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NSF 26-521: MPS Materials Research Programs (MPS Materials)

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Program Solicitation NSF 26-521

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U.S. National Science Foundation

Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time):

     Proposals Accepted Anytime

Please check the Program Description section for information about preferred proposal submission period within the federal fiscal year.

Important Information and Revision Notes

This solicitation consolidates most materials research funding opportunities within the NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect at the time the proposal is submitted. The NSF PAPPG is regularly revised and it is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets the requirements specified in this solicitation and the applicable version of the PAPPG.

Summary of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title:

MPS Materials Research Programs (MPS Materials)

Synopsis of Program:

The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF MPS) supports multiple materials research programs that advance fundamental understanding of materials, their properties, and their potential applications.

The programs covered by this solicitation are:

  • Biomaterials
  • Ceramics
  • Condensed Matter and Materials Theory
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Electronic and Photonic Materials
  • Metals and Metallic Nanostructures
  • Polymers
  • Solid State and Materials Chemistry

Other materials research funding opportunities are covered by separate NSF solicitations, such as the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers and Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future.

NSF MPS is particularly interested in intellectually ambitious and potentially transformative foundational research. Proposals need not promise a near-term product, deployment, or commercial outcome, nor need they address later-stage development to be competitive.

NSF Priorities

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) supports foundational research that leads to scientific breakthroughs and opens new frontiers of human knowledge. NSF investments in scientific discovery underpin technological innovation across industries, strengthening U.S. economic competitiveness, enhancing national security, and improving quality of life for all Americans.

NSF's priority under this funding opportunity is to advance foundational research, spanning both incremental advances that build systematically on prior scholarship and bold, high-risk inquiries capable of reshaping entire fields. NSF places particular emphasis on projects that challenge prevailing paradigms, ask important questions, develop new theories or methods, create research tools or datasets that enable further research, or open new lines of inquiry. Proposals need not promise a near-term product, deployment, or commercial outcome, nor must they address later-stage development in a named technology priority to be competitive. NSF further recognizes that the most consequential discoveries increasingly emerge at the boundary between disciplines, and it therefore strongly encourages proposals that forge novel connections across scientific domains.

Within this mandate, NSF is especially interested in intellectually ambitious and potentially transformative research; work that creates opportunities for exceptional early-career investigators; and proposals that leverage emerging technologies, including AI, advanced computation, and automation, to make new modes, methods, or scales of science possible. The use of these tools should be scientifically justified rather than incidental. Beyond accelerating existing workflows, such tools open fundamentally new scientific questions, reveal patterns invisible to prior methods, and enable experimental and analytical capabilities.

To support this vision, NSF seeks proposals spanning a wide range of funding levels and project durations. NSF is working to expand opportunities at both ends of this spectrum, including rapid grants that allow researchers to quickly test exploratory ideas and longer, larger awards that provide sustained support for ambitious, transformative research. For preliminary or time-sensitive work, NSF encourages investigators to use mechanisms such as Planning Proposal, RAPID, EAGER, and RAISE (see Chapter II.F of the PAPPG for more information). Where longer awards would benefit the pursuit of ambitious, transformative research and reduce administrative burden on investigators, NSF encourages proposals requesting up to five years of support. Investigators may consider the options above, and others, outside of the project sizes and durations specified in this funding opportunity.

NSF welcomes submissions from all researchers, particularly those earlier in their careers and those working in the foundational research areas highlighted in the Administration's FY28 Research and Development Budget Priorities Memorandum. NSF also expects the highest standards of scientific rigor, transparency, reproducibility, research integrity, and adherence to tenets of Gold Standard Science in proposals, as appropriate for the field of science and research modality.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact.

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

  • 47.049 - Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 200 to 300

Anticipated Funding Amount: $100,000,000

Anticipated funding amount is subject to the availability of funds.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

  • Letters of Intent: Not required
  • Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not required
  • Full Proposals:

B. Budgetary Information

  • Cost Sharing Requirements:

    Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

  • Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:

    Not Applicable

  • Other Budgetary Limitations:

    Not Applicable

C. Due Dates

  • Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time):

         Proposals Accepted Anytime

Proposal Review Information Criteria

Merit Review Criteria:

National Science Board approved criteria apply.

Award Administration Information

Award Conditions:

Standard NSF award conditions apply.

Reporting Requirements:

Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.

