ISS National Lab and NSF Announce 11th Annual Funding Opportunity for Physical Science Research on Space Station

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), September 30, 2025 – The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) National Laboratory are proud to announce up to $3.6 million in total funding available for multiple projects to advance transport phenomena research using the orbiting laboratory.

This announcement marks a significant milestone; for more than 10 years NSF and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space® (CASIS®), manager of the ISS National Lab, have collaborated to support groundbreaking fundamental science in space. Since the partnership began in 2015, NSF has allocated more than $40 million in funding to support projects leveraging the ISS National Lab. More than 40 of these investigations have already launched to the space station, with dozens more slated for future missions.

For this solicitation, NSF and CASIS(Abbreviation: CASIS™) The nonprofit organization that manages the ISS National Lab, which receives at least 50 percent of the U.S. research allocation on the International Space Station to facilitate research that benefits humanity (NASA manages the other 50% and focuses on research for space exploration purposes). are seeking proposals focused on:

• Fluid dynamics
• Particulate and multiphase processes
• Thermal transport systems
• Combustion and fire systems
• Nanoscale interactions
• Manufacturing methods that employ any of those transport phenomena
• Resulting metallic materials, metal nanostructures, and ceramic materials

Responsive proposals will describe how the proposed project will utilize the unique conditions on the space station to further fundamental and translational research to benefit humanity. In space, the gravity-driven forces that impact fluid behavior are significantly reduced. This makes the sustained microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. environment on the orbiting laboratory beneficial for several areas of study.

Prior to submitting a full proposal to NSF for this solicitation, all interested investigators must first submit an ISS National Lab Feasibility Review Form to CASIS to evaluate the operational feasibility of the proposed research. The deadline to submit a Feasibility Review Form is January 12, 2026. Only investigators whose proposed concept passes this Feasibility Review will be invited to submit a full proposal. The full proposal submission deadline is on March 4, 2026.

NSF and CASIS recently selected six new research projects from previous solicitations in the areas of transport phenomena and tissue engineering.

Transport Phenomena:

• Karen Daniels (North Carolina State University) and Kenneth Kamrin (University of California, Berkeley) will study the flow of granular materials for applications in agriculture, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and 3D printing.
• Amir Hirsa, Patrick Underhill, and Joe Adam (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) will expand on prior research studying protein solution flow and clumping to improve pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.
• Qing Hao (University of Arizona) and Zhenhua Tian (Virginia Polytechnic Institute) will examine how acoustic waves can be used to push gas bubbles out of molten solder joints, which could help reduce electronics failures in a wide range of industries.

Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology:

• Khalid Salaita (Emory University) will study how cells sense and respond to force; insight gained could improve understanding of how cells adapt to extreme environments and could help improve cancer diagnostics.
• Yupeng Chen (University of Connecticut) will build on prior research to produce injectable nanomaterials that can help regenerate lost or damaged cartilage to improve treatments for osteoarthritis.
• Maribella Domenech (University of Puerto Rico) will explore how gravity and the stiffness of materials affect the healing power of stem cells.

For more information on this latest solicitation, including how to submit a Feasibility Review Form, visit the ISS National Lab solicitation webpage. To view the full solicitation, please visit the NSF solicitation page.

Download a high-resolution image for this release: NSF Space Research Funding Opportunity

Media Contact:
Patrick O’Neill
904-806-0035
PONeill@ISSNationalLab.org

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About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory: The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Laboratory® allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve quality of life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles.. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology, and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space® (CASIS®) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative AgreementA cooperative agreement is Federal assistance that establishes a relationship between the U.S. Government and a recipient in which the principal purpose of the relationship is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation.  Since 2011, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS™) has managed the National Laboratory® through a Cooperative Agreement with NASA. with NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit our website.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CASIS accepts corporate and individual donations to help advance science in space for the benefit of humanity. For more information, visit our donations page.