Early career researchers can compete for funding and receive training to effectively adopt team science practices as part of the Research Corporation for Science Advancement’s new Team Science Accelerator program.
Team science is a collaborative approach to research where experts from different fields work together to address complex scientific challenges. Research suggests that team science can lead to greater impact and innovation than single-investigator approaches, resulting in a growing interest in team science across academic, government, and industry.
“For more than 15 years, Research Corporation’s Scialog program has encouraged scientists to form multidisciplinary teams to tackle critical scientific challenges. Many Scialog projects have shown great success, but most never reach the full potential we believe is possible through goal-focused teaming,” said Eric D. Isaacs, president of Research Corporation for Science Advancement. “The Team Science Accelerator was built to change that.”
The Team Science Accelerator is a two-year pilot program that will support three to four interdisciplinary teams pursuing high-risk, high-reward research across the basic physical sciences and their adjacent fields or subdisciplines, including but not limited to: chemistry (including biochemistry and chemical biology); physics (including biophysics and astrophysics); materials science (including quantum materials, magnetic materials and materials required for advanced energy solutions); Earth and planetary science; and astronomy.
Each team of three to five people will receive up to $1 million in flexible funding as well as support such as professional coaching, mentoring, and facilitated workshops.
The four main goals of the Team Science Accelerator are:
- To catalyze great basic science;
- To improve team performance through the promotion of effective teaming behaviors;
- To advance research that will result in competitive proposals for large federal and external funding; and,
- To build a community of researchers who have the skills to lead high-functioning teams with the experience to solve hard scientific problems that cannot be solved by individual scientists alone.
“As programs like the Department of Energy-led Genesis Mission place greater emphasis on team science, the institutions and investigators capable of functioning within goal-focused small teams will thrive,” said Andrew Feig, senior program director at Research Corporation for Science Advancement. “The Team Science Accelerator strives to help researchers become adept at working in these environments.”
The Team Science Accelerator pilot program will also be evaluated as a scalable model for early career team science that, if successful, can help maximize the impact of research funding.
A series of webinars will be held for people interested in learning more about the Team Science Accelerator program. The first informational session will take place Aug. 18, 2026, at 9 a.m. (AZ time) and will be repeated Sept. 11, 2026, at noon (AZ time). Letters of interest for the inaugural Team Science Accelerator are due by 11 p.m. on Nov. 9, 2026.
Visit the Team Science Accelerator webpage for more information.