I. Introduction

Materials research is the pursuit of fundamental understanding of the properties and phenomena of materials. Over the years, NSF investment in foundational materials research have led to breakthroughs such as the discovery of correlated, magnetic and topological states in quantum materials; superconductivity; radiation-tolerant materials; and neural networks, which laid the foundation for today's artificial intelligence (AI) engines. Advances in materials research underpin areas such as quantum materials science, semiconductors, photonics, and advanced manufacturing, and are necessary for achieving new types of electronic devices, energy production and storage, nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear containment, high-performance materials under extreme conditions and for space-exploration, smart fabrics and linings, and biocompatible devices and implants.

MPS-supported foundational research showed that semiconductor crystals only a few nanometers wide emit different colors depending on their size. The discovery led to the development of methods for reliably producing "quantum dots" which are necessary for next-generation displays, enhanced biological imaging, and emerging quantum technologies. MPS-supported foundational research also established the theoretical and experimental foundations of topological insulators which allow electricity to flow along their surfaces with exceptional stability and zero energy loss, even in the presence of defects, offering a way to bypass the physical limits of traditional silicon chips.

Materials research brings together physics, chemistry, materials science and engineering, and other fields.

In alignment with the Administration's Fiscal Year 2028 Research and Development Budget Priorities Memorandum, the U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF MPS) supports foundational materials research that goes beyond disciplinary scientific and engineering boundaries, advancing fundamental understanding of materials, their properties and their potential applications. Such projects span the following areas:

  • Materials discovery, characterization and modeling
  • Understanding and predicting electronic, atomic and molecular structures, mechanisms and processes
  • Manipulation and control of materials properties
  • Emerging phenomena of matter and materials
  • Novel design, synthesis and processing strategies to produce materials and combinations of materials with unique characteristics

Materials research projects supported by NSF MPS may be purely experimental. Experimental projects use state-of-the-art laboratory techniques and approaches. Projects may also be theoretical and use computation, data-centric and modeling approaches. Theoretical projects advance fundamental conceptual understanding of hard and soft materials and materials-related phenomena. Many supported projects combine both experimental and theoretical approaches.

II. Program Description

This solicitation invites proposal submissions to the following NSF MPS materials research programs.

All proposals to these programs must be submitted through this solicitation, unless specified otherwise in another NSF program solicitation, such as the NSF-wide Faculty Early Career Development program (CAREER).

  • Biomaterials: Supports foundational research on biological, biomimetic, bioinspired and bioenabled materials, and on synthetic materials intended for applications where they will be in contact with biological systems.
  • Ceramics: Supports foundational research on ceramics, glass-ceramics, inorganic glasses, ceramic-based composites and inorganic carbon-based materials to develop predictive capabilities for these materials.
  • Condensed Matter and Materials Theory: Supports foundational theoretical research on hard and soft materials and related phenomena; the development of associated analytical, computational and data-centric techniques; and develops predictive materials-specific theory, simulation and modeling.
  • Condensed Matter Physics: Supports foundational research in the investigation of the fundamental physics underlying condensed matter systems, including both hard and soft matter.
  • Electronic and Photonic Materials: Supports foundational research in the development of advanced materials to enable transformative advances in electronics, optoelectronics and photonics for use in computing, communications and sensing.
  • Metals and Metallic Nanostructures: Supports foundational research on the relationships between structure and properties of metals and their alloys.
  • Polymers: Supports research on the foundations of polymeric materials and polymer science, spanning the molecular level to the nanoscale and macroscale.
  • Solid State and Materials Chemistry: Supports foundational research on organic, inorganic and hybrid materials, with an emphasis on materials synthesis and the relationships between material structure and properties.

Of the programs above, Condensed Matter and Materials Theory is unique in its breadth. It supports theoretical and computational materials research in topical areas spanning all seven other programs.

Other materials research funding opportunities are covered by separate solicitations, including the following:

  • Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF)
  • Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC)
  • Materials Innovation Platforms (MIP)
  • National user facilities for materials research
  • The NSF-wide Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)

Proposals should advance one or more of the following measures of success:

  • Publications from research or other scholarly outputs
  • Data sets established or expanded
  • New technologies or techniques established
  • Undergraduates, graduates and postdoctoral fellows supported
  • Undergraduate and graduate students trained in a specific critical area

Proposals must demonstrate how the measures of success will occur. Progress on measures of success must be reported in each annual report.

Important Additional Information:

Proposals submitted under the following categories and funding opportunities are also welcome through this solicitation:

Proposals that fall outside the scope of the programs covered by this solicitation will be returned without review.

