Opportunity Information: Apply for 11 537
Apply for 11 537
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Engineering Research Centers" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041 Engineering Grants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 5, 2011 and posted on Apr 5, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 16, 2011 Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposers local time) July 15, 2011 Full Proposal Deadline(s) September 16, 2011. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $9,750,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- See full proposal solicitation for details
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Opportunity Summary:
This National Science Foundation (NSF) opportunity (NSF Publication 11-537) funds a small number of Engineering Research Centers (ERCs) focused specifically on moving nanotechnology breakthroughs beyond isolated discoveries and into integrated, engineered nanosystems that can realistically transition into practical use and, ultimately, commercialization. It builds on more than a decade of federal investment under the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), which supported everything from individual nanoscience awards to team grants and national user networks and centers. The central premise behind this competition is that many nanotechnology advances have matured to the point where the key challenge is no longer just discovering new nanoscale phenomena, but integrating those discoveries into complete systems, demonstrating performance and manufacturability, and clearing a credible pathway to adoption in real applications.
The solicitation launches a targeted competition for Transformational Nanotechnology of Engineered Systems Centers, referred to as NanoSystems ERCs (NERCs). These centers are required to follow the full model of NSF Generation 3 (Gen 3) ERCs, which are designed to tightly connect fundamental research, engineered systems development, and innovation outcomes. Rather than operating as a traditional academic research center that mainly produces papers and graduates, a Gen 3 ERC is expected to function as an end-to-end engine that links discovery to prototypes, translation, and technology transfer, while also reshaping engineering education and building durable partnerships with industry and innovation organizations.
The broader Gen 3 ERC goal is to create a sustained culture in engineering research and education that consistently converts discovery into technological innovation, strengthening U.S. competitiveness in an economy where research funding and engineering talent are globally distributed. The program emphasizes that incremental improvements in efficiency or quality alone are not enough; the centers are expected to drive transformational advances and help the United States compete through a deliberately cultivated “innovation ecosystem.” In the ERC context, an innovation ecosystem means the people, institutional structures, policies, and resources needed to translate new ideas into products, processes, and services. Practically, this requires close, ongoing collaboration between university researchers, small businesses, larger industry and practitioner partners, and external organizations that support entrepreneurship, regional innovation, and job creation.
The solicitation describes several core expectations that proposals must address. Research-wise, the centers must advance discovery and explicitly build bridges from science-based findings to engineered systems and technological innovation, with an emphasis on transformational outcomes in nanotechnology-enabled systems. Organizationally and culturally, the ERC must integrate research, education, and innovation rather than treating them as separate “add-ons,” and it must sustain an environment where translation and commercialization are a normal part of the center’s workflow. The centers are also expected to provide meaningful international research and education opportunities that prepare U.S. engineering students to lead innovation in a global environment where design, research, and production routinely cross borders.
Workforce and education requirements are a major component. The centers are expected to assemble diverse, high-talent teams of faculty and students, and to produce graduates capable of functioning in globally distributed engineering and innovation settings. Education is framed as a continuous pipeline: partnerships with pre-college institutions (including middle school and high school levels) are meant to attract and prepare future engineers, while collaborations within universities are meant to strategically equip undergraduates and graduate students with the mindset and skills to create and exploit knowledge for technological innovation. In other words, the ERC is expected to influence both who enters engineering and what kind of innovation-ready engineer emerges at graduation.
Industry and commercialization engagement is not optional in this model; it is part of how the ERC is judged and how it is expected to operate. The solicitation highlights multiple layers of partnership: (1) member firms and practitioner partners who help strengthen the center and streamline technology transfer, (2) translational research relationships with small firms to accelerate commercialization of higher-risk advances coming out of the ERC, and (3) connections with local or regional innovation organizations that can stimulate entrepreneurship, job creation, and the broader uptake of the center’s technologies. Together, these partnerships are meant to turn the ERC into a practical conduit from lab-scale nanotechnology advances to market-relevant systems.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary NSF competition using a cooperative agreement funding instrument, which generally indicates substantial NSF involvement during the award (for example, coordinated oversight, milestones, and active program management typical of center-scale awards). The opportunity anticipated making three awards, with an estimated total funding level of $9,750,000 across awards (as listed in the notice). Cost sharing or matching is required, consistent with many ERC-era center models where industry membership fees, institutional commitments, or other forms of supported participation help build long-term sustainability and stakeholder alignment.
Key dates in the announcement were a required Letter of Intent due July 15, 2011 (by 5 p.m. local time) and full proposals due September 16, 2011. The CFDA listed is 47.041 (Engineering Grants). Eligibility is not fully spelled out in the excerpt and is deferred to the full solicitation text under the “Additional Information on Eligibility” section, which is typical for ERC competitions that often require multi-institution teams and specific organizational commitments.
In summary, this grant opportunity is about creating a small number of large, highly integrated NanoSystems ERCs that can take nanotechnology to the next step: engineered systems with real application pull, a credible path to commercialization, and a tightly coupled education-and-innovation mission. Successful proposals would need to show not just strong nanotechnology research, but also an operational plan for an innovation ecosystem, industry and small-business translation mechanisms, international engagement, and a pre-college through graduate education pipeline that consistently produces innovation-capable engineers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is this NSF funding opportunity about?
