Call for Research Program Proposals

The Simons Institute invites the worldwide theoretical computer science (TCS) and related communities to submit proposals to organize a research program or cluster at the Simons Institute for Fall 2027 or later. Proposals are due June 15, 2026. Proposers are encouraged to contact a member of the Institute leadership in advance of this deadline to get preliminary feedback on the program topic.

Proposals may be for standard semester-long programs, longer academic-year programs, shorter summer clusters, or more experimental convenings, such as a short intensive program during a regular academic semester (a new option available for the first time this year). Proposals should indicate any constraints or preferences for the timing of the program. 

The following figures give a rough idea of the scale of a typical semester-long program: A research program is run by a group of 4–6 organizers, who oversee the scientific content and issue invitations to others to participate in the program. Most of the organizers are expected to be in residence for the duration of the program. Programs typically have around a dozen senior (faculty-level) visitors who spend the full semester at the Institute, with another 10 or so long-term visitors (who spend a month or longer in residence) at any given time. In addition, programs also include 6–8 programmatic research fellows (junior scientists within at most five years post-Ph.D.), 5–15 visiting and local graduate students, and a law and society fellow (if relevant). A program typically includes three week-long workshops during the semester, each of which attracts around 50 additional participants. There is also an intensive introductory boot camp at the start of the program, and a week-long reunion workshop one year after the program's conclusion. 

A typical summer cluster runs for six to eight weeks, with around 25 long-term visitors, and typically includes one workshop. 

Organizers are given a budget that is intended to provide expense support for visitors, based on need.

The Institute is committed to identifying programs that can potentially lead to substantial advances in the field, rather than "business as usual." In keeping with this objective, we particularly encourage programs that bring together two or more distinct groups of researchers with related interests (some of which may lie outside TCS) that do not generally collaborate on a regular basis; programs that seek to define an agenda for a relatively new subfield; or programs that propose a novel and timely attack on major open problems. The proposal should outline clearly the connections of the program to the theory of computing.

 

Submission guidelines
We welcome proposals in any reasonable format. As a guideline, however, we would expect a proposal for a semester-long program to include the following elements:

  • Program description (scientific scope, including a discussion of its potential impact both within and outside TCS, its timeliness, and its ability to significantly advance an area in ways that could not be achieved through standard collaborations and meetings) — about 3–4 pages in length. References to relevant literature should also be included.
  • Brief (one paragraph each) descriptions of three workshops to be held during the program; for each workshop, please indicate potential organizers (may include one or more program organizers, or may be disjoint), and a list of potential additional attendees. (It is assumed that most of the long-term program participants will attend the workshops as well.)
  • List of program organizers: 4–6 leading scientists, who together span the topics of the program and most of whom are committed to spending all or most of the semester at the Institute.
  • List of other likely senior attendees: this should include other faculty-level visitors who will be invited to visit the program for extended periods (at least one month, preferably longer); please indicate which of these you have already contacted and which anticipate spending all or most of the semester at the Institute. Please reach out to us for information regarding the level of support we offer to program visitors, as this may be useful information to share in contacting potential visitors. Proposers are also encouraged to discuss limitations on budget and space with one of us before contacting potential participants.
  • List of potential programmatic research fellows: the program will have 6–8 of these; most of these positions will be left open for recruitment in an annual competition, but some may be pre-allocated in consultation with the Institute; this category may range in seniority from graduate students who are expected to graduate before the start of the program through junior faculty (up to five years post-Ph.D.).
  • List of potential law and society fellow candidates, if relevant.
  • List of invitees (junior and senior) who will further the Institute's goals of promoting the participation of women and under-represented minorities in its programs.
     

Pre-proposal option
Since it can be a considerable amount of effort to write a proposal, we will also consider a shorter (1–2 page) pre-proposal which that allow us to evaluate whether the topic is suitable for a semester-long program. If a pre-proposal is approved, then we will consider a full proposal in the next round of review. Pre-proposals should still include names of the organizers, scientific justification, plans for workshops, and possible program participants. It is not necessary, however, to contact potential program participants in advance. Please note that given time constraints, there is no pre-proposal option at this time for proposals for Fall 2027 programs. 
 

Submitting your proposal
Proposals should be emailed as a single PDF document to any or all members of the Institute leadership listed below, all of whom will be happy to answer questions or assist with the development of proposals.