NSF 25-508: Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF)

This document replaces Program solicitation NSF 23-530. Revisions from NSF 23-530 include: 1. The submission window is January 21-February 4, 2025, closing at 5 p.m. submitting organization’s local time. 2. The list of Cognizant Program Officers was updated. 3. A maximum of five (5) proposals may be submitted by an organization as the Lead institution. 4. An investigator who is a PI or co-PI on a DMREF award based on a proposal submitted in response to the previous DMREF solicitation, NSF 23-530, cannot be a PI or co-PI for this DMREF solicitation, but may serve as Senior/Key Personnel. 5. The Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) and the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) are not participating in the 2025 DMREF competition. 6. The United States – Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Germany’s Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG) are added as international funding partners. 7. The additional solicitation-specific review criterion on diversity, equity, and inclusion has been removed. It will be considered as part of the NSF Broader Impact criterion.

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 for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being 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. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF)

DMREF seeks to foster the design, discovery, and development of materials to accelerate their path to deployment by harnessing the power of data and computational tools in concert with experiment and theory. DMREF emphasizes a deep integration of experiments, computation, and theory; the use of accessible digital data across the materials development continuum; and strengthening connections among theorists, computational scientists, data scientists, mathematicians, statisticians, and experimentalists as well as those from academia, industry, and government. DMREF is committed to the education and training of a next-generation materials research and development (R&D) workforce; well-equipped for successful careers as educators and innovators; and able to take full advantage of the materials development continuum and innovation infrastructures that NSF is creating through partnership with other federal and international agencies.

DMREF is the principal NSF program responsive to the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC’s) Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Subcommittee on the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI). Over its inaugural decade, the MGI has driven a transformational paradigm shift in the philosophy of how materials research is performed. DMREF is supportive of the 2021 MGI Strategic Plan and its three primary goals, i.e., unifying the materials innovation infrastructure; harnessing the power of materials data; and educating, training, and connecting a world-class materials R&D workforce. 

DMREF will accordingly support activities that significantly accelerate the materials discovery-to-use timeline by building the fundamental knowledge base needed to advance the design, development, or manufacturability of materials with desirable properties or functionality. The 2021 MGI Strategic Plan re-envisioned the linear Materials Development Continuum described in the original Strategic Plan to promote integration and iteration of knowledge across the entire path to deployment. DMREF will undertake this challenge through building a vibrant research community, forming interdisciplinary teams to conduct research in a “closed-loop” fashion, leveraging data science and machine learning, providing ready access to materials data, and educating the future MGI workforce.

This solicitation is open to all materials research topics and is responsive to the recent National Academies 2023 Report ‘NSF Efforts to Achieve the Nation’s Vision for the Materials Genome Initiative’. DMREF reflects the Administration’s priorities for strengthening American leadership in technologies and industries of the future that are critical to the nation’s health, economic prosperity, national security, and scientific enterprise.

DMREF encourages input and participation from the full spectrum of diverse talent that society has to offer which includes underrepresented and underserved communities. Aligning with Goal 3 of the 2021 MGI Strategic Plan, DMREF promotes education, training, and workforce development that can communicate across all components of the materials development continuum.

Proposals submitted to this solicitation must be directed by a team of at least two Senior/Key Personnel with complementary expertise. The proposed research must involve a collaborative and iterative “closed-loop” process wherein theory guides computational simulation, computational simulation guides experiments, and experimental observation further guides theory.

This solicitation represents a crosscutting activity involving the Directorates for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), Engineering (ENG), Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE), and Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP). Additionally, partnership with other federal agencies may lead to an interagency effort. Submitted proposals may be shared with one or more federal partners in the solicitation: Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Naval Research (ONR), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), and the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL). Opportunities are also present for collaboration with the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Germany’s Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

Awards are expected to range from $1,500,000 – $2,000,000 over a duration of four years.

Subject to the availability of funds, it is anticipated that the DMREF program will continue with competitions biennially in odd-numbered years.

DMREF is the primary program by which NSF supports the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI). MGI recognizes the importance of materials science and engineering to the well-being and advancement of society and aims to "deploy advanced materials at least twice as fast as possible today, at a fraction of the cost." MGI contributes to American leadership in Advanced Manufacturing by supporting cross-sector and cross-disciplinary collaborations that open new avenues for innovation in efficiently solving national challenges through fundamental scientific research. Consideration of the full range of material characteristics, properties, and manufacturing processes needed to attain the desired cost and performance of products is integral to achieving the ultimate goal of MGI. Therefore, the MGI approach seeks to seamlessly integrate computation, experiment, and data to predict and control materials properties and to enable manufacturing of high-performance materials at low cost, thus fueling the successful discovery of new materials and their rapid deployment and incorporation into manufactured products and devices.

The MGI will utilize challenges to help unify and accelerate adoption of the Materials Innovation Infrastructure through expansion and exploitation of capabilities in autonomous experimentation, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and robotics and automation to identify solutions to issues of national interest. These challenges will inspire and help grow an MGI-ready workforce. The MGI Challenges will be organized under the following areas: 1) Protecting and improving human health, 2) Delivering sustainable and resilient energy, 3) Thriving in extreme environments, 4) Enhancing structural performance, 5) Protecting the environment, 6) Propelling the information and communications technology revolution, and 7) Advancing Critical and Emerging Technology.

Consistent with the 2021  MGI Strategic Plan, DMREF will support interdisciplinary teams of researchers, working synergistically in a “closed loop” fashion, to build the fundamental knowledge base needed to advance the design, development, and “manufacturability” (i.e., properties relevant to manufacturing, process-property relationships, property-performance metrics, potential pathways for scale-up, economic feasibility, supply-chain considerations, or life-cycle issues) of materials. MGI highlights three sets of goals:

• Unify the Materials Innovation Infrastructure (MII), a framework of integrating advanced modeling, computational and experimental tools, and quantitative data;
• Harness the power of materials data; and
• Educate, train, and connect the materials research and development workforce.

