Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering is offering this Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) grant opportunity as a way to quickly mobilize research communities around fast-moving, high-impact areas of fundamental engineering research. EFRI is positioned as NSF Engineering's mechanism for identifying and investing in new, emerging directions before they become mainstream, with the expectation that funded work will open up new lines of inquiry and materially shift what is possible in engineering science. The program is explicitly aimed at interdisciplinary teams, reflecting the idea that many of the most consequential engineering breakthroughs now occur at the boundaries between traditional fields and in close contact with advances in mathematics, physical sciences, and the life sciences.

For this particular solicitation (NSF Publication 12-583; Funding Opportunity Number 12-583), proposals must align with one of three topic areas. The first is Flexible Bioelectronics Systems (BioFlex), centered on engineering concepts and platforms for electronics that can conform to, integrate with, or function within biological environments. This area typically spans materials, devices, fabrication, signal acquisition, power, and system-level integration challenges tied to biology, and it is aimed at foundational advances rather than incremental device development. The second topic is Origami Design for Integration of Self-assembling Systems for Engineering Innovation (ODISSEI), which uses origami-inspired design principles to achieve complex structures and functions through folding, assembly, and self-assembly. In practice, this can include new theories, design tools, and fabrication strategies that leverage geometry and mechanics to enable deployable, reconfigurable, or multi-scale engineered systems. The third topic is Photosynthetic Biorefineries (PSBR), focused on engineering innovations that harness photosynthesis and related biological processes to convert sunlight, carbon dioxide, and other inputs into useful fuels, chemicals, or materials, with an emphasis on the underlying engineering science that would make such systems more controllable, scalable, and efficient.

NSF notes that this solicitation is coordinated across multiple NSF directorates, specifically Engineering, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences, underscoring the cross-cutting nature of the research. There is also potential interagency interest from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), particularly for some projects in the PSBR and ODISSEI topics. As a result, proposals submitted under PSBR and ODISSEI may be shared with interested AFOSR representatives, which signals possible alignment with broader federal research priorities and an interest in outcomes that could be relevant to national needs.

The program is looking for transformative research ideas, meaning proposals should aim well beyond incremental progress and instead make a strong case for a significant shift in fundamental engineering knowledge. NSF frames this as work with credible potential for long-term impact on national needs or a major "grand challenge." In addition to intellectual ambition, proposals must follow the specific structural and compliance requirements laid out in the solicitation, including required pre-submission steps and team composition rules.

In terms of funding scale, NSF anticipates making about 16 awards with an estimated total program budget of $32 million. Individual awards are expected to fall between $1,000,000 (floor) and $2,000,000 (ceiling). There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement, which is important for university-led teams planning budgets and institutional commitments. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is science and technology and other research and development.

Eligibility is limited to US academic institutions: accredited two-year and four-year colleges and universities (including community colleges) that have a campus located in the United States and submit on behalf of faculty members. The solicitation also places limits on who can serve as project leads: the Principal Investigator must be at the faculty level as determined by the submitting institution. The team structure is not optional; each project must include at least one PI and at least two co-PIs, reinforcing the interdisciplinary and multi-investigator nature of EFRI projects.

The submission process includes multiple required deadlines that reflect a staged review pipeline. A Letter of Intent is required first (due September 6, 2012 by 5 p.m. local time), followed by a required preliminary proposal (due October 10, 2012 by 5 p.m. local time), and then a full proposal submission deadline (February 8, 2013). While the opportunity posting dates indicate it was posted and created on November 5, 2012 and later archived in 2016, the key takeaway for understanding the program is that EFRI uses a structured, multi-step process to manage review of high-volume, high-ambition proposals and to ensure teams receive early feedback signals through preliminary stages.

NSF also provided applicant support materials through an informational webcast and workshop originally held September 22, 2011, and emphasized that because the same topics were repeated for FY 2013, the webcast content remained relevant. Applicants were directed to the EFRI website (nsf.gov/eng/efri) and tvworldwide.com for webcast access. For technical access issues with the full announcement, NSF directed users to NSF's Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

Overall, this EFRI solicitation is best understood as a high-dollar, highly competitive NSF engineering program built around three targeted frontier areas, designed for multi-PI academic teams proposing bold, foundational research that integrates disciplines and can plausibly reshape a field over the long term.

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