September 16, 2016

Dear Colleagues:

The proposal submission window for the eight Topical Materials Research Programs in the Division of Materials Research (DMR) has changed recently. The following two programs now accept proposals at any time:

• Ceramics (CER)
• Condensed Matter and Materials Theory (CMMT)

There are restrictions such as:

• A CER (or CMMT) proposal must be one year or longer since the principal investigator's last submission to CER (or CMMT).
• Resubmissions must be substantially revised and include a statement describing how the proposal has been modified from the previous submission. Resubmissions that have been declined three times and are resubmitted may be returned without review.
• Proposals not addressing the program synopses will be returned without review.

For additional and complete information, please read the CER solicitation and CMMT solicitation. The open window, together with these restrictions, is a pilot designed to enhance proposal quality, enable the programs to be more accessible to emerging ideas, more broadly accommodate investigators' schedules, and provide additional flexibility for the program directors to handle the workflow.

The window for the following six programs has changed to October 1-31 each year:

• Biomaterials (BMAT)
• Condensed Matter Physics (CMP)
• Electronic and Photonic Materials (EPM)
• Metals and Metallic Nanostructures (MMN)
• Polymers (POL)
• Solid State and Materials Chemistry (SSMC)

A two-month window (from September 1 to October 31) was used from 2009 to 2015. During this period, 99% of submissions were received in the month of October. The submission window is changed to better serve the community.

Sincerely,

F. Fleming Crim
Assistant Director
Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences