Office of Emerging Frontiers and Multidisciplinary Activities

The National Science Foundation Office of Emerging Frontiers and Multidisciplinary Activities is a civilian sub-agency of the National Science Foundation that funds exploratory research and nascent activities at the intersection of multiple disciplines and emerging scientific domains. The Office administers federal grant programs supporting early-stage science and technology initiatives that do not fit traditional disciplinary categories.

The Office's contract portfolio is minimal, comprising nine awards totaling $1.4 million since 2010, with the most recent contract award closed on March 16, 2021. Contract activity has been sparse and episodic — three awards in 2012, then isolated awards in 2017, 2018, two in 2019, and one in 2021. The four distinct prime contractors hold $1.4 million in combined potential value, fully obligated. The set-aside mix is split between five awards with no set-aside designation (56%) and four awards under 8(a) Sole Source (44%).

The Office is substantially more active in grant-making, having awarded 517 federal grants totaling $392 million since August 2012. Recent grant activity shows 78 awards in 2022, 74 in 2023, 86 in 2024, 33 in 2025, and 13 so far in 2026, with the most recent award recorded on October 1, 2026. Grant assistance consists almost entirely of Project Grants (515 awards, 100%) with two Cooperative Agreements. The Office has engaged 179 distinct recipients across the portfolio.

Among recent grant recipients, concentration is highly fragmented. The top five recipients by award count (Purdue University, The Johns Hopkins University, Arizona State University, The Pennsylvania State University, and William Marsh Rice University) account for 13 percent of recent awards, while the top five by federal dollars obligated (led by Johns Hopkins at $10.2 million, followed by MIT at $6.9 million) represent only 8 percent of recent federal dollars. Johns Hopkins leads both rankings in the last five years with eight awards and $10.2 million in federal obligations.

No recent contract opportunities are recorded against the Office. No recent grant opportunities are recorded in the source material, though the timing of the most recent grant award (October 1, 2026) suggests active solicitation cycles; business development professionals should monitor NSF's grant-opportunities portal directly for current funding announcements aligned with the Office's emerging-frontiers and multidisciplinary focus areas.

The Office of Emerging Frontiers and Multidisciplinary Activities (EFMA) strategically supports projects in important emerging areas in a timely manner. Established in fiscal year 2015, the office also provides support to multidisciplinary education programs and facilities.