2026-2027 Proto-IRG Seed LOIs Due

The Materials Research Seed Grant Program (MRSGP) is pleased to announce the 2026-2027 Materials Research Proto-IRG Seed Program, now open to faculty across Ohio State’s materials research community. Funding Tiers Available: Proto-IRG (Interdisciplinary Research Group) Grant $100,000/yr (Tier 1) and $150,000/yr (Tier 2) in direct costs (GRA positions, postdocs, research expenses) Tier 1 requires one Principal Investigator (PI) and at least one Co-PI; Tier 2 requires one PI and at least two Co-PIs. Designed to seed leading interdisciplinary research teams with innovative, leading ideas that can form the basis of the next MRSEC competition (2028-2029) Prior to the Letter of Intent (LOI) submission, CEM will also host a team building poster session on 4:00-6:00 pm on Wednesday, August 26th 2026. PIs can present their research ideas, receive feedback from different faculty, and recruit additional members. Researchers can also learn about new ideas and join emerging teams. Light refreshments will be served. Applicants planning to submit a proposal in response to this RFP are required to submit a Letter LOI as one file in PDF format via email to cem@osu.edu with Rachel Page at page.257@osu.edu and Joanna Gardner (gardner.306@osu.edu). We encourage faculty across the materials community to consider applying, especially faculty who have not yet been part of an NSF-funded IRG. MRSGP has a strong track record of launching new research directions, producing high-impact results, and securing major external awards. We look forward to seeing this year’s innovative proposals and the next wave of ideas shaping OSU’s materials research enterprise.