We are pleased to announce the 2017 OSU Materials Research Seed Grant Program Request for Proposals (RFP), which is open to The Ohio State University (OSU) materials community. This enhanced seed program leverages resources and best practices of the Center for Emergent Materials (CEM), the Center for Exploration of Novel Complex Materials (ENCOMM), and the Institute for Materials Research (IMR). The result is a unified RFP with Funding Tiers designed to achieve the greatest impact for seeding excellence in materials research of varying scopes, and with the goal of generating new directions that extend beyond the boundaries of existing research programs.