Centers of Excellence in Ukraine – 2026 Request for Applications

The Simons Foundation (SF) and Simons Foundation International (SFI) intend to continue supporting basic science and mathematics in Ukraine, with the goal of fostering research excellence and international collaboration.

Toward this goal, SF and SFI plan to initiate a new program to fund eight to 10 Centers of Excellence through a competitive open call to the research community in Ukraine.

Each Center of Excellence (CoE) is envisaged to be an academic unit with ambitious research and training programs in cutting-edge computational, data-driven and theoretical basic science as well as programs in mathematics. Proposals with experimental or observational science projects supplementing the primary computational, data-driven and theoretical programs will be considered for funding in exceptional cases.

Research output of CoEs is expected to be of the highest quality, impacting the development of each respective field, with well-defined scholarly deliverables disseminated via open access repositories and internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals.

Each CoE should have a verifiable nonprofit status in Ukraine, or be part of a larger entity that has this status — a nonprofit university or academic institute — where the CoE would have independent operation and administrative structure. Each proposal should clearly delineate the envisaged status and structure of a CoE within a host institution, or outside of it. CoEs may be located in any region of Ukraine in a physical space conducive to research in basic science and mathematics.

Each CoE is expected to benefit nearby institutions by welcoming other scientists to participate in scholarly activities, and by stimulating the work of younger researchers from those institutions. Each proposal should clearly outline concrete plans to become a hub of excellence for nearby institutions.

CoEs should seek scientific exchanges with those leading research institutions outside Ukraine that prioritize basic science and mathematics. Plans of partnership with institutions outside Ukraine with concretely identified resources supporting such partnerships would be an important consideration.

Simons Foundation employees who receive a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) from the Simons Foundation, including employees of the Flatiron Institute, may not apply as a Principal Investigator (PI) to any Simons Foundation or Simons Foundation International Requests for Applications (RFAs) released by the Simons Foundation. PIs and any project personnel listed on the application who will receive funding for salary, travel, support for students, postdocs or research staff, lab equipment, computing time or other individual expenses may not be employees of the Simons Foundation, which includes the Flatiron Institute.

Each CoE will be funded at up to $200,000 per year for three years, for a total award of up to $600,000, including indirect costs. After three years, there is a possibility of a review-based extension for two more years. No extensions beyond the five-year period should be expected, except for a one-year no-cost extension when appropriate.

Each group of proposers should outline plans for continuation of the proposed research beyond the five-year period. The growth of a community of scholars who will carry the respective research beyond CoE’s duration will be an important consideration. A good measure of success of a CoE would be the acquisition of major European grants during or after the five-year period.

Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations, the Simons Foundation, Inc. (“the Foundation” or “SF”) reserves the right to refer an application to the Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (“SFI”) for consideration and funding. SFI and SF have entered into an agreement pursuant to which SF provides program operations and grant administration services, including payment processing, to SFI. SFI grant recipients are subject to SF Policies and Procedures.

An example of the composition and budget of a CoE is given below. Reasonable variations on both the structure and budget presented below will be permitted.

Each CoE may be led by five or six Principal Investigators (PIs) who will set the scientific agenda and be responsible for its fulfillment. The PIs are expected to hold Ph.D.s, be excellent scientists with a strong record of internationally recognized scholarship, and be at the active stages of their respective research careers. Their scholarship should be comparable to those of assistant, associate or full professors in research-active U.S. universities. Interdisciplinary groups of PIs are welcome. Up to two PIs with joint appointments in internationally recognized leading institutions outside Ukraine will be acceptable.

One of the PIs will serve as Director of a CoE, and be the person of contact with SF. The Director will be responsible for the academic administrative matters, including the budgetary oversight of a CoE.

The PIs in each CoE will collectively hire five to 10 Research Scientists (RS), who should all hold Ph.D.s. RSs will engage in research agenda defined by the PIs, and will also be afforded freedom to pursue research projects of their own relevant to CoE.

The PIs and RSs in each CoE will be expected to recruit 10–15 students from nearby universities, and to engage them with the scientific agenda of the CoE.

Each CoE will have an Administrator, who will report to the respective Director and who will work on logistics and budgetary matters of CoE.

Each PI would receive up to $700 as a base monthly salary ($8,400 annually), and could in addition receive up to 20% of their base salary for fringe benefits ($140 monthly, or $1,680 annually). The award will provide 20% of the combined base salary plus fringe benefits as indirect cost recovery, bringing the annual budget for each PI up to approximately $10,080 ($12,096 including indirect costs). The Director can receive an additional stipend of up to 20% of their base salary. Fringe benefits should not be included on the Director’s additional stipend.

The annual budget for five PIs with the Director among them could add up to approximately $52,080 ($62,496 including indirect costs).

Each RS would receive up to $500 per month as a base salary ($6,000 annually), and can in addition receive up to 20% of their base salary for fringe benefits. The award will provide 20% of the combined base salary plus fringe benefits as indirect cost recovery, bringing the annual budget for each RS up to $8,640. As an example, the total annual budget for seven RSs would add to $50,400 ($60,480 including indirect costs).

The CoE Administrator would receive up to $500 per month as a base salary, and could in addition receive up to 20% of their base salary for fringe benefits. The award will provide 20% of the combined base salary plus fringe benefits, as indirect cost recovery, bringing the annual budget for one Administrator to $7,200 ($8,640 including indirect costs).

Thus the total annual budget for five PIs, seven RSs, and one Administrator could be up to $109,680 ($131,616 including indirect costs).

The remaining funds of $56,986 annually (approximately $68,383 including indirect costs) should be used on stipends for students (up to $200/month plus up to 20% fringe benefits per student), computers and computational needs, sponsoring lectures, conferences, seminars, travel, or for covering publication costs and small incidentals.

CoEs with experimental or observational science projects supplementing the primary computational, data-driven and theoretical programs will be considered for funding in exceptional cases, with an additional equipment budget of up to $50,000 per year. Indirect costs cannot be taken on equipment with a unit cost of more than $10,000.

Applications must be submitted via the Simons Award Manager (SAM). Please click on the Funding Opportunities icon, navigate to the President Directed – Centers of Excellence call and click the Create Application button to begin. Applications should be started and submitted under the applicant’s (the CoE Director’s) own account in SAM. The deadline for application submission is Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern Time, 18:00 Eastern European Summer Time.

Application templates are available in Simons Award Manager (SAM) and will include a Proposal Narrative, a Resources and Research Environment sheet, and a Researcher Information sheet for each PI. Please refer to the How to Apply section at the top of this webpage for detailed instructions.

Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to advancing basic science and mathematics to benefit humankind and to expand our collective understanding of our world. As part of our mission, we support partners, programs and initiatives that seek to broaden the scientific community and open pathways to science and mathematics careers.

The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for funding without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.