II. Program Description

III. Award Information

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 subawards 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:

By the submission deadline, any PI, co-PI, or other Senior/Key project personnel must hold either:

• A tenured or tenure-track position, or
• A primary, full-time, paid appointment in a research or teaching position with exceptions granted for family or medical leave, as determined by the submitting institution.

An investigator who is a PI or co-PI of a DMREF award based on a proposal submitted in response to the previous DMREF Solicitation ( NSF 23-530) cannot be a PI or co-PI for this DMREF solicitation, but may serve as Senior/Key Personnel. Proposals violating this limitation will be returned without review.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 5

Each organization is limited to serving as lead on five (5) DMREF proposals. In the event that an organization exceeds this limit, the first five proposals will be accepted based on their times of submission, whereas the rest of the proposals will be returned without review, without exception. There is no limit on the number of proposals in which an organization may serve in a Collaborative, non-lead role.

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

No individual may appear as Senior/Key Personnel (PI, Co-PI, Faculty or Other Senior/Key Personnel) on more than one (1) DMREF proposal submitted in response to this solicitation. In the event that an individual exceeds this limit, any DMREF proposal submitted to this solicitation with this individual listed as Senior/Key Personnel after the first DMREF proposal is received at NSF will be returned without review, without exception. Changes in investigator roles post-submission to meet the eligibility requirements will not be allowed. It is the responsibility of the submitters to confirm that the entire team is within the eligibility guidelines.

Individuals from DMREF's international (or federal) partners should not be listed on the cover sheet of the NSF proposal and are not considered NSF Senior/Key Personnel. An individual from Israel may participate in only one DMREF-BSF proposal. Investigators from India may participate in only one DMREF-DST proposal as a DST PI. Co-PIs from India can be involved in up to two DMREF-DST proposals. Investigators from Canada may participate in only one DMREF-NSERC proposal as the Applicant (Canadian principal investigator) but may be co-applicants (co-PI) on more than one project. There is no limit to the number of DMREF-DFG projects to which a German investigator can participate.

Additional eligibility criteria apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Additional Eligibility Info:

All DMREF proposals must involve at least two Senior/Key Personnel (PI, Co-PI, Faculty or Other Senior/Key Personnel) to ensure that all aspects of the project (synthesis / growth / processing, characterization / testing, theory / data / computation / simulation) are adequately covered by relevant expertise. These partnerships may occur through either a proposal from a single institution or one involving multiple institutions.

Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation may not duplicate or be substantially similar to other proposals funded or concurrently under consideration by NSF or to proposals previously declined by NSF and not substantially revised. Proposals not satisfying this condition will be returned without review.

PIs with Prior or Existing DMREF Projects:

All DMREF proposals will be reviewed as new proposals. Follow-on funding for existing DMREF projects will only be considered when ambitious plans for advancing along the materials development continuum or significantly new research directions are described. Routine continuations of existing projects will not be considered compelling for funding. For PIs with DMREF projects that have been active within the past five years, accomplishments derived from DMREF support must be described in the Results from Prior NSF Support section and must substantially address progress made under the prior or current DMREF award with respect to Intellectual Merit, Broader Impacts, Data Management and Sharing Plan, and DMREF Solicitation Specific Review Criteria. A clear explanation of how MGI principles are being applied to accelerate materials discovery and development, and a detailed vision for advancement along the Materials Development Continuum (as described in the  MGI Strategic Plan) toward eventual deployment, must be provided in the new proposal.

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.

• Full Proposals submitted via Research.gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the  NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). The complete text of the PAPPG is available electronically on the NSF website at:  https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg. Paper copies of the PAPPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from  nsfpubs@nsf.gov. The Prepare New Proposal setup will prompt you for the program solicitation number.
• Full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation via Grants.gov should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the  NSF Grants.gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov. The complete text of the  NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at: ( https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide). To obtain copies of the Application Guide and Application Forms Package, click on the Apply tab on the Grants.gov site, then click on the Apply Step 1: Download a Grant Application Package and Application Instructions link and enter the funding opportunity number, (the program solicitation number without the NSF prefix) and press the Download Package button. Paper copies of the Grants.gov Application Guide also may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from  nsfpubs@nsf.gov.

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.

See PAPPG Chapter II.D.2 for guidance on the required sections of a full research proposal submitted to NSF. Please note that the proposal preparation instructions provided in this program solicitation may deviate from the PAPPG instructions.

FOR ALL DMREF PROPOSALS:

Proposal Set-up:

Select "Prepare New Full Proposal" in Research.gov. Search for and select this solicitation in Step 1 of the Full Proposal wizard. In Step 2, Where to Apply, select at least one participating NSF Directorate and Division as the primary NSF Directorate/Division aligned most closely with the topic of the proposal. Additional Directorates and Divisions aligned with the topic of the proposal may also be selected. (Grants.gov users should refer to Section VI.1.2. of the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide for specific instructions on how to designate the NSF Unit of Consideration.) Adherence to these requirements will guide NSF Program Officers in establishing an appropriate review for the proposal. This information will be used for guidance in the review process but will not necessarily reflect the Division that will ultimately process the proposal. It is anticipated that proposals on topics situated at the boundaries between two or more Divisions may be co-reviewed by those Divisions.

In Step 3, Proposal Type, select “Research” or “GOALI” as appropriate.

In Step 4, Proposal Details: If submitting collaborative proposals as separate submissions from multiple organizations via Research.gov, all proposals in the collaborative group must be directed to the same participating Directorate/Division(s) in the same sequence. Do  NOT select "separately submitted collaborative proposal" in Research.gov unless more than one U.S.-based institution will be submitting the same proposal for separate funding (i.e., the "separately submitted collaborative proposal" option only applies if there is more than one collaborating institution on the U.S. side, each submitting the same proposal).

