NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers: Harvard Pre-Proposal Deadline

NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers
Harvard Pre-Proposal Deadline: April 4, 2016
Award Amount: $2.2 million/year to $4 million/year, depending on the number of IRGs. Awards will be made for an initial duration of up to six years, but the level of funding is contingent on successful progress and upon the outcome of external review. 

Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers are supported by the National Science Foundation to undertake materials research of a scope and complexity that would not be feasible under traditional funding of individual research projects.  A MRSEC may encompass two to three interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs). Each IRG involves several faculty members (typically 6 to 10) addressing a major topic or area, in which sustained support for 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. The center as a whole is expected to be more than the sum of its IRGs, with the synergy arising from its common infrastructure, shared facilities, education and outreach activities, etc.