NSF 25-533: Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable Open Science (FAIROS)_Due: April 8, 2026

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Opportunity Summary – NSF 25-533: Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable Open Science (FAIROS)

Overview

The NSF FAIROS Program supports socio-technical cyberinfrastructure development that advances FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles, open science practices, and research data management (RDM). The program aims to foster sustainable, multidisciplinary collaborations and lower barriers to data access, curation, integration, sharing, and storage across scientific domains.

• Solicitation: NSF 25-533
• Program Title: Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable Open Science (FAIROS)
• Deadline: April 9, 2025 (Second Wednesday in April, annually thereafter)
• Award Type: Standard Grant, Continuing Grant, or Cooperative Agreement
• Awards Anticipated: 4–10 awards per cycle
• Funding Amount: $2.4M–$6M total; up to $600K per project (max $200K/year for 3 years)

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Research Scope

FAIROS proposals must select one of two tracks:

1. Disciplinary Improvements – advance FAIR and open science practices for targeted research communities.
2. Cross-Cutting Improvements – develop infrastructure/tools applicable across multiple scientific domains.

Projects may address:

• FAIR data portals and research data commons.
• RDM as a national service.
• New models of scholarly communication and publication.
• Scalable, sustainable cyberinfrastructure for data curation, stewardship, reproducibility, and preservation.
• Integration of FAIR with CARE (Indigenous Data Governance) and TRUST (digital repository) principles.
• International collaboration and alignment with the NSF Public Access Initiative, GEO OSE, and NASA TOPS.

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Eligibility

• Eligible Applicants:

  • U.S. institutions of higher education (2- and 4-year).
  • Nonprofit, non-academic organizations (labs, professional societies, research museums, observatories).
  • Federally recognized Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations.
  • FFRDCs and other federal agencies (per NSF guidance).

• PI/Co-PI Limits:

  • 1 proposal per PI/co-PI per deadline.

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Key Dates

• Full Proposal Deadline: April 9, 2025
• Annual Deadline: Second Wednesday in April

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Review Criteria

In addition to NSF’s standard Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts, proposals will be evaluated on:

1. Open Science Impact – advances to FAIR, RDM, and open science within disciplines or across communities.
2. Leveraging Cyberinfrastructure – effective use and extension of NSF/national CI investments.
3. Measurable Outcomes – clear services/capabilities, long-term impacts, metrics for adoption, sustainability.

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Strategic Fit for NumFOCUS

• Strong alignment with NumFOCUS-sponsored open-source projects central to reproducible research and FAI