NSF 26-500: Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC)

Program Solicitation NSF 26-500

U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences      Division of Materials Research

Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time):

     June 23, 2025

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

     January 27, 2026

Important Information And Revision Notes

• Estimated number of awards has been revised.
• Minor changes have been made in Sections I (Introduction) and II (Program Description).
• In the Project Description of full proposals, under "Other Significant Activities", the section on "Broadening Participation Strategic Plan" is no longer required nor accepted.
• MRSEC-specific review criteria have been slightly revised. In particular, one criterion previously used for evaluating "The Center as a Whole" has been removed.

Proposals must be prepared in accordance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). Use the version of the guide that is in effect on the proposal's due date.

Summary Of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title:

Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC)

Synopsis of Program:

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) program provides sustained support of materials research and education of the highest quality while addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering. Each MRSEC addresses research of a scope and complexity requiring the scale, synergy, and multidisciplinarity provided by a campus-based research center. The MRSECs support materials research infrastructure in the United States, promote active collaboration between universities and other sectors, including industry and international organizations, and contribute to the development of a national network of university-based centers in materials research, education, and facilities. A MRSEC may be located at a single institution, or may involve multiple institutions in partnership, and is composed of two to three Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs), each addressing a fundamental materials science topic aligned with the Division of Materials Research (DMR).

Expanding Participation in STEM, NSF Priorities, and Gold Standard Science

NSF prioritizes cutting-edge discovery science and engineering research, advancing technology and innovation, and creating opportunities for all Americans. NSF has established priorities set forth by Congress, the administration and the NSF director to promote NSF's mission. Proposers should review the list of NSF priorities and are encouraged to align their proposals with them, where appropriate. NSF also expects the highest standards of scientific rigor, integrity and adherence to appropriate 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.

• Serdar Ogut, telephone: (703) 292-4429, email: MRSEC@nsf.gov

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

• 47.049 --- Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement

Estimated Number of Awards: 2 to 5

Anticipated Funding Amount: $15,000,000

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 Proposals: Submission of Preliminary Proposals is required. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

• Full Proposals:
  • For proposals submitted via Research.gov, PAPPG guidelines apply.
  • For proposals submitted via Grants.gov, NSF Grants.gov Application Guide guidelines apply.

B. Budgetary Information

• Cost Sharing Requirements:

  Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

• Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:

  Not Applicable

• Other Budgetary Limitations:

  Other budgetary limitations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

C. Due Dates

• Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time):

       June 23, 2025

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

       January 27, 2026

Proposal Review Information Criteria

Merit Review Criteria:

National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review criteria apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Award Administration Information

Award Conditions:

Additional award conditions apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Reporting Requirements:

Additional reporting requirements apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

I. Introduction

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) program supports cutting-edge, multidisciplinary materials research and education to strengthen U.S. competitiveness in science, technology, and workforce development. MRSECs address fundamental problems of a scope and complexity requiring the scale, synergy, and infrastructure of a campus-based center, while fostering integration of research and education, strong industry connections, and participation in a national network of university-based centers.

Proposals should broaden the MRSEC research portfolio or target emerging opportunities in materials science. While the program has historically emphasized experimental research, proposals that are theoretical, computational, or incorporate autonomous experimentation (AE) where robotics and AI accelerate closed-loop discovery—are strongly encouraged. Such efforts should retain disciplinary breadth and demonstrate competitive intellectual merit. MRSECs may also align with the Materials Genome Initiative by integrating experiment, theory, computation, and data-driven approaches to accelerate materials discovery while minimizing costs.

Proposals are invited across diverse research areas, including:

• Semiconductors and Microelectronics: Developing resilient, sustainable materials for next-generation technologies, aligned with national CHIPS & Science Act.
• Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing: Designing novel, bioinspired materials, scaling high-performance polymer production, and developing functional biomaterials for electronics and sensing.
• Architected Materials Across Scales: Creating hierarchical and multifunctional materials through advanced synthesis, self-assembly, additive manufacturing, and 4D printing.
• Far-From-Equilibrium Materials: Understanding and controlling materials driven into metastable or non-equilibrium states.
• Structural Materials under Extreme Conditions: Addressing materials performance in extreme environments (temperature, pressure, radiation, corrosion, wear, etc.).
• Domestic Materials Development: Advancing recovery, reuse, and substitution of critical materials through novel design and processing of abundant domestic resources.

