MPS Materials Research Programs

The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences supports foundational materials research through the MPS Materials Research Programs solicitation. The opportunity consolidates most materials research funding opportunities within the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences and covers eight programs: Biomaterials, Ceramics, Condensed Matter and Materials Theory, Condensed Matter Physics, Electronic and Photonic Materials, Metals and Metallic Nanostructures, Polymers, and Solid State and Materials Chemistry. NSF seeks foundational research that advances understanding of materials, their properties, and their potential applications. The agency particularly encourages intellectually ambitious and potentially transformative research, interdisciplinary connections, opportunities for exceptional early-career investigators, and scientifically justified use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced computation, and automation. Supported work may address materials discovery, characterization and modeling; electronic, atomic and molecular structures, mechanisms and processes; manipulation and control of materials properties; emerging phenomena of matter and materials; and novel design, synthesis and processing strategies. Projects may be experimental, theoretical, computational, data-centric, modeling-based, or combine experimental and theoretical approaches. Proposals should advance one or more identified measures of success, including scholarly publications, establishment or expansion of data sets, development of new technologies or techniques, support of undergraduate, graduate or postdoctoral researchers, or training of students in specific critical areas. Proposals must explain how their identified measures of success will occur, and progress must be addressed in annual reports. Proposals outside the scope of the covered materials programs will be returned without review. Voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited, and the solicitation states that there are no applicable indirect cost limitations or other budgetary limitations. NSF anticipates making approximately 200 to 300 Standard Grants or Continuing Grants under the solicitation, with an anticipated total funding amount of $100,000,000, subject to availability of funds. The solicitation does not state a minimum or maximum individual award amount. NSF encourages a range of funding levels and project durations and notes that investigators may consider mechanisms such as Planning Proposals, RAPID, EAGER, and RAISE where appropriate. Where longer awards would benefit ambitious and transformative research and reduce administrative burden, NSF encourages proposals requesting up to five years of support. EAGER, RAPID, and supplemental funding proposals require contact with the relevant materials research program before submission, and certain proposal types have separate solicitation or submission requirements. Eligible submitting organizations are accredited two-year and four-year Institutions of Higher Education with a campus in the United States, including community colleges; U.S.-located nonprofit, non-academic organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations directly associated with educational or research activities; and federally recognized Tribal Nations. International branch campuses of U.S. institutions may receive project funding only when the proposer explains the project benefit of performance at the international branch campus and justifies why the activities cannot be performed at the U.S. campus. There is no limit on proposals per organization. Beginning October 1 of each year, however, generally no more than one proposal per federal fiscal year may list the same individual as PI or co-PI collectively across the eight covered materials programs and specified related opportunities, subject to stated exceptions. Withdrawn proposals do not count against the limit. Full proposals may be submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov and must follow the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide in effect when the proposal is submitted, together with solicitation-specific requirements. Collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations must use Research.gov. The Project Description should briefly describe the relationship to other NSF-funded or pending projects involving the same PI and explain how the proposed work is distinct. All proposals must include a Data Management and Sharing Plan created with the web-based Research.gov tool. NSF also requests at least four suggested reviewers, provided as a single-copy document with the PI name and institution and each reviewer's full name, affiliation, expertise, and email address. Suggested reviewers must satisfy the stated conflict-of-interest requirements. A resubmission of a proposal previously declined by an NSF program must include a statement of no more than one page explaining how the proposal was modified in response to prior comments; proposals that have not been substantially revised will be returned without review. Proposals are accepted anytime, with no required Letter of Intent or preliminary proposal. NSF states that, if possible, proposals should be submitted between June 15 and April 15 of the following year because proposals submitted during that preferred fiscal-year window may be processed faster. This is a preferred submission period rather than a final deadline. Proposals are evaluated using the National Science Board-approved Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria. The Data Management Plan is also evaluated for appropriateness and responsiveness, including whether digital data supporting published work will be made freely available within a reasonable time and in a manner consistent with FAIR principles. Following an initial compliance check, an NSF Program Officer reviews the proposal, and in most cases three or more external experts also participate through ad hoc review, panel review, or both. Program-specific questions should be directed to the appropriate NSF program inbox: bmat@nsf.gov for Biomaterials, cer@nsf.gov for Ceramics, cmmt@nsf.gov for Condensed Matter and Materials Theory, cmp@nsf.gov for Condensed Matter Physics, epm@nsf.gov for Electronic and Photonic Materials, mmn@nsf.gov for Metals and Metallic Nanostructures, pol@nsf.gov for Polymers, and ssmc@nsf.gov for Solid State and Materials Chemistry. NSF's general telephone number is 703-292-5111. Research.gov technical support is available at rgov@nsf.gov or 1-800-381-1532, and Grants.gov support is available at support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726. Award notification is made to the submitting organization by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer. Unless an award notice specifies otherwise, the PI must submit annual project reports and a project outcomes report for the general public. No specific award notification date is provided.

Keep the proposal within the scope of one or more covered materials research programs because out-of-scope proposals will be returned without review; contact the relevant program before submission when scope is uncertain; if possible submit between June 15 and April 15 for potentially faster processing; emphasize foundational intellectually ambitious and potentially transformative research where appropriate; clearly demonstrate how identified measures of success will occur; address both Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts; make the Data Management and Sharing Plan proposal-specific and responsive to FAIR data expectations; ensure suggested reviewers satisfy conflict-of-interest requirements; substantially revise previously declined proposals before resubmission