  • To avoid proposals being returned without review, prospective principal investigators should contact the relevant program with any questions prior to submitting a proposal.
  • If possible, proposals should be submitted between June 15 - April 15 of the following year. Proposals submitted between June 15 and April 15 of the following year may be processed faster than those submitted outside this window due to fiscal year timing.

Other than the following exceptions, all proposals must be submitted through this solicitation, otherwise they will be returned without review. These exceptions include programs that have their own solicitation:

PIs must contact the relevant materials research program before submitting a proposal of these types:

  • Early-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER)
  • Rapid Response Research (RAPID)
  • Supplemental funding

Projects anticipating the inclusion of Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) or Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) activities must include those as part of the research proposal. Exceptions include the NSF INTERN Program and Veterans Research Supplement Program.

III. Award Information

Estimated program budget and number of awards are subject to the availability of funds.

IV. Eligibility Information

Who May Submit Proposals:

Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

  • Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of sub-awards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus.
  • Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities.
  • Tribal Nations: An American Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges as a federally recognized tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. §§ 5130-5131.

Who May Serve as PI:

See "Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI" below.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 1

There are annual limits on the number of submitted proposals that can list the same individual as either principal investigator (PI) or co-PI per fiscal year. Beginning October 1 of each year, no more than one proposal per fiscal year may list the same individual as either PI or co-PI. Additionally:

  • That limit applies collectively to all proposals submitted per fiscal year across the eight materials research programs covered by this solicitation (other than the exceptions below).
  • NSF will return without review any subsequent proposals submitted during the same fiscal year that list the same individual as PI or co-PI, as described above.
  • This restriction also applies to proposals submitted to the following funding opportunities:
    • Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI)
    • Facilitating Research at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions: (RUI and ROA-PUI)
    • Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering (CDS&E)
    • International collaborative research programs

There are no such limits for faculty associates, as defined in PAPPG Exhibit II-3.A.2. The same individual may be included as a faculty associate in multiple proposals submitted during the same fiscal year.

Exceptions:

In rare cases involving continued funding of two current materials research projects that are expiring in the same fiscal year, NSF may make an exception after consultation with the cognizant program officer(s).

The proposal types listed below are not subject to these limitations and may be submitted at any time after consultation with and approval from the cognizant NSF program officer(s):

  • Conferences
  • Supplemental funding requests to existing grants
  • EArly-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER)
  • Rapid Response Research (RAPID)
  • Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAISE)

Proposals of these types will be returned without review if not approved by a program officer prior to submission.

Proposals submitted to other NSF solicitations are also not subject to these limitations.

Withdrawn proposals do not count against the submission limit.

Proposers should contact the relevant program email alias listed in this solicitation with any submission eligibility questions.

V. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Research.gov or Grants.gov.

You must prepare your proposal according to Chapter II.D.2 of the PAPPG, unless this solicitation specifies different instructions. Always use the version of the PAPPG in effect on your proposal's due date.

In determining which method to utilize in the electronic preparation and submission of the proposal, please note the following:

Collaborative Proposals. All collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via Research.gov. PAPPG Chapter II.E.3 provides additional information on collaborative proposals.

Additional Requirements and Instructions: The following instructions supplement the NSF PAPPG and the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide:

A multidisciplinary proposal bridging several NSF programs can request co-review by indicating more than one program. After the proposal has been created in Research.gov, use the "Manage Where to Apply" link to add a program. If such a proposal selects any materials research program as a secondary program, the proposal must be submitted by the submission deadline of the primary program (if applicable).

Alternately, if such a proposal selects any materials research program as the primary, it is highly encouraged that the proposal be submitted by the submission deadline of the secondary program (if applicable) in order to facilitate co-review.

Project Description:

Proposals should briefly describe the relationship of the proposal to other projects involving the same PI that are currently funded by NSF or pending. Proposals should explain how the proposed work is distinct. This information should be included in the proposal's project description.

Data Management and Sharing Plan:

This solicitation supports data-intensive materials research, including materials research driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning. Investigators are strongly encouraged to consider the process of digital data creation and to develop practices and an adequate plan for sharing software and data.

All proposals to NSF programs must include a Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) created with the web-based tool on Research.gov.

