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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): CHE DMR DMS Solar Energy Initiative (NSF 09-604)

What is the CHE DMR DMS Solar Energy Initiative (NSF 09-604)?

The CHE DMR DMS Solar Energy Initiative (NSF 09-604) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant program intended to advance solar energy research by funding interdisciplinary teams that address fundamental scientific barriers to highly efficient solar energy harvesting, conversion, and storage. The program emphasizes genuinely new concepts or approaches with the potential to be transformative, especially in areas where more traditional, incremental methods have plateaued.

What is the main goal of this NSF initiative?

The core goal is to support interdisciplinary research teams working on the fundamental scientific challenges that limit progress in solar energy. Rather than supporting narrow technical adjustments, the initiative is designed to enable projects that can change the trajectory of the field through new ideas, new methods, and tightly integrated cross-disciplinary collaboration.

What types of solar energy topics does the initiative focus on?

The initiative focuses on solar energy harvesting, conversion, and storage, with an emphasis on overcoming fundamental scientific barriers to high efficiency. Projects are expected to engage deeply with the underlying chemistry, materials research, and mathematical sciences needed to enable major advances.

What makes this program different from typical solar energy funding opportunities?

A defining feature is the required integration of mathematical sciences with chemistry and materials research, with math positioned as a central partner rather than a supporting service. The initiative is also explicitly aimed at projects that go beyond incremental improvements and instead pursue approaches that could be transformative where conventional paths have stalled.

Are interdisciplinary teams required?

Yes. The program is built around interdisciplinary teams and requires a specific team composition spanning chemistry, materials research, and mathematical sciences. Proposals are expected to demonstrate genuine integration across these areas, not parallel efforts that happen to share a common theme.

How many co-Principal Investigators (co-PIs) are required?

Proposals must be led by a group of three or more co-Principal Investigators (co-PIs).

Which disciplines must be represented on the research team?

The team must include at least one researcher aligned with NSF-supported areas in:

• Chemistry (NSF Division of Chemistry)
• Materials research (NSF Division of Materials Research)
• Mathematical sciences (NSF Division of Mathematical Sciences)

Does the mathematical sciences role need to be central to the project?

Yes. The initiative is explicitly intended to foster collaborations where mathematical sciences are not a peripheral support function. The proposal should show math as a synergistic driver of discovery that helps guide experiments, explain mechanisms, and accelerate the design of new materials and chemical systems relevant to solar energy.

What kinds of mathematical approaches are relevant under this initiative?

The opportunity highlights the use of modeling, simulation, advanced computation, statistical inference, optimization, multiscale methods, and other mathematical frameworks. These methods may be used to connect theory to experiment, explain complex behavior, and speed the development of solar-related materials and chemical systems.

What does NSF mean here by "transformative" research?

In the context provided, "transformative" refers to research that introduces genuinely new concepts or approaches with the potential to move the field beyond incremental, step-by-step improvements, particularly in areas where traditional methods have reached a plateau.

What does "true integration" across chemistry, materials, and math mean for a proposal?

It means the project should demonstrate that the combined approach produces insights or capabilities that would be unlikely to emerge from chemistry-only, materials-only, or math-only efforts. The research plan should reflect coordinated progress and interdependence among the three areas, rather than separate workstreams loosely tied together.

Is there an education component expected in the proposal?

Yes. The initiative values interdisciplinary education through research, meaning proposals are expected to create opportunities for students and trainees to learn and work across disciplinary boundaries as part of the research effort.

What funding instrument does NSF use for this opportunity?

This is a discretionary NSF funding opportunity using the grant instrument.

How many awards did NSF anticipate making?

NSF anticipated making about 10 awards under this initiative.

What was the estimated total funding level for the program?

The estimated total funding level was $7,000,000.

Is cost sharing or matching funds required?

No. The opportunity indicates that NSF did not require cost sharing or matching funds.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to U.S.-based academic institutions: accredited two- and four-year colleges and universities (including community colleges) with a campus located in the United States, submitting on behalf of their faculty.

Can community colleges apply?

Yes. The eligibility description explicitly includes accredited two-year institutions, including community colleges, as long as they have a campus located in the United States and submit on behalf of their faculty.

Are proposals submitted by individuals or by institutions?

Based on the provided description, applications are submitted by eligible U.S.-based academic institutions on behalf of their faculty.

What were the key dates for submission?

The program used a two-stage submission process:

• Preliminary proposal due: December 8, 2009 (by 5 p.m. local time)
• Full proposal due: March 10, 2010

Was a preliminary proposal required?

Yes. The initiative required a preliminary proposal as part of a two-stage process.

When was the opportunity posted and when was it archived?

The opportunity was posted on August 13, 2009 and later archived on September 13, 2010.

Is this funding opportunity still active?

No. It was archived on September 13, 2010. The description also notes references indicating that subsequent related information may have been continued under another NSF listing.

What NSF areas or divisions are explicitly tied to this initiative?

The initiative corresponds to NSF Divisions of Chemistry, Materials Research, and Mathematical Sciences, and requires team representation aligned to these three communities.

How should a team justify the collaboration across the three fields?

The proposal is expected to show how coordinated chemistry, materials research, and mathematical sciences work together to produce outcomes that would be difficult to achieve within a single discipline, including how mathematical and computational ideas actively shape experiments, interpretation, and the design of solar-relevant systems.

What category of funding does this opportunity fall under?

The opportunity is categorized under science and technology and other research and development.