Group items tagged

CMMT supports theoretical and computational materials research in the topical areas represented in DMR's Topical Materials Research Programs (these are also variously known as Individual Investigator Award (IIA) Programs, or Core Programs, or Disciplinary Programs), which include: Condensed Matter Physics (CMP), Biomaterials (BMAT), Ceramics (CER), Electronic and Photonic Materials (EPM), Metals and Metallic Nanostructures (MMN), Polymers (POL), and Solid State and Materials Chemistry (SSMC). The CMMT program supports fundamental research that advances conceptual understanding of hard and soft materials, and materials-related phenomena; the development of associated analytical, computational, and data-centric techniques; and predictive materials-specific theory, simulation, and modeling for materials research.Research may encompass the advance of new paradigms in materials research, including emerging data-centric approaches utilizing data-analytics or machine learning. Computational efforts span from the level of workstations to advanced and high-performance scientific computing. Emphasis is on approaches that begin at the smallest appropriate length scale, such as electronic, atomic, molecular, nano-, micro-, and mesoscale, required to yield fundamental insight into material properties, processes, and behavior, to predict new materials and states of matter, and to reveal new materials phenomena. Approaches that span multiple scales of length and time may be required to advance fundamental understanding of materials properties and phenomena, particularly for polymeric materials and soft matter.

The Design of Engineering Material Systems (DEMS) program supports fundamental research intended to lead to new paradigms of design, development, and insertion of advanced engineering material systems.  Fundamental research that develops and creatively integrates theory, processing/manufacturing, data/informatics, experimental, and/or computational approaches with rigorous engineering design principles, approaches, and tools to enable the accelerated design and development of materials is welcome.    Research proposals are sought that strive to develop systematic scientific methodologies to tailor the behavior of material systems in ways that are driven by performance metrics and incorporate processing/manufacturing.  While an emphasis on a specific material system may be appropriate to provide the necessary project focus, techniques developed should transcend materials systems.  Ultimately it is expected that research outcomes will be methodologies to enable the discovery of materials systems with new properties and behavior, and enable their rapid insertion into engineering systems. Proposals that focus on modeling, simulation, and prediction of material performance (even when research is coupled with experiments for validation or guidance) without an intellectual emphasis on design are not appropriate for this program and should be submitted to other disciplinary programs.

Fundamental research topics of interest in SusChEM include the replacement of rare, expensive, and/or toxic chemicals/materials with earth-abundant, inexpensive, and benign chemicals/materials; recycling of chemicals/materials that cannot be replaced; development of non-petroleum based sources of important raw materials; the elimination of waste products and enhancement in efficiencies of chemical reactions and processes; discovery of new separation science that will facilitate recycling and production of valuable chemicals/materials; and development and characterization of low cost, sustainable and scalable-manufactured materials with improved properties.

The Materials Engineering and Processing (MEP) program supports fundamental research addressing the interrelationship of materials processing, structure, properties and/or life-cycle performance for targeted applications. Research proposals should be driven by the performance or output of the material system relative to the targeted application(s). Research plans driven by scientific hypotheses are encouraged when suitable. Materials in bulk form or focus on special zones such as surfaces or interfaces that are to be used in structural and/or functional applications are appropriate. All material systems are of interest including polymers, metals, ceramics, semiconductors, composites and hybrids thereof. Analytical, experimental, and numerical studies are supported and collaborative proposals with industry (GOALI) are encouraged.

The Materials Engineering and Processing (MEP) program supports fundamental research addressing the interrelationship of materials processing, structure, properties and/or life-cycle performance for targeted applications. Research proposals should be driven by the performance or output of the material system relative to the targeted application(s). Research plans driven by scientific hypotheses are encouraged when suitable. Materials in bulk form or focus on special zones such as surfaces or interfaces that are to be used in structural and/or functional applications are appropriate. All material systems are of interest including polymers, metals, ceramics, semiconductors, composites and hybrids thereof. Analytical, experimental, and numerical studies are supported and collaborative proposals with industry (GOALI) are encouraged.