All research topics should align with the scope of the Division of Materials Research (DMR). Catalysis-focused work must clearly address fundamental materials research distinct from efforts supported by other agencies.

In addition to research, MRSECs are required to engage in impactful education and outreach with clear, measurable, and evidence-based goals. Activities may include strengthening STEM pathways (e.g., community college to four-year institutions), improving K–12 STEM performance, and building meaningful partnerships with non-R1 institutions, and others. Plans should map both the six-year award period and longer-term outcomes to ensure sustained impact.

II. Program Description

Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) are supported to undertake materials research of a scope and complexity otherwise not feasible through traditional funding of individual research projects.

A MRSEC may encompass two to three interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs). Each IRG involves typically on the order of 6-12 faculty members addressing a major topic or area, in which sustained support for the interactive effort by the several participants of complementary backgrounds, skills, and knowledge is critical to progress. The IRGs in a Center may be thematically related, or they may address different aspects of materials research typically supported by DMR. The MRSEC in its entirety is holistic, its rationale conditioned on the connection of all its parts, with synergy arising from common infrastructure, shared facilities, education and outreach activities, and other Center-spanning initiatives.

MRSECs incorporate the following activities to an extent commensurate with the size and vision of the Center:

• Academic-institution-based materials research of the highest quality: each IRG must have a well-integrated research program distinguished by intellectual excellence and driven by a clear vision that could lead to fundamental advances, new discoveries, and/or technological developments of national and international significance. Each IRG must show clear benefits of a multi-investigator, interdisciplinary, and collaborative approach to address a major materials topic or area and must delineate the linkages between researchers within the IRG.
• Seed funding: NSF intends to provide flexibility for the Center to respond quickly and effectively to new opportunities and pursue high-risk/high-impact and transformative research. These may include (but are not limited to): seed support for faculty to further add or broaden existing efforts; emerging areas of interdisciplinary research; programs to link the university effort in materials with industry, national laboratories, and other sectors; the development of tools and cyber infrastructure for remote access to instrumentation; and innovative interdisciplinary educational ventures. Seed funding through the Center is not intended to provide a substitute for NSF individual investigator funding. Seed funding mechanisms and impact to the MRSEC is evaluated at post-award Site Visits of the MRSECs.
• Promotion of the integration of research and education, and development of effective education/outreach activities that are consistent with the Center size, leverage participant expertise and interest, and address local and national needs. Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) are required; see https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517 for specifics.
• A MRSEC should pursue activities with proven impacts in improving scientific education. It may also experiment with novel approaches as appropriate.
• Development of shared experimental and computational facilities, properly staffed, equipped and maintained, and accessible to users from the Center, the broader university community, and other organizations. A MRSEC program goal is to maintain the long-term health of the materials research infrastructure in the United States and each MRSEC is expected to contribute to the national network of materials research facilities.
• Promotion of partnerships by supporting a Center's active cooperation with industry and international organizations, and other sectors, such as national laboratories, non-profit organizations, and state and local governments, in order to stimulate and facilitate knowledge transfer among the participants and strengthen the links between university-based research and its application.

Each MRSEC has the responsibility to manage and evaluate its own operation with respect to program administration, planning, content, and direction. NSF support is intended to promote optimal use of university resources and capabilities, and to provide maximum flexibility in setting research directions, developing cooperative activities with other organizations, and responding quickly and effectively to new opportunities in materials research and education that are important to the nation's needs and technology base.

A MRSEC may address any area of research supported by the NSF Division of Materials Research which include 8 programs (known as Topical Materials Research Programs, TMRP): Biomaterials (BMAT), Ceramics (CER), Condensed Matter Physics (CMP), Condensed Matter and Materials Theory (CMMT), Electronic and Photonic Materials (EPM), Metals and Metallic Nanostructures (MMN), Polymers (POL), and Solid State and Materials Chemistry (SSMC). For a detailed description of the research supported by the 8 TMRP.

