johnson, director of the Division of Translational Innovations within TIP. "We are especially excited that NSF TTP offers a new track that focuses on ‘high-risk’ use-inspired research, enabling an on-ramp to translational pathways."
While the PFI program was focused on the commercialization of NSF-sponsored research and technologies, the TTP program does not have that requirement and considers a broad range of translational goals that include startup formation, open-source ecosystems, licensing, standards development, etc. The TTP program offers three tracks:
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Explore (NSF TTP-E) invests in adventurous, “high-risk” use-inspired activities, bridging the gap between fundamental scientific curiosity and a practical desire to address real-world problems. Proposers must have a current NSF award and be interested in transitioning the foundational research to “use-inspired” activities.
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Translate (NSF TTP-T) invests in translating prior research results into technological innovations with promising commercial, economic and/or societal impacts. This track starts with use-inspired research and further matures the ideas, iterates and improves the solutions, ensures scalability and accessibility and lowers the barriers to effective translation.
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Partner (NSF TTP-P) invests in complex, multi-disciplinary, multi-organizational teams pursuing translational development projects. Here, strategic partnerships with stakeholders beyond their universities and research organizations are the essential ingredients for success and may include industry, government entities at all levels, philanthropies or other groups associated with large-scale productization and distribution.
For more information, view the solicitation or register for upcoming informational webinars on July 22, 2025, or Aug. 12, 2025.
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