Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering

The Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering (DARE) program is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and supports fundamental engineering research that aims to enhance the quality of life for persons with disabilities. Housed within the Engineering Biology and Health cluster, the DARE program sits alongside other interdisciplinary initiatives such as Biophotonics, Biosensing, Cellular and Biochemical Engineering, and the Engineering of Biomedical Systems programs. NSF is an independent federal agency that promotes scientific progress by funding research across diverse scientific domains. Through this program, the agency seeks to empower innovative engineering solutions that address critical disability-related challenges and foster societal benefit through inclusivity. The primary objective of the DARE program is to support transformative research that advances the understanding of disabilities or pathological motion and promotes the restoration, rehabilitation, or substitution of human functional abilities or cognition. Disabilities covered by the program include developmental, cognitive, hearing, mobility, visual, self-care, independent living, and others. Funded projects should address the interaction between individuals with disabilities and their environments and propose new engineering theories, methodologies, technologies, or devices. Priority areas include neuroengineering, rehabilitation robotics, brain-inspired assistive or rehabilitative systems, computational models, and artificial physiological systems. The program strongly emphasizes research that is fundamental in nature rather than focused on product development or clinical applications. While clinical trials are not supported, feasibility studies involving human participants may be included if appropriate. The DARE program specifically excludes proposals centered on product commercialization and encourages such applicants to explore the NSF SBIR/STTR programs under the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. Applicants are expected to clearly demonstrate the novelty and potentially transformative impact of their proposed work compared to existing studies. The program values high-risk, high-reward research and particularly welcomes participatory design approaches and the inclusion of trainees with disabilities. Applications must explain the significance of the engineering science and its potential societal or industry impact. Proposals lacking a transformative element or failing to comply with NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) risk being returned without review. Applications for the DARE program are accepted throughout the year on a rolling basis. There are no fixed deadlines, but proposals must be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov, following the applicable submission guidelines. Special funding types such as EAGER, RAPID, FASED, and GOALI are considered and may be submitted at any time following consultation with the program director. Additionally, the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is encouraged for eligible faculty, with an annual deadline in July. The current program director, Steven M. Zehnder, is available for consultation and can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at (703) 292-7014. While there is no single definitive award size or ceiling, the total estimated program funding is $5 million. Typical awards span up to three years and include support for graduate students and limited principal investigator time. The program serves applicants nationwide, with no state or regional restrictions.

Proposals should highlight novelty, fundamental engineering contributions, and inclusive practices.