Visit https://www.nsf.gov/materials. Inclusion of IRGs not appropriate for consideration by DMR may result in the proposal being returned without review. Proposers are strongly encouraged to contact the Program Director(s) listed in this solicitation to ascertain that the planned research fits within the portfolio of DMR or the DMR role in the suggested topical areas.

In addition to research excellence, MRSECs provide the infrastructure of equipment, education, and outreach needed to ensure that the program as a whole meets its objectives and provides for effective coordination within and beyond the Center community. Centers are required to contribute to the network addressing common problems and applications. Center shared experimental and computational facilities constitute the Materials Research Facility Network, a network of facilities that helps to maintain and advance materials research infrastructure in the United States.

Measures of Success. Proposals should advance one or more of the following measures of success, which must be included in proposal submission: Published papers, patents developed, jobs created or sustained, start-ups created, PhDs and postdoctoral researchers supported, undergraduate student research supported.

III. Award Information

Individual MRSEC awards are expected to range in size from approximately $3 million/year for a 2-IRG MRSEC to a maximum of $4.5 million/year for a 3-IRG MRSEC. Awards will be made for an initial duration of up to six years, but the level of funding is contingent on successful Center progress and the outcome of external review(s). Funding provided to existing Centers after the initial duration will be based on the submission of a re-competing proposal as described below.

Awards are based on comprehensive, competitive merit review. Proposals from existing (re-competing) MRSECs will be evaluated in open competition with new proposals; the re-competing MRSEC's prior accomplishments must be described in the Results from Prior NSF Support section of the preliminary and full proposals and will be an important consideration. The commitment of each Center to introduce substantially new research topics and undertake innovative research will also be important in considering re-competing proposals. If a proposal from an existing center is successful, a new cooperative agreement will be awarded for the center.

The anticipated effective date of new MRSEC awards is September 1, 2026.

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.

Who May Serve as PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1

Only one MRSEC preliminary proposal may be submitted by any one organization as the lead institution in this competition. An institution proposing research in several groups should submit a single MRSEC proposal with multiple Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs). A MRSEC proposal must contain a minimum of 2 IRGs and a maximum of 3 IRGs. The IRGs in a Center may be thematically related, or they may address different aspects of materials research typically supported by DMR. Integration of multiple, differing IRGs into one MRSEC allows efficient utilization of resources, including common infrastructure, and better coordination of education and other activities of the Center.

Institutions that were awarded a MRSEC in the FY 2023 competition as the lead institution are not eligible to submit a MRSEC proposal as a lead institution in this competition.

MRSEC full proposals may be submitted by invitation only.

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

An individual may be the Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI for only one preliminary proposal, i.e., no investigator, PI or co-PI, can be listed on the NSF proposal Cover Sheet on more than one proposal.

Additional Eligibility Info:

U.S. IHEs with broad research and education programs in the area of condensed matter physics, solid state and materials chemistry, materials science and engineering, biomaterials and biophysics, and related areas of science and engineering may submit preliminary proposals.

In order to reduce the burden of proposal writing for the materials research community and the burden of subsequent proposal review and evaluation for reviewers and NSF staff, NSF will accept full proposals for MRSECs by invitation only, based on the results of the preliminary proposal evaluation.

Separately submitted collaborative proposals are not allowed. While more than one organization may participate in a single preliminary or full proposal, one organization must accept overall management responsibility for the proposal.

V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Preliminary Proposals (required): Preliminary proposals are required and must be submitted via Research.gov, even if full proposals will be submitted via Grants.gov.

1. MRSEC Preliminary Proposals (required):
   1. Set-up. Select Prepare New Preliminary Proposal in Research.gov. Choose "Single proposal (with or without subawards)."
   2. Project Summary (1 page). Must include:
      • Overview: rationale for establishing the Center and anticipated synergies.
      • Intellectual Merit: brief description of proposed IRGs (interdisciplinary research groups).
      • Broader Impacts: expected outcomes in research, education/outreach, facilities, and collaborations.

