Hydrologic Sciences (HS) | 22 540

Opportunity Information: Apply for 22 540

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Hydrologic Sciences (HS) program is a research grant opportunity within NSF's Division of Earth Sciences that supports fundamental, discipline-based hydrology research focused on continental water processes across all spatial and temporal scales. The program is aimed at improving core scientific understanding of how water moves, is stored, and interacts with Earth systems on and beneath the land surface. Projects supported by HS typically address the physical, chemical, and biological roles of water in the environment, including how water shapes landscapes, sustains ecosystems, and influences the movement of materials through watersheds.

A central emphasis of the opportunity is advancing knowledge of hydrologic processes and fluxes. This includes studies of rainfall and runoff generation, infiltration into soils, subsurface and groundwater flow, evaporation and plant transpiration, and the exchange of water among soils, aquifers, streams, and the atmosphere. The program also supports research on hydrologic transport, such as how flowing water carries dissolved chemicals, nutrients, contaminants, sediment, and other materials. Many HS projects look at how hydrologic behavior couples with other systems, for example linking hydrology with ecosystem function, biogeochemical cycling, food and energy systems, and broader socio-ecological dynamics. Another major theme is hydrologic response to change, including changes driven by land use and land cover shifts, climate variability and change, and human activities such as watershed and water resource management.

NSF encourages a wide range of scientific approaches under this program. Proposals may be observational (field measurements, monitoring networks, remote sensing), experimental (laboratory or field experiments), theoretical (process theory, conceptual frameworks), or modeling-based (numerical simulation, statistical and data-driven models), and many competitive projects integrate multiple methods. The overall goal is not applied engineering or routine monitoring, but rather the kind of basic research that produces transferable insight, generalizable theory, and improved predictive understanding of hydrologic systems.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary NSF grant program (Funding Opportunity Number 22-540; CFDA 47.050) with proposals accepted at any time, rather than a single annual deadline. The typical maximum award amount listed is up to $1,000,000, and NSF anticipates making roughly 30 awards. Eligibility is listed as "Others" with additional clarification provided by NSF in the full eligibility text, which generally means applicants should check the solicitation details carefully to confirm whether their institution type and status are allowed.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Hydrologic Sciences (HS)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.050.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 23, 2021.
• 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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 30 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 22 540

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