Security, Privacy, and Trust in Cyberspace
Can you apply?
This grant is for research and education initiatives that build trust, security, privacy, and resilience in cyberspace. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based institutions of higher education, independent museums, research laboratories, and professional societies directly engaged in educational or research activities. PIs and senior key personnel must hold tenured, tenure-track, or primary full-time paid research/teaching positions at eligible organizations. Proposals span three tracks: Research (up to $1.2M, four years), Education (up to $500K, three years), and Seedling projects (up to $300K, two years). No cost-sharing is required.
This grant is for research and education initiatives that build trust, security, privacy, and resilience in cyberspace. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based institutions of higher education, independent museums, research laboratories, and professional societies directly engaged in educational or research activities. PIs and senior key personnel must hold tenured, tenure-track, or primary full-time paid research/teaching positions at eligible organizations. Proposals span three tracks: Research (up to $1.2M, four years), Education (up to $500K, three years), and Seedling projects (up to $300K, two years). No cost-sharing is required.
Program description
Our world is at a pivotal moment where the boundaries dividing the physical and social worlds from the cyber world have become blurred. Cyberspace has evolved from an interconnected digital environment into a complex and interdependent cyber ecosystem that involves hardware, software, networks, data, people, organizations, countries, and the physical world. Critical functions of everyday life are deeply intertwined with computing, including health, government, commerce, the public sphere, education, critical infrastructure, interpersonal communication, and transportation. The complexity and inter-dependencies in cyberspace can be misused and exploited by malicious actors. These in turn can trigger adverse outcomes such as disruption of critical infrastructure and systems; theft of intellectual property and sensitive data; amplification of inequalities; disclosure of private information of individuals, organizations, and governments; and threats to lives, livelihoods, and reputations. Furthermore, constant attacks on the data and assets of corporations, governments, and individuals undermine people’s trust in decision-making and processes that depend critically on these cyber systems.
The Security, Privacy, and Trust in Cyberspace (SaTC 2.0) program aims to build trust in global cyber ecosystems. Trust is the core tenet of this program and, for the purposes of this solicitation, is broadly defined to include our confidence in the security, privacy, and resilience of cyberspace, particularly in the face of malicious intent. Achieving this level of confidence in cyberspace requires not only understanding the vulnerabilities in a system that could be exploited and how they can be addressed, but also understanding the social and technical dimensions of trust in cyber systems, along with the educational efforts needed to increase public awareness of risks in cyberspace, and building a well-trained corps of privacy and security professionals.
SaTC 2.0 spans the interests of NSF’s Directorates for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), and STEM Education (EDU). Proposals must be submitted pursuant to one of the following designations, each of which may have additional requirements:
- RES: The Research (RES) designation is the focus of the multidisciplinary SaTC 2.0 research program. RES projects are limited to $1,200,000 in total budget, with durations of up to four years. Proposals with a total budget of more than $600,000 have additional requirements including Broadening Participation in Computing and collaboration plans. RES proposals may include an optional Transition to Education (TTE) plan with a budget up to $50,000 (within the RES total budget request) to co-evolve novel educational initiatives in the context of the proposed research.
- EDU: The Education (EDU) designation is used to identify proposals focusing on education and workforce training in building trust in security, privacy, and resilience of cyberspace. EDU proposals are limited to $500,000 in total budget, with durations of up to three years. EDU proposals that primarily focus on education research with demonstrated collaboration, as reflected in the PI team between cybersecurity subject matter experts and education researcher(s), may request an additional $100,000 beyond the $500,000 limit.
- SEED: The Seedling (SEED) category is intended for special topics defined by accompanying Dear Colleague Letters. SEED projects are limited to $300,000 in total budget, with durations of up to two years.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
Details
This grant is for research and education initiatives that build trust, security, privacy, and resilience in cyberspace. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based institutions of higher education, independent museums, research laboratories, and professional societies directly engaged in educational or research activities. PIs and senior key personnel must hold tenured, tenure-track, or primary full-time paid research/teaching positions at eligible organizations. Proposals span three tracks: Research (up to $1.2M, four years), Education (up to $500K, three years), and Seedling projects (up to $300K, two years). No cost-sharing is required.
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- NSF Cover Sheet (SF-424 or equivalent)
- Project Narrative/Technical Proposal
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Biographical Sketches (PI and Senior Key Personnel)
- Current and Pending Support documentation
- Diversity and Inclusion Plan (for RES proposals over $600K)
- Collaboration Plan (for RES proposals over $600K)
Program contact
- 👤 U.S. National Science Foundation
- 📧 grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov
- 📞 703-292-4203
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 47.075 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$38,357,018
-
$18,499,999
-
$13,999,656
-
$10,999,998
-
$8,043,354
-
$7,998,747
-
$5,500,000
-
$5,237,549
-
$5,200,000
-
$5,047,151
Top States by Funding
- MI 8 awards $92.7M
- DC 6 awards $20.0M
- AZ 7 awards $19.6M
- NY 8 awards $15.4M
- IL 3 awards $15.1M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 47.075). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $292,390,000 | |
| 2025 | $219,410,000 | |
| 2026 est. | $92,200,000 |
FAQ
Can a community college submit a proposal to SaTC 2.0?
Yes. Two- and four-year accredited institutions with U.S. campuses, including community colleges, are eligible to submit. The PI must hold a tenured, tenure-track, or full-time research/teaching position.
What is the deadline for this grant?
The fixed deadline is September 28, 2026. Check NSF's grants.gov portal for any updates closer to the deadline.
What are the three proposal tracks and their funding limits?
Research (RES) offers up to $1.2M for four years. Education (EDU) offers up to $500K for three years (or $600K with education research collaboration). Seedling (SEED) offers up to $300K for two years.
Is cost-sharing required?
No cost-sharing is required for this program. You can request the full project budget from NSF.
What makes a competitive proposal?
Strong proposals address real cybersecurity or privacy challenges with novel approaches. Multi-disciplinary teams (across CISE, MPS, SBE, EDU) are valued. For RES proposals over $600K, include broadening participation and collaboration plans.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Align your project with NSF's definition of trust: confidence in security, privacy, and resilience of cyberspace. Address both technical and social dimensions.
- For RES proposals exceeding $600K, plan for broadening participation in computing and cross-institutional collaboration from the start.
- Consider the optional Transition to Education (TTE) plan (up to $50K) if your research has educational implications.
- Review any relevant Dear Colleague Letters for Seedling (SEED) topic restrictions before proposing.
- Build multi-disciplinary teams spanning computer science, social sciences, mathematics, or education to strengthen competitiveness.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Proposals fail to address both technical vulnerabilities and social/human dimensions of trust in cyberspace. RES proposals over $600K lack credible broadening participation or collaboration plans. Applicants propose projects to international branch campuses without justifying why U.S. campuses cannot perform the work.
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