   Project Description (Limit: 14 pages for 2 IRGs, 17 pages for 3 IRGs). In addition to the PAPPG requirements, including the required section labeled "Broader Impacts", the Project Description for a MRSEC preliminary proposal must include the following clearly marked sections:

   1. A list of MRSEC investigators (1 page):These are faculty (faculty rank and/or equivalent) listed by full name, organizational and departmental affiliation, and major role in the proposed center (e.g., IRG 1, IRG 2, education). This list/table should include:
      1. Primary Participants (PP): receiving NSF-MRSEC support and playing a continuous crucial role in the Center. These individuals should be designated as Senior/Key Personnel.
      2. Primary National Labs and/or International Participants (PNIP): primary contributors that cannot be supported from NSF funds but play a continuous crucial role in the IRG or Center. These individuals should be designated as Senior/Key Personnel.
      3. Secondary Participants (SP): not receiving NSF-MRSEC support and not playing a central role in the Center.
   2. Results from Prior NSF support.  collaborative research and educational activities funded by NSF should be an emphasis in this section. Re-competing MRSECs must describe research and other achievements from the previous MRSEC support. If desired, collaborative research activities funded by other agencies may be included. In addition, if any individual designated as PI or co-PI on the preliminary proposal has received NSF funding with an end date in the past five years, information on the award is required. Each PI and co-PI who has received more than one award must report on the award most closely related to the proposal. Do not describe awards of Primary Participants not designated as PI or co-PI. Limit: 2 pages.
   3. Introduction (1 page): Provide rationale, vision, and research/education goals.
   4. Description of each group (a minimum of 2 IRGs and a maximum of 3 IRGs) (3 pages for each IRG). List names of faculty-level participants, including numbers of undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in each group. Describe long-term research goals and intellectual focus and outline the planned research activities. The need for an interactive, interdisciplinary approach involving several investigators, and the means of achieving this, should be clearly established. IRGs are sought to solve fundamental, timely and complex materials problems that are intellectually challenging and important to society.
   5. Other Activities (4 pages):
      • Education/outreach with clear measurable goal; MRSEC REU program (≥50% off-campus).
      • Collaborations with industry, labs, other sectors.
      • Center leadership/management structure.
      • Seed funding mechanism (criteria and evaluation).
   3. References Cited: Standard PAPPG format.
   4. Senior/Key Personnel Documents:
      • Biographical Sketches: required only for PI and co-PIs (max 5).
      • Collaborators & Affiliations: required for all Senior/Key Personnel and PPs/PNIPs.

Additional Info:

• Suggested Reviewers: submit list as Single Copy Document.
• After submission, email to mrsec@nsf.gov:
• COI list (all collaborators, advisors, students, etc. for PPs/PNIPs).
• Reviewer list by IRG.
• Not required/accepted in prelims: budget, current/pending support, facilities, mentoring plan, data plan, etc.
• Please make sure that these pdf files are searchable.
• No additional material is required or accepted with the preliminary proposal submission. Budget and Budget Justification; Current and Pending (Other) Support; Synergistic Activities; Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources; Mentoring Plan; and Data Management and Sharing Plan sections are not required or accepted.

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.

• For proposals submitted via Research.gov, PAPPG guidelines apply.
• For proposals submitted via Grants.gov, NSF Grants.gov Application Guide guidelines apply.

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.

Full proposals are invited (by mid-October) only for submissions recommended with at least 2 IRGs. Submit via Research.gov or Grants.gov.

The standard PAPPG or NSF Grants.gov Application Guide instructions for proposal preparation apply, with the following modifications.

1. NSF Cover Sheet. Include preliminary proposal number.
2. Project Summary (1 page). Same structure as prelims (Overview, Intellectual Merit, Broader Impacts).
3. Project Description Page limits: 41 pages (2 IRGs), 51 pages (3 IRGs). Sections required:
   1. Investigators (1 page): table with roles (PP, PNIP, SP). These are faculty (faculty rank and/or equivalent) listed by full name, organizational, and departmental affiliation, and major role in the proposed center (e.g., IRG 1, IRG 2, IRG 3, education, etc.).