NSF's DMSP requirements are described in chapter II.D.2.(i).(ii) of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

Suggested Reviewers:

For each proposal, NSF requests submissions of at least four suggested reviewers who are experts and well qualified to review the proposal. Include and consider the following:

  • A list of suggested reviewers should be uploaded under single-copy documents. Include the PI's name and institution at the top of the list.
  • Include full names, affiliations, expertise and email addresses.
  • Suggested reviewers should not be close friends, collaborators in the last 48 months, co-editors in the last 24 months or have any other conflicts of interest as listed in Exhibit II-2 of the NSF PAPPG.

Revisions:

When resubmitting proposals previously declined by any NSF program, include the following:

  • A statement (one page maximum) that specifically describes how the proposal has been modified in response to the comments of the reviewers, panel or program officer(s). Upload this statement under single-copy documents.

Proposals that have not been substantially revised will be returned without review.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

C. Research.gov/Grants.gov Requirements

You can submit proposals in response to this solicitation through Research.gov or Grants.gov, unless otherwise noted.

Information on how to prepare and submit proposals is available on the Submitting Your Proposal page on NSF.gov.

VI. NSF Proposal Processing and Review Procedures

Information on NSF's proposal processing and review procedures is available on the Overview of the NSF Proposal and Award Process page on NSF.gov.

A. Merit Review Principles and Criteria

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board-approved merit review criteria:

  • Intellectual Merit, which encompasses the potential to advance knowledge.
  • Broader Impacts, which encompass the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

Information on NSF's merit review principles and process can be found on the How We Make Funding Decisions page on NSF.gov.

Review of the Data Management Plan

NSF proposal review includes evaluation of the Data Management Plan. Two points that should be considered in reviewing Data Management Plans:

  1. Appropriate: Is the Data Management Plan appropriate for the kind of project and the kind of data that the project will likely create? In some cases, a detailed data management plan may not be required; however, in this case, the Data Management Plan must include a compelling and proposal-specific justification.
  2. Responsive: The Data Management Plan should be responsive to the guidance presented in the MPS Materials Research Programs section of the NSF MPS Data Management and Sharing Plan Requirements webpage on NSF.gov. Does the Data Management Plan effectively convey that digital data supporting published work will be freely available within a reasonable time from publication, and in a way that the data is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR)?

B. Review and Selection Process

Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by

Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review.

After a proposal passes an initial compliance check, it will be reviewed by an NSF Program Officer. In most cases, three or more external experts will also review it (either as ad hoc reviewers, panelists or both).

Visit the Overview of the NSF Proposal and Award Process page for more information on the proposal review and selection process.

In alignment with Executive Order 14332 (Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking), all else being equal after merit review, NSF may give preference to institutions with lower indirect cost rates.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of an award is made to the submitting organization by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer.

B. Award Conditions

Information on NSF award conditions can be found on the Award Terms and Conditions page on NSF.gov and Chapter VII of the PAPPG.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements:

Information on administrative and national policy requirements can be found on the National Policy Requirements for Recipients of NSF Awards page on NSF.gov.

Consistent with the requirements specified in 2 CFR § 200.332, recipients of NSF awards must adhere to the requirements for pass-through entities in establishing and managing subawards issued ensuring alignment with Administration and NSF policies and priorities.

In alignment with Executive Order 14332 (Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking), proposers should be aware that NSF awards offered under this funding opportunity may include termination for convenience provisions.

C. Reporting Requirements

Unless your award notice says otherwise, NSF requires the principal investigator of every grant to submit annual project reports and a project outcomes report for the general public. For complete reporting requirements, see Chapter VII of the PAPPG.

VIII. Agency Contacts

For questions related to the use of NSF systems contact:

  • Research.gov: NSF IT Service Desk at rgov@nsf.gov or 1-800-381-1532. The Service Desk is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday (except for federal holidays).

For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:

  • Grants.gov: The Grants.gov Contact Center at support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726. (Contact if the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) has not received a confirmation message from Grants.gov within 48 hours of submitting an application.)

IX. Other Information

For information on NSF directorates, programs and funding opportunities, go to NSF.gov.

About the National Science Foundation

The U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency created by the "National Science Foundation Act of 1950." More information about NSF can be found on NSF.gov.

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Randolph Building, 401 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

  • General Information

(703) 292-5111

  • TDD (for the hearing-impaired):

(703) 292-5090

Privacy Act and Public Burden Statements

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the "National Science Foundation Act of 1950," as amended. More information can be found on the Privacy Act and Public Burden Statements page on NSF.gov.

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