Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future | 19 516

Opportunity Information: Apply for 19 516

Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF, NSF 19-516) is the National Science Foundation's main grant program supporting the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) for Global Competitiveness, a national effort aimed at getting new and improved materials into real-world use much faster and at much lower cost than traditional development cycles. The core idea is to change how materials are discovered and engineered by tightly linking computation, data, and experiments so that insights move quickly from prediction to validation to refinement. Instead of treating modeling, synthesis, and testing as separate steps done by separate groups, DMREF pushes teams to work in an integrated, iterative "closed loop" where each step continuously informs the next.

The opportunity emphasizes four major goals aligned with the MGI strategic plan. First, it seeks a culture shift in materials research toward genuinely integrated team science rather than isolated efforts, with researchers working synergistically across disciplines. Second, it aims to more deeply integrate experimentation, computation, and theory, while expanding access to advanced tools and techniques that make this integration practical. Third, it prioritizes making materials data digitally accessible, findable, and usable by the broader community, reflecting the idea that shared, well-structured data is a major accelerator of discovery. Fourth, it focuses on building a world-class materials workforce trained to operate at the intersection of materials science, computing, and data-driven methods, preparing students and early-career researchers for both academic and industry roles.

DMREF proposals are expected to significantly speed up materials discovery and/or development by generating the fundamental knowledge needed to design materials and devices with targeted functions or properties. Projects typically combine modeling and simulation with real experimental validation, such as sample preparation, characterization, or device demonstrations that confirm predictions and guide next-round improvements. On the computational side, work often begins at the most appropriate small scale (electronic, atomic, molecular, nano, micro, meso) and may extend across multiple length and time scales, using the chemistry and physics models needed to capture key mechanisms. The solicitation encourages creativity in how teams combine computation, theory, and data-centric approaches to maximize predictive power, interpretability, and practical design impact.

A notable emphasis is placed on data science and cyberinfrastructure. DMREF supports development of new data analytics and statistical methods, advanced simulations tied to device functionality, and improvements in predictive modeling that can include machine learning, artificial intelligence, data mining, and sparse approximation methods. It also encourages building or using data infrastructure that is accessible, extensible, scalable, and sustainable, as well as creating reliable, interoperable, reusable software that the community can build on for next-generation materials design. Proposers are encouraged, when appropriate, to leverage NSF-supported cyberinfrastructure and software investments such as the OpenKIM Knowledgebase of Interatomic Models, SI2, DIBBs, and CSSI, and to build collaborative capabilities for managing large, complex, heterogeneous, and distributed datasets that support materials design, synthesis, and long-term study.

In terms of national relevance, DMREF is positioned as a contributor to priorities like advanced manufacturing and future industries, national defense and homeland security, information technology and high-performance computing, human health and welfare, clean energy, and STEM workforce development. While the program is not limited to specific topics, the FY2019 solicitation highlighted particular interest areas: synthetic materials biology, structural materials under extreme conditions, recyclable plastics and alternative materials supporting sustainability, and robotic materials. The program also ties into NSF's broader "Big Ideas" transformative research agenda by encouraging multidisciplinary, integrative work that can reshape how materials R and D is done.

Operationally, this is a discretionary NSF grant competition with expected awards in the range of $1,000,000 to $1,750,000 over four years, with around 25 awards anticipated for the cycle described. Proposals are expected to be led by an interdisciplinary team with at least two senior personnel who bring complementary expertise, reflecting the program's expectation that meaningful progress requires more than a single-discipline approach. The solicitation notes an intent (budget permitting) to run DMREF competitions biennially in odd-numbered years, and for FY2019 it also piloted a cloud computing option in partnership with Google, signaling interest in scalable computing environments that can support data-intensive and simulation-heavy workflows.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.070.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 01, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 04, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,750,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 19 516

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