NSF GOALI: Grants for Academic-Industry Research Partnerships

What GOALI Is (and Isn't)

GOALI is not a separate competition with its own deadline, budget ceiling, or page limit. It is a proposal type layered onto an existing NSF funding opportunity.

• Not a standalone program — GOALI proposals are submitted to an active NSF funding opportunity as an add-on type, not to a dedicated GOALI solicitation
• No special page limit — the Project Description follows the base solicitation's limit, which defaults to the standard 15 pages
• No special budget or duration cap — both follow whatever the base solicitation specifies
• External peer review — GOALI proposals go through the same external review process as the underlying solicitation, unlike RAPID or EAGER, which skip external review entirely

The Industrial Co-PI Requirement

The defining feature of a GOALI proposal is the formal role given to the industry partner. This is not treated as informal collaboration or an acknowledgment -- it is a structural requirement of the proposal.

• Industrial co-PI on the cover sheet — an industry partner must be listed as co-PI, not merely as a collaborator or letter-of-support signer
• Describe the interaction in the Project Description — the proposal must explain the university-industry interaction and the technology transfer goals of the collaboration
• Citation — this requirement comes from PAPPG 24-1, Chapter II.F.5

Required Uploads and Pre-Award Steps

GOALI proposals carry documentation requirements beyond the standard NSF proposal package, some of which must be resolved before an award can be issued.

• GOALI-Industrial PI Confirmation Letter — a required upload confirming the industrial co-PI's participation
• Pre-award IP agreement — documentation of an intellectual property agreement with the industrial partner must be provided before NSF issues the award (PAPPG 24-1, Chapter II.F.5)

Collaboration Structure and Small Business Rules

GOALI restricts how the collaboration can be organized administratively, and applies a specific cap when a small business is part of the partnership.

• Single-organization submission only — other organizations, including the industry partner's institution, participate as subawards rather than as a separately submitted multi-organization collaborative proposal
• Small business cap — if a small business is funded as part of the GOALI collaboration, its share is capped at one-third of the total budget and it must independently meet small business eligibility requirements

GOALI vs. RAPID and EAGER

GOALI sits apart from NSF's other special proposal types. RAPID and EAGER are internally reviewed mechanisms for time-sensitive or high-risk research with their own reduced page limits and budget caps. GOALI has none of that: it rides on top of a standard, externally peer-reviewed solicitation, and its distinguishing requirements are entirely about the structure of the academic-industry partnership -- the industrial co-PI, the IP agreement, and the single-organization submission rule -- rather than about urgency or risk.