Please note that collaborative GOALI proposals must be submitted as a single proposal with any collaborators identified as subawardee organizations.

Proposal Title:

The title of the proposal must begin with ' DMREF:' followed by the project title. Proposals submitted by different institutions as a collaborative group must have the identical title that begins with the designation ' Collaborative Research: DMREF:'. Titles of proposals involving  GOALI, must begin with ' GOALI: DMREF:'. Proposals that have an international partner must begin with ‘ DMREF: NSF-international funding agency:’ (where ‘international funding agency’ is ‘DST’, ‘BSF’, ‘NSERC’, or ‘DFG’. Example: ‘ DMREF: NSF-BSF:’, ‘ Collaborative Research: DMREF: NSF-BSF:’, or ‘ GOALI: DMREF: NSF-BSF:’.

For GOALI collaborative proposals, the proposal must be submitted by a single organization with any collaborators listed as subawards. Separately submitted collaborative GOALI proposals are not permitted. See Chapter II.E.3 of NSF’s PAPPG for additional information.

Personnel:

Personnel associated with, or to be supported by, federal or international agencies partnering with DMREF must not be listed on the cover sheet or designated as Senior/Key Personnel on the NSF proposal.

Project Summary:

The final line of the Overview portion of the Project Summary must be a list of no more than five key words preceded by the phrase or heading  Key Words. Proposers requesting cloud resources through CloudBank.org should include “CloudAccess” (one word without space) as one of these Key Words if incorporating this request into the proposal. The following terms should be used as a keyword if partnerships with these agencies are described in the proposed work: AFRL, EERE, ONR, NIST, GVSC, or ARL.

Project Description: 

The proposed work should be presented and its connection to the central objectives of DMREF should be clearly made. The discussion of the proposed research should clearly articulate the data and software cyberinfrastructure, as well as the research infrastructure that is planned to be used to achieve project goals. Plans to train and develop a diverse and inclusive MGI workforce must be specified. For proposals that describe collaborations with investigators supported by DMREF’s federal and/or international funding partners, the Project Description must explain how the proposed collaboration would benefit both the DMREF team and the federal or international partner in advancing the goals of the project and MGI.

The Project Description must include a brief description of the management plan for the collaboration preceded by the phrase or heading  Management Plan. The Management Plan should describe how the various components of the project, including data and workforce development, will be integrated into the project’s workflow to implement an effective iterative feedback loop. This is especially important for projects involving multiple institutions. The role of each Senior/Key Personnel and any federal / international personnel must be defined. For proposals involving a collaboration with investigators supported by one of DMREF’s federal or international funding partners, the Management Plan must clearly describe how this collaborative activity would be implemented. A timeline for implementing the project’s milestones and goals should be included.

Budget: 

Develop a realistic project budget that is consistent with the proposed activities. Proposed budgets should include funds for travel by one PI or co-PI to attend a biennial MGI Principal Investigator Meeting held in the Washington, DC area in even-numbered years. Proposals that wish to exercise the option to partner with AFRL or EERE may budget funds for travel to required biennial technical review meetings.

For proposals involving collaboration with personnel supported by DMREF’s federal and international funding partners, the Budget may include funds, such as student support or travel, to enable these activities. No NSF funds may be budgeted, or subawarded, to the federal or international partners: these personnel will participate as non-NSF funded collaborators.

The Budget may include funds to support implementation of the data management and sharing plan.

The total budget of the project, including any cloud computing resource request from CloudBank, may not exceed the budget limit for this solicitation. Proposers may contact CloudBank (see  https://www.cloudbank.org/faq) for consultation on estimating the costs for using cloud computing resources. The total cost of the cloud computing resources requested from Cloudbank should not be included in the NSF budget and should be specified only in the associated supplementary document (see example below).

Example: Note that this solicitation limits the total proposal budget to $2,000,000. If a PI wishes to request $20,000 in cloud computing resources through CloudBank, then the proposal should request, as part of the proposal budget, no more than $1,980,000. The remaining $20,000 for cloud computing resources should be specified in the Supplementary Document. If a proposal is a collaborative project between multiple organizations, then each respective PI may request cloud computing resources separately through independent Supplementary Documents as long as the total budget (on the budget pages plus in the Supplementary Documents) does not exceed $2,000,000

Data Management and Sharing Plan: 

A goal of DMREF and MGI is to accelerate the timeline for materials discovery-to-use. To accomplish this objective, this solicitation supports the emerging area of data-intensive materials research. This requires that the data and findings of any DMREF grant are made available in a robust and dependable way that outlasts the lifetime of the project and is responsive to the FAIR principles where all generated data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Investigators are strongly encouraged to think through the process of digital data creation and develop practices and a plan for sharing digital data. Data Management and Sharing Plans are of particular relevance to DMREF; consistent with the pivotal role of data in the MGI. A Data Management and Sharing Plan must demonstrate responsiveness to the FAIR guidelines. Additionally, the Data Management and Sharing Plan should include a discussion of the target audience for the data (who will use it) and a metric which will be used to assess the use or access to DMREF data. The Data Management and Sharing Plan should be responsive to the guidance presented at the  DMREF link at NSF's Dissemination and Sharing of Research Results webpage. It is additionally helpful if data is “ AI-ready” and that machine learning models are made available along with their training data to be maximally useful to the research community. 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 be asked to review the Data Management and Sharing Plan. PIs are encouraged to carefully examine both NSF policy and NSF Data Management and Sharing Plan Requirements in the PAPPG.

