Center for Emergent Materials Call for IRG Proposals for MRSEC Recompetition
The Center for Emergent Materials (CEM), an NSF Material Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), is requesting proposals for Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) to participate in the MRSEC recompetition process. The CEM has just completed four years of its third term and is preparing for a new six-year cycle of funding that will commence in Autumn 2026.
The CEM’s current IRGs will not be continued: all of the IRGs that will participate in the recompetition proposal will be selected based on the results of this competition. Technical overlap of proposed research with the current CEM IRGs is not required, however synergy with the mission of the CEM can be advantageous (for example through shared facilities, techniques, theory/modeling, materials, etc.). Information about the CEM and current IRGs can be found at cem.osu.edu. Successful proposals will be part of the CEM white paper, due to NSF in June 2025. Additionally, successful proposals will be supported with seed funding at the $100k Proto-IRG level.
CEM is soliciting proposals from collaborative teams to form these new IRGs. Full-scale IRGs will have 7-12 faculty members. Proposals will be reviewed according to the same criteria used to select NSF MRSECs. The MRSEC program seeks compelling collaborations assembled for the express purpose of performing the proposed cutting-edge research, which must be of a scale and complexity that requires a center environment. The MRSEC program is the flagship funding mechanism of the Division of Materials Research (DMR), and the research program must fall within their purview; insight into the range of topics can gained at MRSEC.org.
For further information on expectations for a full IRG, such as the requirement for deep and convincing interdisciplinary collaborations, proposers are urged to read the previous NSF RFPs https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/materials-research-science-engineering-centers and solicitations. The solicitation for 2026 is expected in late September, however, the 2023 solicitation is linked here.
Timely and emerging frontiers are highly encouraged. In particular, high-risk/high-impact proposals that are mapping out new paths for discovery and new areas of materials research that will have substantial long-term impact on the industries of tomorrow, as described in the MRSEC solicitation, are encouraged. Fostering the participation of members of underrepresented groups in materials research is imperative for a MRSEC. A competitive IRG is founded on a strong synergy between experimental and theoretical components, and recently there is an even increased emphasis on theory and computation in alignment with the principles of the Materials Genome Initiative.
IRG Team-building Poster Sessions:
Monday, September 30th, 4-6pm, PRB 4138. (3+ person teams)
Friday November 1st, 2-4pm, PRB 4138. (5+ person teams)
We will have a series of team-building poster sessions to encourage the brainstorming, communication and building of IRGs. These poster sessions are meant to facilitate the growth and expansion of cutting edge ideas into full IRGs, and allow potential teams to receive feedback on their proposed research, meet with current CEM faculty, and network across the materials-related disciplines on OSU’s campus to add to their teams.
Teams planning to submit IRG proposals, and researchers interested in joining teams are highly encouraged to participate in both poster sessions. These poster sessions will have light refreshments.
The first poster session will be Monday, September 30th, 4-6pm in Physics Research Building 4138. This first poster session encourages teams with at least 3+ members to discuss their ideas with the materials community to help grow their team. If you are planning to present a poster, please RSVP to Rachel Page (page.257) by Friday, September 27th.
The second poster session will be Friday, November 1st, 2-4pm in PRB 4138. It is our expectation that that teams will have expanded to at least 5+ members. If you are planning to present a poster, please RSVP to Rachel Page (page.257) by Wednesday, October 30th.
All participants will be required to print their own posters and set them up in PRB 4138 and setup will begin 5 minutes before. Participants are requested to email a PDF of their poster to the CEM Business manager at the conclusion of each session. The link for a poster template is here.
Letter of Intent (LOI) for submission: due date December 16th, 2024
LOI should include proposal title; names, titles, and affiliations of IRG leaders and all group members; contact information for the IRG leaders and suggested reviewers (mailing address, email and phone numbers); and proposal abstract (200 words maximum).
Proposal Submission: due date, noon Tuesday, January 21st, 2025
Use a minimum 11-point font size, single-line spacing (Word), or 13.5-point line spacing (Latex) and 1” margins. Proposals longer than the stated page limits and/or omitting information requested below will not be reviewed.
Eligibility: IRG members should hold faculty-level appointments, and IRG leaders must be from OSU. No more than two IRG members should be from external institutions.
IRG Proposal Preparation Instructions
Submit your proposal as an email attachment in one file in PDF format by 12:00 noon on Tuesday, January 21st, 2025 to Rachel Page (page.257@osu.edu). Any proposal that does not meet the deadline will not be considered.
Cover Page (1 page maximum) including: proposal title; names, titles, and affiliations of all group members; contact information for the IRG leaders only (mailing address, email and phone numbers); and proposal abstract (200 words maximum).
Project Description (3 pages maximum) including:
Goals, Vision, and Intellectual Merit: The proposal should clearly make the case that the materials research is of a scope and complexity that would not be feasible under traditional funding of individual research projects. Discuss the relationship of the proposed research to the state-of-the-art in the field including a brief survey of competing research groups and how the proposed IRG will establish a worldwide leadership status. Why is this an important and timely research direction?
Expertise of the team and synergy among team members: Proposed research should be of a scope and complexity that requires the scale and interdisciplinarity provided by a center-level team. Discuss how the proposed team will foster increased participation in materials research and education of members of underrepresented groups in science and engineering (e.g. women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities) at all academic levels. Discuss the role of theory and modeling in accomplishing the proposed research. Why is this the ideal team?
Proposed 6-year Research Program: Proposed research should explain how the big picture goals will be accomplished in different research thrusts. Each thrust should be clearly motivated and explained, and illustrate how the group’s participants will integrate their complementary backgrounds, skills, and knowledge to achieve these goals. What is the scientific motivation for each thrust and how will the IRG accomplish these goals?
References Cited (no page limit)
Curriculum Vitae (2 pages, consistent with NSF guidelines) for all IRG members
Current and Pending for all IRG members. In addition to standard current and pending information requirements, it must describe the relationship with the proposed IRG research with particular attention to overlaps.
Recommended reviewers We recommend that proposers suggest reviewers external to OSU who would be able to knowledgeably critique their proposal.
Technical Contact: Joshua Goldberger, Goldberger.4@osu.edu