Robert H. G. Helleman Memorial Grant and Fellowship Program
The 2025-2026 application cycle is now open for projects beginning in 2026 or 2027.
Applications are due March 20, 2026.
The American Institute of Physics Robert H. G. Helleman Memorial Grant and Fellowship Program invites applications for funding for research projects in the history of the physical sciences. The goals of the program are to encourage
- Compelling historical research
- Innovative and collaborative historical research practices
- International scholarly exchange
- Career development
Applications should outline a research agenda covering a well-defined topic in the history of the physical sciences since 1850. The projects should be directed by senior scholars, and funding should be primarily used for supporting graduate students or early-career researchers.
Program outline
Project timeframe and renewal. Applicants may propose projects for an initial period of up to two years with a start date any time between August 2026 and September 2027. Following one year of demonstrated progress, recipients may apply to extend the overall duration of the grant to three years. Recipients may also compete in up to two future application cycles to do follow-on work on the same general project, but extensions may not be requested on follow-on awards. The proposed start date of the proposal will not affect its evaluation.
Collaborating institutions and project personnel. Proposals should involve participation from at least two research institutions in different geographical regions of the world, with the aim of creating bridges between spatially separated institutions and differing research cultures. Proposals should identify a principal investigator, who may be at a collaborating institution in any country, as well as senior researchers who will serve as co-principal investigators at all other collaborating institutions. Proposals should also include provision for at least one graduate student or postdoctoral researcher. Not every collaborating institution is required to employ personnel or to use grant funds. The program encourages travel and visiting arrangements between collaborating institutions.
Budget. Grant budgets may be for up to a maximum of $150,000 per year. Grant funds may cover salary and benefits for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers as well as salary and benefits for part-time project personnel; travel and research costs; and costs to host a workshop. Budgets may include indirect costs (overhead) up to 15% of the total project budget.* Cost-sharing arrangements are allowed. AIP can disburse grant funds to more than one collaborating institution, or funds may be disbursed as subawards. Please work out a preferred funding arrangement with your institutions and detail it in your proposal.
*If institutional rules strictly require higher levels of indirect-cost funding, please specifically identify these rules in your proposal. AIP will consider applications in such cases, but we cannot guarantee parity in proposal evaluation as cost-effectiveness is an evaluation criterion.
Regulatory and administrative requirements. Applicants and their institutions are responsible for compliance with national, local, and institutional rules, regulations, and procedures. Project personnel will be employed through one (or more) of the collaborating institutions, which will be responsible for matters such as visa sponsorship, tax withholding, and healthcare, as applicable. AIP anticipates that requirements and procedures will vary substantially between different nations and institutions, and it will work within the administrative procedures of institutions receiving grant funds. These procedures should be specified clearly in the proposal.
Project outputs. Applicants may propose as intended outputs any combination of traditional scholarly outputs, e.g., books, edited volumes, articles, and conference presentations. Applicants are also encouraged to consider proposing other innovative outputs, such as digital history resources and public data sets. Research materials that can be made publicly available, such as oral history transcripts, multimedia material, and previously unpublished sources gathered in the course of research, may also be proposed as outputs.
Relationship with AIP. AIP expects projects to maintain a collaborative relationship with our history, library, and archives team. While AIP should not be listed as a collaborating institution in the project proposal, projects should provide activity reports to AIP twice per year, contribute short feature articles or project updates to AIP publications, and have personnel present project results at AIP events, either in person or virtually. Applicants are also invited to propose additional ways of collaborating with AIP, such as by depositing oral histories, research documentation, or other materials for potential inclusion in the collections of AIP’s Niels Bohr Library and Archives, or by developing digital or public-facing outputs that could be hosted or supported on AIP platforms.
Proposal guidelines
Research proposal. The main research agenda should be no more than 6 pages in single-spaced, 11 or 12-point font. The research may be on any topic in the history of the physical sciences since 1850. Topics with well-defined parameters that encourage close collaboration (e.g., timeframe, geographical coverage, sub-branch of the physical sciences, etc.) are preferred to more thematic topics that accommodate disparate “case study”-style contributions (e.g., “demarcation practices across the physical sciences”). While the history of the physical sciences is the primary focal point of the Helleman program, we welcome applications involving crossover with areas such as philosophy, social and cultural studies, science policy, science education, and the physical sciences themselves. In addition to a discussion of the topic, proposals should also include a high-level summary of the state of the historiography on that topic, anticipated sources to be consulted, anticipated travel/visiting/collaborative arrangements, and proposed outputs.