Single Copy Documents:

(Optional) Suggested Reviewers and Reviewers Not to Include. Investigators are encouraged to upload a list (with full names, affiliations, expertise, and email addresses) of at least four suggested reviewers who are experts in the various topics described in the proposal (synthesis / processing, experiment / characterization, theory / simulation, data, etc.). Suggested reviewers should not have a conflict of interest (as described in Exhibit II-2 of the PAPPG) with any of the Senior/Key personnel involved in the proposal. Similarly, investigators may identify up to four experts whom they would not want to review their proposal for whatever reason.

Single Copy Documents are used by NSF staff but are not available to reviewers.

Other Supplementary Documents:

Letters of Collaboration. For proposals involving collaborations with researchers not identified as Senior/Key, federal, or international personnel, proposers should include Letters confirming these collaborations. The letters must follow PAPPG instructions set forth in Chapter II, Section D.2.i. They may not contain statements of support or reference. Details about collaborative work to be done under this project should be included within the 15 pages of the Project Description, not in the Letter(s) of Collaboration. Letters of Collaboration are not required from collaborators at DMREF’s federal partner agencies (AFRL, NIST, EERE, ONR, ARL, or GVSC), but their contribution to, and integration into, the project must be thoroughly described in the Project Description, including the Management Plan.

Cloud Computing Resources. If requesting cloud computing resources through CloudBank, include a description of your requests (not to exceed 2 pages) that includes: (1) title of the proposal; (2) which public cloud providers will be used; (3) anticipated annual and total costs for accessing the desired cloud computing resources based on pricing currently available from the public cloud computing providers along with how the cost was estimated; and (4) a technical description of, and justification for, the requested cloud computing resources.

FOR PROPOSALS INVOLVING AN INTERNATIONAL PARTNER:

Cover Sheet:

1. Proposals submitted under an DMREF-BSF collaboration must begin with the title " DMREF: NSF-BSF:”, proposals submitted under an DMREF-DST collaboration must begin with the title “ DMREF: NSF-DST:”, proposals submitted under an DMREF-NSERC collaboration must begin with the title “ DMREF: NSF-NSERC:”, and proposals submitted under an DMREF-DFG collaboration must begin with the title “ DMREF: NSF-DFG:”. These title elements should be included on the “Proposal Details” page when preparing a new full proposal through Research.gov.

2. Do NOT select "separately submitted collaborative proposal" in Research.gov  unless more than one U.S.-based institution will be submitting the same proposal for separate funding (i.e., the "separately submitted collaborative proposal" option only applies if there is more than one collaborating institution on the U.S. side, each submitting the same proposal).

3. Check the “International Activity” box on the Cover Sheet page of Research.gov and select the corresponding collaborative country for the given proposal (e.g., Israel, India, Canada, or Germany).

4. Information on personnel requesting funding from BSF, DST, NSERC, or DFG is to be provided as specified below. This information is for administrative purposes only and is not intended to characterize the level or value of the contribution of these individuals to the project. Personnel requesting funding from BSF, DST, NSERC, or DFG should not be listed on the cover sheet of, or designated as Senior/Key personnel on, the NSF proposal.

Project Summary and Description: The proposed work submitted under an DMREF-BSF, DMREF-DST, DMREF-NSERC, or DMREF-DFG collaboration must represent an integrated, joint effort. The project summary and project description of the proposal must include a substantive description of the collaboration, including an explanation of the role(s) of the collaborator(s) in Israel, India, Canada, or Germany and an explanation of how team members will work together. The proposal must describe the intellectual merits of the proposed research, including the value of the international collaboration, and the anticipated societal benefits (broader impacts) of the effort. Broader impacts are an NSF review requirement, so the proposal must include societal benefits relevant to the U.S. This section may also include societal benefits in Israel, India, Canada, or Germany. The proposal should describe the full proposed research program, including the total U.S. and Israeli, Indian, Canadian, or German resources that will be part of the project.

Budget: PIs in the U.S. should indicate only the U.S. expenses on the NSF budget form. Personnel in Israel, India, Canada, or Germany should indicate only the BSF, DST, NSERC, or DFG research expenses on the BSF, DST, NSERC, or DFG budget form, respectively. The BSF, DST, NSERC or DFG budget and budget justification must be included in the NSF proposal as a supplementary document. The Budget Justification section of the NSF proposal should clearly differentiate the U.S. budget from any similar funds requested by the Israel-, India-, Canada-, or German-based team and justify the full U.S. project budget. Proposals that request duplicative funding may be returned without review.

Biographical Sketch: Required. Required for the equivalent of Senior/Key Personnel (as defined in the NSF PAPPG Exhibit II-3) requesting funding from BSF, DST, NSERC, or DFG. Upload a biographical sketch separately for each individual as a single PDF in the Other Supplementary Documents section of the proposal. Clearly label each document with the individual’s name and “Biographical Sketch.” Use of a specific format is not required.

Collaborators and Other Affiliations (COA) Information: Required. Required for the equivalent of Senior/Key Personnel (as defined in the NSF PAPPG Exhibit II-3) requesting funding from BSF, DST, NSERC, or DFG. NSF uses this information to manage reviewer selection and avoid potentially disqualifying conflicts of interest. COA information is not shared with reviewers. Upload COA information separately for each individual who is the equivalent of Senior/Key Personnel requesting funding as a PDF in Single Copy Documents  using the  COA template. Clearly label each document with the individual’s name and “COA.”

Synergistic Activities: Not required. This Senior/Key Personnel Document is only applicable to individuals requesting funding from NSF, not international collaborators.

Current and Pending (Other) Support:  Not required. This Senior/Key Personnel Document is only applicable to individuals requesting funding from NSF, not international collaborators.

Results from Prior NSF Support: Not required. This section of the proposal Project Description is only applicable to individuals requesting funding from NSF, not international collaborators.

Additional instructions:

If the proposal contains a foreign investigator from one of DMREF’s international funding partners in Israel, India, or Germany, this individual must  submit a copy of the NSF proposal to their respective agency (BSF, DST, or DFG). Investigators in Canada do not need to submit a copy of the NSF proposal.