Individual Warfighter protection against battlefield threats such as ballistics, enemy detection, chemical and biological agents, and IEDs is essential to the continued effectiveness of the fighting force. At the same time, protective materials (clothing/armor, etc.) must also be effective and ensure survival under extremes of environmental (temperature and humidity) conditions without significant sacrifices in Warfighter comfort. Current textile technologies require multiple components to be added to the Warfighter uniform in order to meet these threats. Development of novel multifunctional materials would have significant impact on Warfighter load, increasing their sustainability in the field. In addition to threat survivability, there is a strong interest in the new and growing field of "wearables." The wearables field is of interest insofar as it relates to the integration of electronic capabilities in to textile materials, combat clothing and combat field equipment worn by Warfighters.

The SMM program supports fundamental research on the behavior of civil infrastructure materials and the mechanics of structural components in the built environment.  Of particular interest is research on structural components consisting of natural and synthetic materials, their response to mechanical, hydrothermal, and time-dependent loads, and their impact on life-cycle performance and sustainable development of the civil infrastructure.

The GEOMM program supports fundamental research on the mechanical and engineering properties of geologic materials including natural, mechanically stabilized, and biologically or chemically modified soil and rock.  The program also addresses hydraulic, biological, chemical and thermal processes that affect the behavior of geologic materials.  Research at the micro-scale on soil-structure interaction and liquefaction are included in the scope of this program.  Support is provided for theoretical studies, constitutive and numerical modeling, laboratory, centrifuge, and field testing.  Cross-disciplinary and international collaborations are encouraged.

With this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative is soliciting collaborative research teams to define and fabricate model systems that utilize a single p-n junction device structure and have the potential to approach Shockley-Queisser power conversion efficiency limits (for a chosen bandgap and absorber material). The emphasis of this FOA is assembling cohesive and highly diverse teams of experts within and outside the PV community who can achieve the goals of creating a model system concept and a subsequent device that can approach theoretical limits. DOE SunShot anticipates significant collaboration between experts in fundamental materials, characterization, device physics, ab-initio simulations, and PV device integration to adequately address these issues.

DARPA's Living Foundries: 1000 Molecules program seeks to build a scalable, integrated, rapid design and prototyping infrastructure for the facile engineering of biology. This infrastructure will enable transformative and currently inaccessible projects to develop advanced chemicals, materials, sensing capabilities, and therapeutics. Furthermore, the infrastructure will provide a flexible, efficient, and continuously improving capability to Department of Defense (DoD) and the engineering biology community. A final proof-of-principle demonstration of capabilities will require rapid design and prototyping centers to generate 1000 novel molecules and chemical building blocks, thus enabling access to radical new materials.

The Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), announces its interest in receiving applications from small collaborative groups of investigators for support of combined experimental and theoretical efforts to advance ultrafast chemical and materials science. 

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program stimulates technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting Federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results, and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. The SBIR program solicits proposals from the small business sector consistent with NSF's mission. The program is governed by Public Law 112-81 (SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011). A main purpose of the legislation is to stimulate technological innovation and increase private sector commercialization. The NSF SBIR program is therefore in a unique position to meet both the goals of NSF and the purpose of the SBIR legislation by transforming scientific discovery into both social and economic benefit, and by emphasizing private sector commercialization. Accordingly, NSF has formulated broad solicitation topics for SBIR that conform to the high-technology investment sector's interests. The topics are: Biological and Chemical Technologies (BC) Education Applications (EA) Electronics, Information and Communication Technologies (EI) Nanotechnology, Advanced Materials, and Manufacturing (NM)

Networks for Sustainable Molecular Design and Synthesis are groups of two or more researchers working in trans-disciplinary fields to promote the development of safe and sustainable chemicals as well as safe and sustainable synthetic procedures. For this solicitation, "chemicals" refers broadly to any and all materials, inorganic and organic compounds,??and??individual chemicals or mixtures of chemicals (e.g., endocrine disruptors, chlorofluorocarbons,??transition metal-based catalysts, macromolecules, and nanomaterials).?? Advances resulting from these Networks are expected to result in chemicals that are safer and more sustainable throughout their life cycle and thus,??the replacement of rare, toxic, and expensive chemicals with earth abundant, benign, and renewable alternatives is anticipated.