      This list/table should include:

      1. Primary Participants (PP): receiving NSF-MRSEC support and playing a continuous crucial role in the Center. These individuals should be designated as Senior/Key Personnel on the proposal.
      2. Primary National Labs and/or International Participants (PNIP): primary contributors that cannot be supported from NSF funds but play a continuous crucial role in the IRG or Center. These individuals should be designated as Senior/Key Personnel on the proposal.
      3. Secondary Participants (SP): not receiving NSF-MRSEC support and not playing a central role in the Center.
   2. Results from Prior NSF support. Limit: 5 pages. Collaborative research and educational activities funded by NSF should be an emphasis in this section. Re-competing MRSECs must describe research and other achievements from the previous MRSEC support. If desired, collaborative research activities funded by other agencies may be included. In addition, if any individual designated as PI or co-PI listed on the proposal has received NSF funding with an end date in the past five years, information on the award is required. Each PI and co-PI who has received more than one award must report on the award most closely related to the proposal. Do not describe awards of Primary Participants not designated as PI or co-PI.
   3. Introduction. Limit: 2 pages. Provide a clear vision for and description of the proposed MRSEC and its potential scientific, technological, and societal impacts.
   4. Strategic Plan. Limit: 2 pages. Describe the organizational setting of the Center, its proposed scope and organization, activities in research and education and their integration, development of human resources, shared research facilities, collaborative activities with industry, national laboratories, and others. Outline how the MRSEC plans to achieve the goals, the process and metrics used to monitor progress, and the mechanisms of assessment.
   5. Interdisciplinary Research Groups (2 to 3 IRGs depending on invitation). Limit for each IRG: 10 pages. At the beginning of each IRG section, name the MRSEC participants that will contribute to this IRG. Provide an estimate of the number of undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers that will participate in the IRG. For each IRG, describe the long-term research goals and intellectual focus, and the planned research activities to enable the assessment of their scientific merit and significance. The need for an interactive, interdisciplinary approach involving several investigators, and the means of achieving this, should be clearly established. Place the IRG in the context of the Center as a whole and describe interactions with other groups and organizations. Additionally, describe the role and intellectual contribution of each PP or PNIP in the IRG, and outline the resources available or planned to accomplish the research goals (it will be helpful to boldface the name of each PP or PNIP wherever it occurs).
   6. Other significant activities. Page Limit for Section 3f: 10 pages
      1. Seed Funding. Describe the criteria and mechanisms for selecting and evaluating seed projects, including tentative timelines over the lifetime of the award. Do not identify specific projects, only the request for projects (i.e. seed proposal calls), and the review and evaluation processes.
      2. Education and Human Resources Development. Proposals should address a limited number of well-chosen education and outreach activities and delineate a targeted roadmap to address a select few clear and measurable goals, with long-term verifiable impact that extends beyond the Center itself. The roadmap should encompass the lifetime of the award (6 years) and longer-term efforts. To allow students from outside the MRSEC to benefit from the breadth of the MRSEC, a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program with at least 50% off campus participation is required. The MRSEC REU program will be funded through the MRSEC award; no separate REU proposal is required. When preparing the budget for the MRSEC REU program, proposers must follow NSF REU budget guidelines; see https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp? for specifics.
      3. Shared Facilities. Describe the existing shared experimental and computational facilities and those to be established, including specific major instrumentation, and plans for the development of instrumentation. Describe plans for maintaining and operating the facilities, including staffing, provision for user fees, and plans for ensuring access to outside users. Distinguish clearly between existing facilities. those still to be developed, and those requiring MRSEC support. Describe proposed contribution to Materials Research Facilities Network in the United States.
      4. Collaboration with Industry, National Laboratories, and Others. Describe plans for significant intellectual and resource exchange, cooperation, and partnership with other organizations including, but not limited to, academic institutions, industry, national laboratories, non-profit organizations, federal, state, and local governments, international organizations, and others. Define the goals of the collaboration and the planned activities and expected outcomes. Describe the roles of the primary participants, the mechanisms planned to stimulate and facilitate knowledge transfer, and the potential long-term impact of the collaborations.
      5. Management. Describe the plans for administration of the Center, including the functions of key personnel and the role of any advisory committee, executive committee, and/or program committee or their equivalent. Describe the procedures and criteria used to select, administer, and evaluate the Interdisciplinary Research Groups and other research programs of the Center, including collaborative programs with other groups and organizations. Plans for administering the seed funding, educational activities, and shared experimental facilities should be described under items (3f.i), (3f.ii), and (3f.iii), respectively.
      6. Institutional and other sector support. Describe the resources that the institution(s) will provide to the project, should it be funded. Resources such as space, faculty release time, faculty and staff positions, capital equipment, access to existing facilities, collaborations, and support of outreach programs should be discussed, but not given as dollar equivalents.
   7. Summary Table of Requested NSF Support. Limit: 1 page. In tabular form as follows, summarize the overall support levels planned for each of the major activities of the MRSEC. For each entry in the table, include direct and indirect costs. Column totals must equal the total budget requested from NSF for the period shown. Include major capital equipment under shared facilities. Support for graduate students should be included under research, not under education and human resources.