If the DMREF proposal contains an investigator from Israel, this individual must submit the same proposal with any required additional information to the BSF via the BSF submission system. The BSF submission system can accessed by using the login button on the BSF homepage. Additional information can be found here. The collaborative proposal must be submitted to the BSF by the Israeli scientist by the BSF-established deadline. The expected funding from the BSF for the Israeli component of each US-Israel Collaborative Project will be a maximum of $95,000/year ($380,000 total) for one investigator or $142,000/year ($568,000 total) for two or more investigators. The following documents must be included in DMREF-BSF proposals: 1) Provided as a Supplementary Document, a copy of the proposed BSF budget requested from BSF in English using U.S. Dollars, and a budget justification that explains the request, and 2) Letters of collaboration may be included; however, they must comply with the PAPPG instructions set forth in Chapter II.D.2.i.

If the DMREF proposal contains an investigator from India, this individual must submit the same proposal with any required additional information to DST via the DST submission system which can be accessed here. Additional information can be found here. The collaborative proposals must be submitted to DST by the Indian investigator by the NSF-established deadline.

If the DMREF proposal contains an investigator from Canada, this individual must submit the same proposal with any required additional information to NSERC via the NSERC submission system. The Canadian collaborative proposal must be submitted to NSERC by the Canadian scientist by 8 PM (ET) on the final day of the submission window. Please see the NSERC-DMREF  website for more details.

If the DMREF proposal contains an investigator from Germany, this individual must submit the same proposal with any required additional information to the DFG via the DFG submission system. Additional information can be found here. Funding from the DFG can only be received if the guidelines for safeguarding good research practice have been implemented by the German applicant’s institution. The DFG funding period is limited to three years. To align with the four-year duration of DMREF projects either a no-cost extension may be requested or a continuation proposal for the German part may be submitted to DFG six months before the fourth year starts. The collaborative proposal must be submitted to DFG by the German scientist via its ELAN system during the submission window that extends two days beyond the NSF submission window. Proposals eligible to apply will need to have a research focus relevant to the topic areas identified above. Proposals of German applicants are accepted in the subject areas 3.12 (Chemical Solid State and Surface Research), 3.16 (Polymer Research), 3.17 (Theoretical Chemistry), 3.21 (Condensed Matter Physics), 4.31 (Materials Engineering), and 4.32 (Materials Science) of the DFG’s subject classification. In parallel a supplement (maximum 10 pages) must be prepared for the DFG. It must contain the information required in sections 4 to 5 of the DFG research grant project description,cf. DFG guidelines 54.01 and 53.01. This includes among other information a detailed breakdown of the funding requested from DFG for the first thirty-six (36) months. The explanations regarding any possible safety-related aspects, as “Dual Use Research of Concern” and risks in international cooperations are mandatory if US military agencies (AFRL, ONR, ARL, and GVSC) are partners in the joint project. The considerations on aspects of ecological sustainability in the planning and implementation of the project are also mandatory. In addition, a CV of each German partner using the DFG form 53.200 must be submitted for the eligibility check.

If the international component of proposals submitted to BSF, DST, or DFG are  not submitted to the foreign agency by the stated deadline, the international partner will be treated as a non-funded collaborator: the DMREF proposal will be reviewed but no funds would be awarded to the foreign component.  By submitting, international investigators and their institutions agree that NSF may share reviews and other documents pertaining to the review process with the BSF, DST, NSERC, and DFG. 

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

Budget Preparation Instructions:

The NSF DMREF Management Team will schedule biennial meetings of DMREF PIs in the Washington, DC area. Proposal budgets should include funds to support the attendance of one PI or co-PI every other (even-numbered) year.

Proposals that wish to exercise the option to partner with AFRL or EERE must have one PI or co-PI participate in biennial technical review meetings at AFRL headquarters in Dayton, OH (AFRL) or at a venue designated by the EERE partner (EERE). Travel funds may be budgeted for this purpose.

C. Due Dates

• Submission Window Date(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization’s local time):

       January 21, 2025 - February 04, 2025

D. Research.gov/Grants.gov Requirements

For Proposals Submitted Via Research.gov:

To prepare and submit a proposal via Research.gov, see detailed technical instructions available at:  https://www.research.gov/research-portal/appmanager/base/desktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=research_node_display&_nodePath=/researchGov/Service/Desktop/ProposalPreparationandSubmission.html. For Research.gov user support, call the Research.gov Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail  rgov@nsf.gov. The Research.gov Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the Research.gov system. Specific questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this funding opportunity.

For Proposals Submitted Via Grants.gov:

Before using Grants.gov for the first time, each organization must register to create an institutional profile. Once registered, the applicant's organization can then apply for any federal grant on the Grants.gov website. Comprehensive information about using Grants.gov is available on the Grants.gov Applicant Resources webpage:  https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html. In addition, the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide (see link in Section V.A) provides instructions regarding the technical preparation of proposals via Grants.gov. For Grants.gov user support, contact the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or by email:  support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Contact Center answers general technical questions related to the use of Grants.gov. Specific questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this solicitation.

Submitting the Proposal:  Once all documents have been completed, the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must submit the application to Grants.gov and verify the desired funding opportunity and agency to which the application is submitted. The AOR must then sign and submit the application to Grants.gov. The completed application will be transferred to Research.gov for further processing.

Proposers that submitted via Research.gov may use Research.gov to verify the status of their submission to NSF. For proposers that submitted via Grants.gov, until an application has been received and validated by NSF, the Authorized Organizational Representative may check the status of an application on Grants.gov. After proposers have received an e-mail notification from NSF, Research.gov should be used to check the status of an application.

