Purpose: The
National Science Foundation (NSF) announces the Materials Research Science and
Engineering Centers (MRSECs) program, which provides sustained support of
interdisciplinary materials research and education of the highest quality while
addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering. Each MRSEC addresses
research of a scope and complexity requiring the scale, synergy, and multidisciplinarity provided by a campus-based research
center. The MRSECs support materials research infrastructure in the United
States, promote active collaboration between universities and other sectors,
including industry and international organizations, and contribute to the
development of a national network of university-based centers in materials
research, education, and facilities. A MRSEC may be located at a single
institution, or may involve multiple institutions in partnership, and is
composed of two to three Interdisciplinary Research Groups, IRGs, each
addressing a fundamental materials science topic aligned with the Division of
Materials Research, DMR. The IRGs in a center may be thematically related, or
they may address different aspects of materials science typically supported by
DMR. Only one MRSEC preliminary proposal may be submitted by any one
organization as the lead institution in this competition. An institution
proposing research in several groups should submit a single MRSEC proposal with
multiple IRGs.
Individual Eligibility:
An
individual may be the Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI for only one
preliminary proposal, i.e., no investigator, PI or co-PI, can be listed on the
NSF proposal Cover Sheet on more than one proposal.
Funding Amount/ Project
Period: $2.6 million to $4 million
per year for up to 6 years.
Link
to Funding Opportunity Announcement
Institutional Limit:
1
No
Internal Competition: The
University of Kentucky has designated a qualified applicant team in the College
of Engineering to submit to this program. This team has the requisite expertise
and leadership in materials science and engineering and will coordinate
inclusion of additional collaborators in the formation of this scenter.
Thus, this there will be no internal competition.
Individuals interested in
participating in an IRG within the MRSEC program should contact Dr. John Balk
(john.balk@uky.edu), Associate Dean for
Research in the College of Engineering.
Agency Deadline: Required
pre-proposal- June 24, 2019; Invited full proposal- November 26,
2019