Restructuring of the Materials Research Science

and Engineering Center (MRSEC) Program

Creating New Opportunities for Collaborations andPartnerships in Materials Research & Education

Zakya H. Kafafi, Division DirectorJanice Hicks, Deputy Division Director

Sean L. Jones, Thomas P. Rieker, Z. Charles Ying, Program Directors

Division of Materials ResearchDirectorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences

National Science Foundation

History of the MRSEC Program

1972 * Establishment of the Division of Materials Research (DMR)

* Establishment of Materials Research Laboratories (MRLs) in place of 10

Interdisciplinary Laboratories (IDLs) transferred from ARPA to NSF

1986Establishment of Materials Research Groups (MRGs)

1994 Establishment of Materials Research and Engineering Center (MRSEC)

program in place of MRLs and MRGs

2010Establishment of Centers of Excellence for Materials Research and

Innovation (CEMRIs) and Materials Interdisciplinary Research Teams

(MIRTs) in place of MRSECs

Current MRSECs

27 current MRSECs, each with one or more interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs)

YearNumber

of Centers 1 IRG 2 IRGs 3 IRGs 4 IRGs 5 IRGs

2005 13 4 2 3 3 1

2008 14 4 4 2 4 0

Future of National Science Foundation Materials Research Centers

Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers Program: Looking Back, Moving Forward

MRSEC Impact Assessment Committee

Solid State Sciences Committee

Board on Physics and Astronomy

Division of Engineering and Physical Sciences

National Research Council of the National Academies

• MRSEC awards continue to be in great demand and in intense competition, suggesting a strong perceived value within the community

• MRSEC program has had important impacts of the same high standard of quality as those of other individual- or multi-investigator programs

• The effectiveness of MRSECs has been reduced in recent years as a result of increasing requirements without a commensurate increase in resources

• Committee did not observe strong cooperation among discrete centers of the program

• MRSEC program needs to evolve, in order to successfully meet their objectives in the coming decade

2007 NRC Assessment of the MRSEC Program

General Recommendations

• Increasing mean grant size for MRSEC programs is necessary for fulfillment of mission goals

• NSF should restructure the MRSEC program to allow more efficient use and leveraging of resources

• NSF should enable its materials research centers to play a greater role in advancing materials research

• The new program should fully invest in centers of excellence, as well as in stand-alone teams of researchers with a unified review mechanism

Proposed New Structure

To respond to changes in the budgetary landscape and changes in materials research in the coming decade, NSF should restructure the MRSEC program to allow more efficient use and leveraging of resources

Materials Centers for Excellence (MCEs)* Support several coordinated teams of interdisciplinary research groups, carry out educational and industrial outreach, and support “state-of-the-art” facilities

Materials Research Groups (MRGs)* Support interdisciplinary research groups that do not have separately mandated educational and industrial activities or facilities

FY 2011Competition for Materials Research Centers and Teams

• Centers of Excellence for Materials Research and Innovation (CEMRIs)

• Materials Interdisciplinary Research Teams (MIRTs)

One CEMRI or MIRT proposal per institution

Two Types of Awards

Materials Interdisciplinary ResearchTeams (MIRTs)

Support single interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs) “High-risk, high-payoff,” potentially transformative interdisciplinary

materials research Focus on integrating research with education (support REU) Have well-thought out strategic diversity plans with measurable metrics No separately mandated educational & industrial activities No separately mandated facilities (support for equipment)

Awards:

– $0.70M to $1.5M annual budget per team

– FY 2011 Budget Request: $10-$12M to support 8-12 awards

Centers of Excellence for Materials Research and Innovation (CEMRIs)

Consist of several (2-5) coordinated interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs)

Carry out educational and industrial outreach activities Support “state-of the art” experimental and computational facilities Have well-thought out strategic diversity plans with measurable

metrics Conduct extensive international collaborations in research and

education

Awards:

– $2M to $5M annual budget per center

– FY 2011 Budget Request: $20-$24M to support 8-10 awards

Review Process

• Due Dates for Pre-proposals: September 1st (CEMRI) and 3rd (MIRT)

• Center and Team pre-proposals will be reviewed together by

topical panels

• Full proposals are by invitation only for both Centers and Teams

• Mail review of full proposals

• Reverse site visit review for Center proposals

Questions?

Please clarify the “a limited number of education activities”.  REU is required, industrial and cooperative interactions are required.  Are they counted towards the “limited number of education activities”? 

Centers are expected to pursue education outreach activities where they can have impact. It is up to the center to define what they will pursue beyond a Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.

Question and Answer

A multidisciplinary team requires faculty from different schools/centers to collaborate together.  Is there an advantage/disadvantage to submit a proposal through a school/a center on a campus?

 

There is a limit of one CEMRI or MIRT proposal per institution. Use the internal structure that provides the most flexibility and resources across departments and schools.

Question and Answer

The solicitation calls for development of shared experimental and computational facilities. Does it include the further development of an existing and well-operated shared facility? 

Yes.

Question and Answer

MIRT supports experimental and computation instrumentation but this was not explicitly discussed in CEMRI.  Will CEMRI support instrumentation? 

Yes.

Question and Answer

Are non-Ph.D granting institutions eligible to participate in this MRSEC program?

Yes.

Question and Answer

Can an NSF supported national facility submit a CEMRI or MIRT proposal independent of the managing institution?

No.

Question and Answer

On page 8, item “a” of NSF 10-568 “Materials Research Centers and Teams” the statement is made that Faculty level and equivalent individuals may be participating senior investigators. Can you please define “equivalent” as it is used in this instance?  Might it refer to university staff who are Research Scientists and Research Engineers but who are not on the faculty?

Researchers in industry and at national laboratories as well as research faculty that have equivalent positions / experience to tenured (e.g. research associate or full professor) or tenure track (e.g. research associate or assistant professor) faculty can be included as participating senior investigators.

Question and Answer

 I see from the announcement that institutions that were awarded a MRSEC in 2008 are not eligible to be lead institutions for the CEMRI/MIRT competition. My institution was awarded a MRSEC in 2008 in an unrelated area to what we wish to propose. Does this imply that we would be ineligible to submit a proposal as a lead institution even though our proposed research is entirely different from that of the existing MRSEC?

Institutions that were awarded a MRSEC in 2008 are not eligible to be lead institutions for the CEMRI/MIRT competition.

Question and Answer