VI. NSF Proposal Processing And Review Procedures

Proposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program for acknowledgement and, if they meet NSF requirements, for review. All proposals are carefully reviewed by a scientist, engineer, or educator serving as an NSF Program Officer, and usually by three to ten other persons outside NSF either as ad hoc reviewers, panelists, or both, who are experts in the particular fields represented by the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with oversight of the review process. Proposers are invited to suggest names of persons they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal and/or persons they would prefer not review the proposal. These suggestions may serve as one source in the reviewer selection process at the Program Officer's discretion. Submission of such names, however, is optional. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts of interest with the proposal. In addition, Program Officers may obtain comments from site visits before recommending final action on proposals. Senior NSF staff further review recommendations for awards. A flowchart that depicts the entire NSF proposal and award process (and associated timeline) is included in PAPPG Exhibit III-1.

A comprehensive description of the Foundation's merit review process is available on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/merit_review/.

Proposers should also be aware of core strategies that are essential to the fulfillment of NSF's mission, as articulated in Leading the World in Discovery and Innovation, STEM Talent Development and the Delivery of Benefits from Research - NSF Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022 - 2026 . These strategies are integrated in the program planning and implementation process, of which proposal review is one part. NSF's mission is particularly well-implemented through the integration of research and education and broadening participation in NSF programs, projects, and activities.

One of the strategic objectives in support of NSF's mission is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions must recruit, train, and prepare a diverse STEM workforce to advance the frontiers of science and participate in the U.S. technology-based economy. NSF's contribution to the national innovation ecosystem is to provide cutting-edge research under the guidance of the Nation's most creative scientists and engineers. NSF also supports development of a strong science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce by investing in building the knowledge that informs improvements in STEM teaching and learning.

NSF's mission calls for the broadening of opportunities and expanding participation of groups, institutions, and geographic regions that are underrepresented in STEM disciplines, which is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports.

A. Merit Review Principles and Criteria

The National Science Foundation strives to invest in a robust and diverse portfolio of projects that creates new knowledge and enables breakthroughs in understanding across all areas of science and engineering research and education. To identify which projects to support, NSF relies on a merit review process that incorporates consideration of both the technical aspects of a proposed project and its potential to contribute more broadly to advancing NSF's mission "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes." NSF makes every effort to conduct a fair, competitive, transparent merit review process for the selection of projects.

1. Merit Review Principles

These principles are to be given due diligence by PIs and organizations when preparing proposals and managing projects, by reviewers when reading and evaluating proposals, and by NSF program staff when determining whether or not to recommend proposals for funding and while overseeing awards. Given that NSF is the primary federal agency charged with nurturing and supporting excellence in basic research and education, the following three principles apply:

• All NSF projects should be of the highest quality and have the potential to advance, if not transform, the frontiers of knowledge.
• NSF projects, in the aggregate, should contribute more broadly to achieving societal goals. These "Broader Impacts" may be accomplished through the research itself, through activities that are directly related to specific research projects, or through activities that are supported by, but are complementary to, the project. The project activities may be based on previously established and/or innovative methods and approaches, but in either case must be well justified.
• Meaningful assessment and evaluation of NSF funded projects should be based on appropriate metrics, keeping in mind the likely correlation between the effect of broader impacts and the resources provided to implement projects. If the size of the activity is limited, evaluation of that activity in isolation is not likely to be meaningful. Thus, assessing the effectiveness of these activities may best be done at a higher, more aggregated, level than the individual project.

With respect to the third principle, even if assessment of Broader Impacts outcomes for particular projects is done at an aggregated level, PIs are expected to be accountable for carrying out the activities described in the funded project. Thus, individual projects should include clearly stated goals, specific descriptions of the activities that the PI intends to do, and a plan in place to document the outputs of those activities.

These three merit review principles provide the basis for the merit review criteria, as well as a context within which the users of the criteria can better understand their intent.

2. Merit Review Criteria

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board approved merit review criteria. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.

The two merit review criteria are listed below. Both criteria are to be given full consideration during the review and decision-making processes; each criterion is necessary but neither, by itself, is sufficient. Therefore, proposers must fully address both criteria. (PAPPG Chapter II.D.2.d(i). contains additional information for use by proposers in development of the Project Description section of the proposal). Reviewers are strongly encouraged to review the criteria, including PAPPG Chapter II.D.2.d(i), prior to the review of a proposal.

When evaluating NSF proposals, reviewers will be asked to consider what the proposers want to do, why they want to do it, how they plan to do it, how they will know if they succeed, and what benefits could accrue if the project is successful. These issues apply both to the technical aspects of the proposal and the way in which the project may make broader contributions. To that end, reviewers will be asked to evaluate all proposals against two criteria:

• Intellectual Merit: The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge; and
• Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

The following elements should be considered in the review for both criteria:

1. What is the potential for the proposed activity to
   1. Advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit); and
   2. Benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes (Broader Impacts)?
2. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?
3. Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success?
4. How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to conduct the proposed activities?
5. Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either at the home organization or through collaborations) to carry out the proposed activities?

Broader impacts may be accomplished through the research itself, through the activities that are directly related to specific research projects, or through activities that are supported by, but are complementary to, the project. NSF values the advancement of scientific knowledge and activities that contribute to achievement of societally relevant outcomes. Such outcomes include, but are not limited to: full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); improved STEM education and educator development at any level; increased public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and technology; improved well-being of individuals in society; development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce; increased partnerships between academia, industry, and others; improved national security; increased economic competitiveness of the United States; and enhanced infrastructure for research and education.

Proposers are reminded that reviewers will also be asked to review the Data Management Plan and the Postdoctoral Researcher Mentoring Plan, as appropriate.

