OSU Materials Research Seed Grant Program – 2024 Award Announcement

We are pleased to announce that after a thorough internal and external review process, 2 Exploratory Materials Research Grants (EMRGs), 3 Multidisciplinary Team Building Grants (MTBGs), and 2 Proto-IRG Grants have been selected to fund exceptionally promising, innovative materials research on campus.

The OSU Materials Research Seed Grant Program (MRSGP) provides internal research funding opportunities designed to achieve the greatest impact for seeding and advancing excellence in materials research of varying scopes. It is jointly funded and managed by the Center for Emergent Materials (CEM), an NSF MRSEC [NSF DMR-2011876], the Center for Exploration of Novel Complex Materials (ENCOMM), and the Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research (IMR). Congratulations to this year’s awardees!

EMRGs – ($50,000 each) enable nascent and innovative materials research to emerge to the point of being competitive for external funding:

  • “In situ resource utilization with parallel extraction and additive manufacturing of lunar regolith for aluminum alloys”
    PI: Sarah Wolff, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with a joint appointment in Integrated Systems Engineering
    Co-PI: Alan Luo, Donald D. Glower Chair in Engineering, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, with a joint appointment in Integrated Systems Engineering
  • “Phase-field modeling of morphology evolution at anode/electrolyte interfaces of Li-metal-based all-solid-state batteries”
    PI: Yanzhou Ji, Assistant Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
    Co-PI: Jung Hyun Kim, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

MTBGSs – ($70,000 each) forming multidisciplinary materials research teams that can compete effectively for federal block-funding opportunities, such as the NSF MRSEC program:

  • “Development of Metallic Alloy Anodes for Solid-State Batteries”
    PI: Jung Hyun Kim, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
    Co-PI: Alan Luo, Donald D. Glower Chair in Engineering, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, with a joint appointment in Integrated Systems Engineering
  • “Exploring Zeolite Solide State Electrolytes for Potassium Batteries”
    PI: Yiying Wu, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
    Co-PI: Nicholas Brunelli, Professor & Ervin G. Bailey Chair in Energy Conversion, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
  • “Quantum Twist Microscope”
    PI: Marc Bockrath, Professor, Physics
    Co-PI: Jay Gupta, Professor, Physics

Proto-IRGs – ($100,000 each) forming multidisciplinary materials research teams that can compete effectively for federal block-funding opportunities, such as the NSF MRSEC program:

  • “Transducing conformational dynamics across scales”
    PI: Carlos Castro, Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
    Co-PI: Ralf Bundschuh, Professor, Physics
    Co-PI: Michael Poirier, Professor, Physics
  • “Superconductivity at the Nexus of Magnetism and Ferroelectricity for Quantum Applications”
    PI: Salva Salmani-Rezaie, Assistant Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
    Co-PI: Kaveh Ahadi, Assistant Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
    Co-PI: Jeanie Lau, Professor, Physics
    Co-PI: Nandini Trivedi, Professor, Physics

2022 OSU Materials Research Seed Grant Program Request for Proposals

We are pleased to announce the 2022-2023 Materials Research Seed Grant Program Request for Proposals (RFP). This enhanced seed program leverages resources and best practices of the Center for Emergent Materials (CEM), an NSF MRSEC; the Center for Exploration of Novel Complex Materials (ENCOMM); and the Institute for Materials Research (IMR).

The three funding tiers of the OSU Materials Research Seed Grant Program offered are:

Proto-IRG Grants
Proto-IRG Grants provide funds up to $100,000/year per award in direct costs, require one Principal Investigator (PI) and two Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs), and may have unfunded collaborators with the goal of forming new Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) within the CEM, a National Science Foundation (NSF) supported Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC).  These proposals should fall within the program scope of the Division of Materials Research at the NSF.  We invite proposers to communicate with CEM representatives (https://cem.osu.edu/) to identify competitive topics.

Multidisciplinary Team Building Grants
MTBGs provide funds up to $70,000/year per award in direct costs, and require one PI and one Co-PI, and may have unfunded collaborators, with the goal of forming multidisciplinary materials research teams that can compete effectively for federal block-funding opportunities, such as the NSF MRSEC program.

Exploratory Materials Research Grants
EMRGs provide funds up to $50,000/year per award in direct costs, and require one PI, and may have Co-PIs and/or unfunded collaborators, with the goal of enabling nascent and innovative materials research to emerge to the point of being competitive for external funding.  EMRGs, while open to all faculty, emphasizes support of pre-tenure faculty members.

