The National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) recently introduced a groundbreaking public data platform designed to elevate transparency in federal research funding. Launched in July 2024, the NSF TIP Dashboard now offers crucial insights into how the organization allocates capital across the nation’s most important emerging technology sectors.
This initiative delivers a unified, interactive interface that empowers stakeholders—including researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers—to explore TIP funding distribution, identify regional patterns, and discover new collaboration opportunities. By providing a detailed map of funded projects, the dashboard dramatically improves visibility into the scope and focus of TIP awards nationwide.
Driving Innovation and Transparency
TIP developed the platform in collaboration with Elsevier, utilizing their Pure platform as the underlying research information management system. This partnership ensured the creation of an intuitive interface where users easily navigate complex investment data. Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for TIP, emphasized that the capability allows the American public a new way of seeing the breadth and depth of TIP’s investments in key technology areas. The NSF TIP Dashboard helps those interested in TIP’s work explore its portfolio and assists research teams in finding partners in their specific focus areas or regions.
Tracking Key Technology Sectors
The platform allows users to filter award data across 10 vital technology areas that the NSF identifies as essential for maintaining and advancing U.S. competitiveness. The NSF TIP Dashboard specifically tracks investments in the following sectors:
- Artificial intelligence
- Advanced communications
- Advanced computing and semiconductors
- Advanced energy and industrial efficiency technologies
- Advanced materials
- Data and cybersecurity
- Disaster prevention and mitigation
- Biotechnology
- Quantum information science and technology
- Robotics and advanced manufacturing
The deployment of this dashboard represents a significant shift toward aligning research investments more clearly with national societal and economic needs, actively moving data out of the lab and into the hands of the innovation ecosystem.