Budget outline. Separately, prepare a line-item budget broken down by calendar year, along with any justifying material, such as institutional pay and benefits guidelines or assumptions about travel costs. Also indicate if the project will involve subawards or disbursement to multiple institutions. Likewise indicate any national or institutional regulatory or administrative requirements that AIP will need to abide by, such as funding structures. In communicating with administrative officials, it may be helpful to know that AIP is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of United States Internal Revenue Code, and it is not a philanthropic foundation.
Project personnel. Please provide full CVs for all project personnel, as well as letters of commitment for co-principal investigators from collaborating institutions. Graduate student or postdoctoral researcher candidates may be specifically identified, or they may be recruited at a later date. If they are to be recruited later, please summarize this process and candidates’ preferred qualifications in the research proposal.
Deadline and procedure. The deadline for proposals is March 20, 2026. Applications should be sent as a single pdf attachment by email to helleman@aip.org . AIP aims to complete its evaluation of proposals by April 17, 2026 and to be able to support two grants at any given time.
Proposal consultation. This is a new funding model for our Helleman program, and we anticipate there will be questions and issues to be resolved. We will work with applicants to help craft proposals that meet our expectations, and we encourage applicants to contact us at helleman@aip.org and to request input on draft material. However, draft sharing is not required in order to apply.
Proposal evaluation
Evaluation panel. Once applications are received, AIP will convene a panel of external experts who do not have direct conflicts of interest with any of the proposals. The panel will be chaired by AIP’s director of research in history, policy, and culture.
Evaluation criteria
- Compelling subject matter. The panel will evaluate whether the proposal articulates an original project of significant importance, measured in terms such as (but not limited to) its contribution to the historical record, its use of innovative analytical approaches and outputs, or its implications for the practical governance of the physical sciences enterprise.
- Collaboration and career development. The panel will evaluate how well the project takes advantage of its proposed collaborative arrangement, as well as its ability to advance the career prospects of its personnel.
- Ability to carry the project out. The panel will consider how well the proposal demonstrates awareness of relevant administrative requirements, as well as the practicality of its research agenda and budget.
- Cost-effectiveness. The panel will consider how much research and how many career-development opportunities the project is able to accommodate under the proposed budget. Proposals may consider leveraging collaborative arrangements so that personnel from a lower-cost institution can visit an institution where costs would be higher. However, in all cases, personnel should be paid in accordance with a reasonable standard of living.
FAQ
Q. There are aspects of this program that make it administratively difficult for me to apply. Is there anything that can be done about this?
A. Please contact us. This is a new funding model for the Helleman program and we expect there may be questions and issues requiring resolution. It may be possible to adjust program components so long as adjustments do not create an unfair advantage for any applicant.
Q. Are there restrictions on what combinations of nations the collaborating institutions represent?
A. We expect applications will entail contributions from institutions in two or more countries. There are no restrictions concerning the geographic distribution of these countries. However, the collaborations’ ability to draw on research resources from different geographic regions or to bridge different research cultures will be considered in evaluating the grant. It is not necessary that all collaborating institutions make equal contributions to the project, though all should be substantially involved in some way. If you have questions or concerns about potential restrictions that international relations may place on collaborative arrangements, please contact us.
Q. Does this program have any restrictions or confer any advantages related to participants’ citizenship in particular countries?
A. No.
Q. The renewal provisions are not fully clear. What is the maximum possible duration of a project?
A. If a project receives an extension during its initial award and then successfully competes in two subsequent application cycles, the project would reach a maximum possible duration of seven years. Research institutions can still apply in subsequent cycles, but they should propose a different topic and different collaborating institutions.
Q. Can project funds be used to relieve the teaching obligations of senior personnel?
A. No, the funds can only be used to pay graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, or part-time participants (e.g., a research assistant).
Q. Can funds be used to replace departmental funding for students or postdocs?
A. The program’s intent is to benefit career development and increase capacity for work in history of the physical sciences, so the funds should either enable the acceptance of an additional graduate student or postdoctoral researcher or replace funding tied to teaching obligations.
Note: For information on the earlier phase of the Helleman program, which made fellowship awards between 2021 to 2024, see here.