Key Dates:

  • Request for Proposals Issued: Monday, October 24, 2022
  • MRSGP Virtual Open House: Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 4:00 PM ET
  • Letters of Intent Due: Monday, January 9, 2023 at 5:00 PM ET
  • Notice of MRSGP Appropriateness: Monday, January 16, 2023
  • Proto-IRG and Multidisciplinary Team Building Grants tiers only – Mandatory Team Proposal Presentations: Wednesday, January 25, February 1, and February 8, 2023
    • 4:00-5:00 PM, Physics Research Building, Room 4138
  • Proposals Due (All Funding Tiers): Monday, March 6, 2023 at 5:00 PM ET
  • Awards Announced (anticipated): Friday, August 26, 2023
  • Funded Projects Start Date (anticipated): Friday, September 1, 2023 (12-month project period)

Have a question? Please contact IMR Proposal Development Specialist Joanna Gardner, at gardner.306@osu.edu , or visit our MRSGP webpage.

 

NSF: Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI-2022/23)

Full Proposal Deadline Date: March 10, 2022 

The Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) program of the NSF Directorate for Engineering (ENG) serves a critical role in helping ENG focus on important emerging areas in a timely manner. This solicitation is a funding opportunity for interdisciplinary teams of researchers to embark on rapidly advancing frontiers of fundamental engineering research. For this solicitation, we will consider proposals that aim to investigate emerging frontiers in one of the following two research areas:

  • Engineered Living Systems (ELiS)
  • Brain-Inspired Dynamics for Engineering Energy-Efficient Circuits and Artificial Intelligence (BRAID)

This solicitation will be coordinated with the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), and the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), along with Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Department of Defense – Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

EFRI seeks proposals with potentially transformative ideas that represent an opportunity for a significant shift in fundamental engineering knowledge with a strong potential for long term impact on national needs or a grand challenge. The proposals must also meet the detailed requirements delineated in this solicitation.

Click here for program guidelines and more information

2020 OSU Materials Research Seed Grant Program Request for Proposals

We are pleased to announce the 2020 OSU Materials Research Seed Grant Program Request for Proposals (RFP). 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 three Funding Tiers of the OSU Materials Research Seed Grant Program are:

Multidisciplinary Team Building Grants
MTBG Grants provide funds up to $60,000/year per award in direct costs, and require one PI and one Co-PI, and may have unfunded collaborators, with the goal of forming multidisciplinary materials research teams that can compete effectively for federal block-funding opportunities, such as the NSF MRSEC program.

Exploratory Materials Research Grants
EMRG provide funds up to $40,000/year per award in direct costs, and require one PI, and may have Co-PIs and/or unfunded collaborators, with the goal of enabling nascent and innovative materials research to emerge to the point of being competitive for external funding.

Interdisciplinary Research Groups
IRG grant proposals are not being requested in this 2020 RFP. The Center for Emergent Materials (CEM): A National Science Foundation funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) is currently undergoing a renewal review.

Key Dates:

  • Request for Proposals Issued: Wednesday, October 16, 2019
  • MRSGP Open House: Wednesday, November 13, 2019 (3:00pm-5:00pm, IMR Innovation Laboratory, 1381 Kinnear Road, Room 218)
  • Letters of Intent Due: Friday, December 6, 2019 at 5:00 PM
  • Notice of MRSGP Appropriateness: Friday, January 10, 2019
  • Multidisciplinary Team Building Grants Tier – Mandatory Team Proposal Presentations: January 22, 29, and February 5, 2020 (4:15-5:15 PM, Physics Research Building, Room 4138)
  • Proposals Due (All Funding Tiers): Monday, March 2, 2020 at 5:00 PM
  • Awards Announced (anticipated): June 2020
  • Funded Projects Start Date (anticipated): Beginning of Autumn Semester, 2020

Have a question? Please contact IMR Grants Developer Joanna Gardner at gardner.306@osu.edu or visit our MRSGP webpage.

 

2014 Seed Grant Program RFP Now Available

CEM is pleased to announce the 2014 OSU Materials Research Seed Grant Program Request for Proposals is now available.  This internal seed grant program is open to The Ohio State University materials community and offers two Funding Tiers to cover the breadth of materials research at OSU.

click here for the 2014 RFP with full details and instructions

The two Funding Tiers of the 2014 OSU Materials Research Seed Grant Program are:

  1. Multidisciplinary Team Building Grants, which provide funds up to $60,000/year per award in direct costs, and require one PI and one Co-PI, and may have unfunded collaborators, with the goal of forming multidisciplinary materials research teams that can compete effectively for federal block-funding opportunities.
  2. Exploratory Materials Research Grants, which provide funds up to $40,000/year per award in direct costs, and require one PI, and may have Co-PIs and/or unfunded collaborators, with the goal of enabling nascent and innovative materials research to emerge to the point of being competitive for external funding. 

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