SUMMARY TABLE OF REQUESTED NSF SUPPORT ($k)

ACTIVITY	YEAR 1	%	6-YEAR TOTAL	%
IRG 1 (Title)
IRG 2 (Title)
IRG 3 (Title)
Seed Funding and Emerging Areas
Total Research (IRGs + Seeds)
Shared Facilities
Education and Human Resources
Collaboration with Industry and Other Sectors
Administration
Total		100		100

Participant number table:

PROPOSED NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (First 3 Years)

Number	YEAR 1	YEAR 2	YEAR 3
Primary Participants
National Labs and International Participants
Secondary Participants
Primary Participants Requesting Salary Support
Postdoctoral Researchers
Graduate Students
REU Students
Technical Support Staff
Administrative Support Staff

Complete the following subaward table only if any subaward is proposed:

SUBAWARD ($k)

Number	YEAR 1	6-YEAR TOTAL
Subawardee Institution 1
Subawardee Institution 2 (repeat as needed)
TOTAL

4. Budget Pages and Budget Justification. Complete budget pages for each year of support (1-6). Please note that Grants.gov supports proposal budgets for up to five years. After the proposal is submitted to NSF via Grants.gov and successfully transferred to NSF for processing, Grants.gov applicants should use the Proposal File Update feature in Research.gov to enter the proposal budget for the 6^th year. The budget must include travel costs associated with attendance by the PI/co-PIs to the Annual MRSEC Directors Meeting usually held near NSF.
5. Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources. Upload a document that states "See Project Description."
6. Supplementary Documentation: In accordance with the guidance provided in the PAPPG, submit the following required documents:

   Mentoring Plan, if applicable.

   Data Management and Sharing Plan. The Data Management and Sharing Plan should discuss how digital data created through the project will be made FAIR, as appropriate for the project and the created data. The Data Management and Sharing Plan should be responsive to the guidance presented at the Division of Materials Research link under Requirements by Directorate, Office, Division, Program, or other NSF Unit, at https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/dmp.jsp. It is a reasonable expectation that digital data supporting published work will be freely available without request within a reasonable time from publication. Proposers are reminded that reviewers will also be asked to review the Data Management Plan, as appropriate.

   Letters of Collaboration: Include only official letters of collaboration (see below). Scan your signed letters and upload them to the proposal, but do not send originals.

   Letters of support should not be submitted.

   Letters of collaboration, limited to stating the intent to collaborate and not containing endorsements or evaluation of the proposed project, are allowed.

   Letters of collaboration should follow the single-sentence format: "If the proposal submitted by Dr. [insert the full name of the Principal Investigator] entitled [insert the proposal title] is selected for funding by the NSF, it is my intent to collaborate and/or commit resources as detailed in the Project Description."

   Departure from this format may result in the proposal being returned without review. The Project Description should document the need for and nature of collaborations, such as intellectual contributions to the project, permission to access a site, an instrument, or a facility, offer of samples and materials for research, logistical support to the research and education program, or mentoring of U.S. students at a foreign site. Up to five letters of collaboration are allowed. Only one letter per page. Limit: 5 pages.

   Additional Information: Suggested Reviewers: Submit a list of individuals who may be suitable to function as impartial reviewers. Include the suggested reviewers' names, affiliations, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, areas of expertise, and pertinent IRG#. Suggested reviewers may not appear in the Collaborators & Other Affiliations list. Also, immediately after submission of the full proposal, please send via e-mail to mrsec@nsf.gov the following:

