Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics | 19 520

Opportunity Information: Apply for 19 520

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics (MMS) Program is a discretionary grant opportunity housed within NSF's Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences. Its main purpose is to fund research that pushes forward the tools and techniques used across the social sciences, behavioral sciences, and economics, especially where better methodology can improve how data are collected, measured, analyzed, and interpreted. The program is explicitly interdisciplinary, meaning it is not limited to a single academic field; instead, it prioritizes methods and models that can travel well across multiple domains and be broadly useful rather than tailored to one narrow application.

MMS is focused on proposals that are methodologically innovative and grounded in theory. In practice, that means the program is looking for strong conceptual and statistical foundations, not just incremental tweaks to existing approaches. Competitive projects typically aim to create or substantially improve analytical methods, statistical models, measurement strategies, or related research designs that can help scholars answer substantive questions more reliably. A key theme is general utility: the work should have clear potential to benefit multiple fields within the social, behavioral, and economic sciences, such as sociology, psychology, political science, economics, education research, communication, and related areas.

A notable part of the MMS portfolio is its partnership with a consortium of federal statistical agencies. Through this collaboration, MMS supports research that strengthens the production and use of official statistics, which can include improving data quality, survey methodology, estimation techniques, integration of data sources, confidentiality and disclosure limitation approaches, measurement validity, or other innovations that make government statistics more accurate, usable, and trustworthy for policymakers, researchers, and the public.

The solicitation describes several funding mechanisms supported under this opportunity. Regular Research Awards fund standard research projects developing new methods, models, or measurement approaches. The program also funds awards for conferences and community-development activities, which are meant to build capacity in the research community, spread methodological advances, and support collaboration and shared infrastructure (such as workshops, networks, or coordination efforts). Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement (DDRI) Grants are designed to enhance the quality and scope of dissertation research by providing targeted support that strengthens the student’s methods, measurement, or analytical contributions. Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Supplements allow existing awards to add undergraduate research opportunities, expanding training and hands-on participation in methodology and statistics research.

In addition to the mechanisms explicitly addressed in the solicitation, MMS also supports NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards, which are NSF's flagship early-career program linking a strong research agenda with an integrated education plan. Applicants interested in CAREER are directed to the separate CAREER program information, but the mention signals that MMS is an appropriate home for early-career faculty proposing a coherent long-term methodological research trajectory with meaningful educational components.

From the posted opportunity details, this grant was issued by NSF under Funding Opportunity Number 19-520, categorized as Science and Technology and other Research and Development, with CFDA number 47.075. The original posting date is listed as November 3, 2018, with an original closing date of January 31, 2019, and an expected number of awards around 35. The award ceiling is shown as 0 in the listing, which typically indicates that the ceiling was not specified in that particular summary field rather than implying that awards have no monetary value. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," suggesting that eligible applicant types may extend beyond a single category and would normally be clarified in the full solicitation document.

Overall, MMS is best understood as a methods-centered NSF program that invests in foundational advances in measurement, methodology, and statistical modeling for the social and behavioral sciences and economics, with additional emphasis on work that can strengthen official statistics and on funding mechanisms that support not only research but also community building and training across career stages.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.075.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 03, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 31, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 35 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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