Additional Solicitation Specific Review Criteria

The following additional criteria will be used to evaluate all DMREF proposals:

• How effectively does the proposed work help accelerate materials discovery, understanding, and/or development by building the fundamental knowledge base needed to progress toward designing and making materials with specific, desired functions or properties?
• How effectively does the proposed research use collaborative processes with iterative feedback among tasks? Do the materials synthesis / growth / processing techniques, characterization / testing methodology, theory / mathematics, data science, and computation / simulation aspects of the project strongly interact with each other to promote significant advances in each of these components and advance materials design?
• How effectively does the proposed work provide training for the next generation of scientists and engineers, educated in a multidisciplinary, integrated experimental and computational approach to materials research? Will adequate data-related training be provided for students and postdoctoral researchers, as needed?
• How appropriate is the Data Management and Sharing Plan for the type of data that the project is expected to create? How effectively does the proposal convey that the digital data generated by the project will be made freely available within a reasonable time from publication, without the need for request to the investigator, in a way that the data is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR)? 

In addition to being evaluated according to the previously described criteria, proposals submitted to the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) as the Primary Unit of Consideration will be evaluated with respect to whether they seek new mathematical or statistical results that will advance the DMREF agenda. These proposals will be co-evaluated by other divisions in the areas of science and engineering where impacts of the projects are expected.

B. Review and Selection Process

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

Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review.

NSF will manage and conduct the review process of all proposals submitted. NSF is partnering with federal and international funding partners in this solicitation.

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), including the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Naval Research (ONR), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) and Army Research Laboratory (ARL) are federal collaborating agencies for the FY 2025 DMREF solicitation.

The United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Germany’s Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) are the international partners for this FY 2025 DMREF solicitation.

Representatives from these agencies may be permitted to view proposals, recommend reviewers, and attend the review panels as observers.

After scientific, technical and programmatic review and consideration of appropriate factors, the NSF Program Officer recommends to the cognizant Division Director whether the proposal should be declined or recommended for award. NSF strives to be able to tell proposers whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. Large or particularly complex proposals or proposals from new recipients may require additional review and processing time. The time interval begins on the deadline or target date, or receipt date, whichever is later. The interval ends when the Division Director acts upon the Program Officer's recommendation.

After programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements or the Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support for review of business, financial, and policy implications. After an administrative review has occurred, Grants and Agreements Officers perform the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at their own risk.

Once an award or declination decision has been made, Principal Investigators are provided feedback about their proposals. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers or any reviewer-identifying information, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Officer. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See Section VI.B. for additional information on the review process.)

In cases where an award is made to an individual / organization associated with one of DMREF’s international funding partners (BSF, DST, NSERC, or DFG), this partner agency will notify the investigator / organization of the award subsequent to NSF’s award notification.

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award notice, which includes any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award notice; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (GC-1)*; and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award notice. Cooperative agreements also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC) and the applicable Programmatic Terms and Conditions. NSF awards are electronically signed by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer and transmitted electronically to the organization via e-mail.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/award_conditions.jsp?org=NSF. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter VII, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Build America, Buy America

As expressed in Executive Order 14005, Ensuring the Future is Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers (86 FR 7475), it is the policy of the executive branch to use terms and conditions of Federal financial assistance awards to maximize, consistent with law, the use of goods, products, and materials produced in, and services offered in, the United States.

Consistent with the requirements of the Build America, Buy America Act (Pub. L. 117-58, Division G, Title IX, Subtitle A, November 15, 2021), no funding made available through this funding opportunity may be obligated for infrastructure projects under an award unless all iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in the project are produced in the United States. For additional information, visit NSF’s Build America, Buy America webpage.

Special Award Conditions:

DMREF Projects involving international partners: These award recipients will be expected to comply with the award conditions of the respective agency (NSF or international partner agency) from which they receive funding.

US-Israel Collaborative projects:

BSF administration requirements are detailed at the  BSF website.

US-Germany Collaborative projects:

Proposals involving private companies whose participation requires the conclusion of a cooperation agreement in accordance with the rules of DFG are not eligible.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the Principal Investigator must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer no later than 90 days prior to the end of the current budget period. (Some programs or awards require submission of more frequent project reports). No later than 120 days following expiration of a grant, the PI also is required to submit a final annual project report, and a project outcomes report for the general public.

Failure to provide the required annual or final annual project reports, or the project outcomes report, will delay NSF review and processing of any future funding increments as well as any pending proposals for all identified PIs and co-PIs on a given award. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.

PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project-reporting system, available through Research.gov, for preparation and submission of annual and final annual project reports. Such reports provide information on accomplishments, project participants (individual and organizational), publications, and other specific products and impacts of the project. Submission of the report via Research.gov constitutes certification by the PI that the contents of the report are accurate and complete. The project outcomes report also must be prepared and submitted using Research.gov. This report serves as a brief summary, prepared specifically for the public, of the nature and outcomes of the project. This report will be posted on the NSF website exactly as it is submitted by the PI.

More comprehensive information on NSF Reporting Requirements and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter VII, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg.

DMREF Projects involving international partners: These award recipients will be expected to comply with the reporting requirements of the respective agency (NSF or international partner agency) from which they receive funding. These award recipients will be required to acknowledge both the NSF and the international partner funding agency (BSF, DST, NSERC, or DFG) in any reports or publications resulting from the award. Project reports must detail activities related to the entire collaborative effort.