   • A pdf file with the filename: proposal #_institution_COI (replacing institution with university name). A combined list of full names of collaborators/co-authors within the past 4 years; co-editors within the past 2 years; graduate advisor(s); postdoctoral advisor(s); postdoctoral scholars within the past 4 years; and all prior graduate students. This list is for all Primary Participants (PP) and Primary National Labs and/or International Participants (PNIP) as defined in Sections 3.a.(i) and 3.a.(ii).
   • A pdf file with the filename: proposal #_institution_ reviewers. This list should include suggested reviewers for each individual IRG with the following 9 columns: last name, first name, middle initial, institution, department, phone number, e-mail address, expertise, pertinent IRG(s). Proposers may also include a short list of reviewers not to use if they wish.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

Other Budgetary Limitations:

Awards are expected to range in amount from approximately $3 million/year for a 2-IRG MRSEC to a maximum of $4.5 million/year for a 3-IRG MRSEC.

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.

Additional Solicitation Specific Review Criteria

In addition to the National Science Board merit review criteria, MRSEC proposals have additional review criteria. Given competing proposals of essentially equal merit, NSF staff will be responsible for ensuring that the overall program reflects an appropriate balance among research topics and among centers of differing size and complexity. Preliminary proposals will be evaluated in terms of their potential to meet the criteria for full proposals.

MRSEC proposals will be evaluated in terms of the IRGs and of the Center as a whole, using the following additional criteria:

Interdisciplinary Research Groups: (Used in evaluating preliminary and full proposals)

1. Does the IRG describe a well-integrated research program distinguished by intellectual excellence and driven by a clear vision leading to fundamental advances, new discoveries, and/or technological developments that could have national and international significance?
2. Are the capabilities of the investigators, technical level of the proposed approach, and inventory of resources (available or proposed), including instrumentation and facilities appropriate for a Center and for the proposed research?
3. Are the benefits of a multi-investigator, interdisciplinary approach to address a major topic or area normally supported by the Division of Materials Research for each IRG clearly laid out? Does cooperation and interdependence of the investigators within the IRG come across?
4. Does the proposed IRG undertake materials research of a scope and complexity requiring the scale, synergy, and multidisciplinarity provided by a campus-based research Center, otherwise not feasible through traditional funding of individual research projects?
5. Is the IRG addressing cutting-edge science?

The Center as a Whole: (Used in evaluating full proposals)

1. Is the organizational setting and rationale for the Center justified?
2. Is there potential for stimulating multidisciplinary interactions and collaborations on campus? Is there potential for organizational, national, and international impacts?
3. Are education/outreach activities consistent with the Center's size? Does the proposed MRSEC research appear well-integrated with the education activities and do all participants in the MRSEC appear engaged in the education program? Are the educational activities scalable and do they contribute to the mission of the proposed Center, with appropriate assessment mechanisms in place to determine impacts of the implemented activities?
4. Is the Data Management and Sharing Plan appropriate, both for the type of data anticipated and for the kind of project proposed?
5. The Data Management and Sharing Plan should be responsive to the guidance for the Division of Materials Research linked under Directorate and/or division guidance at https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/dmp.jsp. Does the Data Management and Sharing Plan effectively convey that digital data supporting published work will be freely available within a reasonable time from publication, without the need for request to the investigator, and in a way that the data is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable?

B. Review and Selection Process

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

Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review, or Reverse Site Review.

Preliminary MRSEC proposals will be reviewed by topical panel review, supplemented by ad hoc review as needed. Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) will be reviewed by independent panels formed according to the IRGs research areas. Consequently, a MRSEC proposal may be reviewed by up to 3 different panels.

The preliminary proposal review process pays special attention to the merit and potential impacts of each proposed IRG, with the objective that only preliminary proposals with excellent IRGs would be invited for full proposals. It is possible that only some of the proposed IRGs in a MRSEC preliminary proposal would be invited for a full MRSEC proposal. A minimum of two meritorious IRGs are needed for a Full Proposal invitation.

Full MRSEC proposals will be accepted by invitation only, based on the preliminary proposal reviews. Full proposals will be reviewed by ad hoc mail review. MRSEC finalists will be selected based on the ad hoc reviews of the full proposals. Finalists will come to NSF to make presentations of their proposals to panels of experts (Reverse Site Visits, RSVs).

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.

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.

Special Award Conditions:

Special award conditions for MRSECs will be within the cooperative agreement.

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.

Additional reporting requirements apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

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.

Location: 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 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.