The PAC program funds theoretically motivated research on a wide-range of topic areas focused on typical human behavior. The aim is to enhance the fundamental understanding of perceptual, motor, and cognitive processes and their interactions. Central research topics for consideration by the program include (but are not limited to) vision, audition, haptics, attention, memory, reasoning, written and spoken language, motor control, categorization, and spatial cognition. Of particular interest are emerging areas, such as the interaction of sleep or emotion with cognitive or perceptual processes and the epigenetics of cognition. The program welcomes a wide range of perspectives, such as individual differences, symbolic computation, connectionism, ecological, genetics and epigenetics, nonlinear dynamics and complex systems, and a variety of methodologies including both experimental studies and modeling. The PAC program is open to co-review of proposals submitted to other programs both within the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate and across other directorates.  

Note: Proposals may be returned without review if 1) the major question concerns the organization of neural activity or brain networks; 2) the major question concerns atypical behavior in clinical populations; or 3) the proposal examines non-human animals without a clear and direct impact on our understanding of human perception, action, or cognition.

Deadlines:

• Full Proposal Window:    January 15 - February 15, 2024 . This proposal window is for research proposals only. Conference proposals should not be submitted during this submission window.

• Full Proposal Window:  May 15 - June 15, 2023.    The above proposal window is only for conference proposals, not for research proposals. Proposals for conferences that will be held less than one year after submission may be returned without review.

• Full Proposal Window:   July 15 - August 1, 2023​​.     This proposal window is for research proposals only. Conference proposals should not be submitted during this submission window.