VIII. Agency Contacts

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

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

• John Schlueter, Team Lead, MPS/DMR, telephone: (703) 292-7766, email: jschluet@nsf.gov

• James Donlon, CISE/IIS, telephone: (703) 292-8074, email: jdonlon@nsf.gov

• Dmitry Golovaty, telephone: (703) 292-2117, email: dgolovat@nsf.gov

• Yuliya Gorb, MPS/DMS, telephone: (703) 292-2113, email: ygorb@nsf.gov

• Eugenia Kharlampieva, MPS/DMR, telephone: (703) 292-4520, email: ekharlam@nsf.gov

• Linda Molnar, telephone: (703) 292-8316, email: lmolnar@nsf.gov

• Siddiq Qidwai, ENG/CMMI, telephone: (703) 292-2211, email: sqidwai@nsf.gov

• Shahab Shojaei-Zadeh, ENG/CBET, telephone: (703) 292-8045, email: sshojaei@nsf.gov

• Pranav Soman, telephone: (703) 292-4322, email: psoman@nsf.gov

• Suk-Wah Tam-Chang, MPS/CHE, telephone: (703) 292-8684, email: stamchan@nsf.gov

• Ralph Wachter, CISE/CNS, telephone: (703) 292-8950, email: rwachter@nsf.gov

• Rachel (Heni) Haring, Deputy Executive Director, BSF, telephone: 972 2 5828239, email: heni@nsf.org.il

• Mahak Garg, International Cooperation, DST, telephone: 011-26590291, email: mahak.garg@gov.in

• Patrick Suter, NSERC, telephone: (613)898-5738, email: DMREF@NSERC-CRSNG.GC.CA

• Georg Bechtold, DFG, telephone: (202)785-4208, email: Georg.Bechtold@dfg.de

• Cosima Schuster, DFG, telephone: +49 (228)885-2271, email: Cosima.Schuster@dfg.de

For questions related to the use of NSF systems, contact:

• NSF Help Desk: 1-800-673-6188

• Research.gov Help Desk e-mail: rgov@nsf.gov

For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:

• Grants.gov Contact Center: If the Authorized Organizational Representatives (AOR) has not received a confirmation message from Grants.gov within 48 hours of submission of application, please contact via telephone: 1-800-518-4726; e-mail:  support@grants.gov.

Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Contacts:

AFRL Materials and Manufacturing (AFRL/RX):

Ruth Pachter, Senior Scientist, AFRL/RX, phone: (937)205-5319, email:  Ruth.Pachter.1@us.af.mil

AFRL Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFRL/AFOSR):

William Roach, Chief Scientist, AFRL/AFOSR, phone: (703)215-6731, email:  William.Roach.4@us.af.mil

DOE EERE Contact:

Eric Miller, Chief Scientist, Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Technologies Office, US Department of Energy – EERE, phone (202)431-3075, email: Eric.Miller@ee.doe.gov

Robert Natelson, Technology Manager, Bioenergy Technologies Office, US Department of Energy – EERE, phone (240)753-4206, email: Robert.Natelson@ee.doe.gov

ONR Contact:

Knox Millsaps, Department Head (Acting), Aviation, Force Projection and Integrated Defense, phone: (703)588-2962, email: knox.t.millsaps.civ@us.navy.mil

NIST Contact:

James A. Warren, Director Materials Genome Program, Materials Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, phone: (301)975-5708, email: james.warren@nist.gov

GVSC Contact:

David Gorsich, Chief Scientist, phone: (586)282-7413, email: david.j.gorsich.civ@army.mil

ARL Contact:

Adam Rawlett, Senior Research Scientist, phone: (410)306-0695, email: adam.m.rawlett.civ@army.mil

BSF Contact:

Rachel (Heni) Haring, Deputy Executive Director, BSF, telephone: 972 2 5828239, email: heni@bsf.org.il

DST Contact:

Mahak Garg, International Cooperation, DST, telephone: 011-26590291, email: mahak.garg@gov.in

NSERC Contact:

Patrick Suter, NSERC, telephone: (613) 898-5738, email: DMREF@NSERC-CRSNG.GC.CA

DFG Contacts:

IX. Other Information

The NSF website provides the most comprehensive source of information on NSF Directorates (including contact information), programs and funding opportunities. Use of this website by potential proposers is strongly encouraged. In addition, "NSF Update" is an information-delivery system designed to keep potential proposers and other interested parties apprised of new NSF funding opportunities and publications, important changes in proposal and award policies and procedures, and upcoming NSF Grants Conferences. Subscribers are informed through e-mail or the user's Web browser each time new publications are issued that match their identified interests. "NSF Update" also is available on NSF's website.

Grants.gov provides an additional electronic capability to search for Federal government-wide grant opportunities. NSF funding opportunities may be accessed via this mechanism. Further information on Grants.gov may be obtained at https://www.grants.gov.

About The National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent Federal agency created by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 USC 1861-75). The Act states the purpose of the NSF is "to promote the progress of science; [and] to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare by supporting research and education in all fields of science and engineering."

NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. It does this through grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations and other research organizations throughout the US. The Foundation accounts for about one-fourth of Federal support to academic institutions for basic research.

NSF receives approximately 55,000 proposals each year for research, education and training projects, of which approximately 11,000 are funded. In addition, the Foundation receives several thousand applications for graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. The agency operates no laboratories itself but does support National Research Centers, user facilities, certain oceanographic vessels and Arctic and Antarctic research stations. The Foundation also supports cooperative research between universities and industry, US participation in international scientific and engineering efforts, and educational activities at every academic level.

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects. See the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide Chapter II.F.7 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of proposals.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 292-5090 and (800) 281-8749, FIRS at (800) 877-8339.

The National Science Foundation Information Center may be reached at (703) 292-5111.

The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering. To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov Location: 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314 For General Information (NSF Information Center) : (703) 292-5111 TDD (for the hearing-impaired): (703) 292-5090 To Order Publications or Forms:   Send an e-mail to: nsfpubs@nsf.gov or telephone: (703) 292-8134 To Locate NSF Employees: (703) 292-5111

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. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; and project reports submitted by proposers will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal review process; to proposer institutions/recipients to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies or other entities needing information regarding proposers or nominees as part of a joint application review process, or in order to coordinate programs or policy; and to another Federal agency, court, or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See System of Record Notices, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records.” Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding the burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to:

Suzanne H. Plimpton
Reports Clearance Officer
Policy Office, Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance, and Award Management
National Science Foundation
Alexandria, VA 22314