The Fluid Dynamics program supports fundamental research and education on mechanisms and phenomena governing fluid flow. Proposed research should contribute to basic understanding; thus enabling the better design; predictability; efficiency; and control of systems that involve fluids. Encouraged are proposals that address innovative uses of fluids in materials development; manufacturing; biotechnology; nanotechnology; clinical diagnostics and drug delivery; sensor development and integration; energy and the environment. While the research should focus on fundamentals, a clear connection to potential application should be outlined.

To continue to strengthen the innovation ecosystem, NSF is revising NSF 12-511 to promote two choices under the Partnerships for Innovation (PFI): Accelerating Innovation Research (AIR) subprogram.  The first choice, Technology Translation, encourages the translation of technologically-promising research discoveries made by prior and/or current NSF-funded investigators toward a path of commercialization; while the second choice, Research Alliance, promotes synergistic collaborations between an existing NSF-funded research alliance (including consortia such as Engineering Research Centers, Industry University Cooperative Research Centers, Science and Technology Centers, Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers, Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers, Centers for Chemical Innovation, and Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation grantees) and other public and private entities to motivate the translation and transfer of research discoveries into innovative technologies and commercial reality.  Both of these choices are designed to accelerate innovation that results in the creation of new wealth and the building of strong local, regional, and national economies.

The Fluid Dynamics program supports fundamental research and education on mechanisms and phenomena governing fluid flow.  Proposed research should contribute to basic understanding; thus enabling the better design; predictability; efficiency; and control of systems that involve fluids.  Encouraged are proposals that address innovative uses of fluids in materials development; manufacturing; biotechnology; nanotechnology; clinical diagnostics and drug delivery; sensor development and integration; energy and the environment. While the research should focus on fundamentals, a clear connection to potential application should be outlined.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals in the area of processes and technology for assembly of systems, components, and materials at millimeter scale or larger from nanometer scale constituents. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

The Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) on behalf of the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies (VT) Program, is seeking applications that will lead to computational modeling advances and development of lightweight alloys for lightweighting and propulsion applications. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) includes three (3) Areas of Interest; Area of Interest 3 includes two (2) subtopics. Areas of Interest are indentified below:   Area of Interest 1:  Predictive Engineering Tools for Injection Molded Long Carbon Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Area of Interest 2:  Integrated Computation Materials Engineering (ICME) Development of Advanced Steel for Lightweight Vehicles Area of Interest 3:  Advanced Alloy Development for Automotive and Heavy-Duty Engines 3a) Lightweight Cast Alloy Development for Light Duty Automotive Engine Applications 3b) High Strength Cast Alloy Development for Heavy-Duty On-Road Engine Applications

NineSigma, representing a Global Manufacturer, invites proposals for materials, coatings, chemicals or additives that will clearly identify where a surface has been in contact with or otherwise disrupted by external sources.

The purpose of this FOA is to seek, identify and support bold and innovative approaches to broaden graduate and postdoctoral training, such that training programs reflect the range of career options that trainees (regardless of funding source) ultimately may pursue and that are required for a robust biomedical, behavioral, social and clinical research enterprise. Collaborations with non-academic partners are encouraged to ensure that experts from a broad spectrum of research and research-related careers contribute to coursework, rotations, internships or other forms of exposure. This program will establish a new paradigm for graduate and postdoctoral training; awardee institutions will work together to define needs and share best practices.