This National Science Foundation (NSF) opportunity (NSF Publication 11-537) supports a small number of Engineering Research Centers (ERCs) focused on Transformational Nanotechnology of Engineered Systems. The goal is to move nanotechnology breakthroughs beyond isolated discoveries and into integrated, engineered nanosystems that can realistically transition into practical use and ultimately commercialization.
2. What are “NanoSystems ERCs (NERCs)” in this solicitation?
NanoSystems ERCs (NERCs) are the specific ERCs competed under this targeted program for Transformational Nanotechnology of Engineered Systems Centers. They are expected to operate as end-to-end centers that connect fundamental research to engineered systems development and innovation outcomes, including translation and technology transfer.
3. What is the central premise behind this competition?
The solicitation is based on the premise that many nanotechnology advances have matured to the point where the key challenge is no longer only discovering new nanoscale phenomena. Instead, the challenge is integrating discoveries into complete systems, demonstrating performance and manufacturability, and establishing a credible path to adoption in real applications.
4. What does it mean that these centers must follow the NSF “Generation 3 (Gen 3) ERC” model?
The Gen 3 ERC model emphasizes tight integration of fundamental research, engineered systems development, and innovation. A Gen 3 ERC is expected to function as a connected pipeline from discovery to prototypes to translation and technology transfer, while also reshaping engineering education and building durable partnerships with industry and innovation organizations.
5. How is a Gen 3 ERC different from a traditional academic research center?
Rather than mainly producing papers and graduates, a Gen 3 ERC is expected to operate as an end-to-end engine linking discovery to engineered systems, prototypes, translation, and commercialization-oriented pathways. It is also expected to integrate education and innovation directly into the center’s core operations, not treat them as separate add-ons.
6. What kinds of outcomes is NSF looking for from these NanoSystems ERCs?
The program emphasizes transformational advances in nanotechnology-enabled systems, not just incremental improvements in efficiency or quality. Proposals are expected to show how the center will drive engineered nanosystems toward real-world performance, manufacturability, and adoption, with a credible pathway toward practical use and commercialization.
7. What is meant by building an “innovation ecosystem” in the ERC context?
In this solicitation, an innovation ecosystem refers to the people, institutional structures, policies, and resources needed to translate new ideas into products, processes, and services. Practically, it requires close and ongoing collaboration among universities, small businesses, larger industry and practitioner partners, and external organizations that support entrepreneurship, regional innovation, and job creation.
8. What research expectations must proposals address?
Proposals must advance discovery and explicitly build bridges from science-based findings to engineered systems and technological innovation, with an emphasis on transformational outcomes in nanotechnology-enabled systems. The center is expected to connect research to system-level demonstrations and to translation activities that support adoption and commercialization.
9. Are education and workforce development required components, or optional add-ons?
They are required components. The solicitation frames education as a major element of the ERC model, including developing diverse, high-talent teams and producing graduates who can operate in globally distributed engineering and innovation settings. Education is expected to be integrated with research and innovation rather than treated as a separate activity.
10. What does the solicitation mean by a “continuous pipeline” in education?
The center is expected to influence education from pre-college through graduate levels. This includes partnerships with pre-college institutions (middle school and high school) to attract and prepare future engineers, and collaborations within universities to equip undergraduate and graduate students with the mindset and skills needed for technological innovation.
11. What are the expectations around diversity and team composition?
The centers are expected to assemble diverse, high-talent teams of faculty and students. Workforce development is framed around producing innovation-ready graduates capable of working in engineering and innovation environments where research, design, and production are globally distributed.
12. What international components are expected for these centers?
The solicitation expects meaningful international research and education opportunities. These opportunities should prepare U.S. engineering students to lead innovation in a global environment where engineering work frequently crosses borders.
13. How important is industry participation in this program?
Industry and commercialization engagement is not optional. It is part of how the ERC is expected to operate and how it is judged. Proposals need to show ongoing collaboration with industry and practitioner partners to support translation and technology transfer.
14. What types of partnerships are highlighted in the solicitation?
The solicitation highlights multiple partnership layers: (1) member firms and practitioner partners to strengthen the center and streamline technology transfer, (2) translational research relationships with small firms to accelerate commercialization of higher-risk advances from the ERC, and (3) connections with local or regional innovation organizations to stimulate entrepreneurship, job creation, and broader uptake of the center’s technologies.
15. What role do small businesses play in the NanoSystems ERC model described here?
Small firms are specifically mentioned as translational research partners that can help accelerate commercialization of higher-risk advances coming out of the ERC, supporting the pathway from lab-scale results to market-relevant systems.
16. What does it mean that the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement?
The opportunity uses a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates substantial NSF involvement during the award. The description suggests coordinated oversight, milestones, and active program management typical of center-scale awards.
17. How many awards does NSF anticipate making under this opportunity?
The solicitation anticipates making three awards.
18. What is the estimated total funding level for this competition?
The notice lists an estimated total funding level of $9,750,000 across awards.
19. Is cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. Cost sharing or matching is required, consistent with ERC-style center models that may include industry membership fees, institutional commitments, or other supported participation to build long-term sustainability and alignment with stakeholders.
20. What are the key submission dates mentioned in the announcement?
The announcement lists a required Letter of Intent due July 15, 2011 (by 5 p.m. local time) and full proposals due September 16, 2011.
21. Is a Letter of Intent required?
Yes. The announcement specifies a required Letter of Intent with a deadline of July 15, 2011.
22. What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA listed is 47.041 (Engineering Grants).
23. Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is not fully spelled out in the excerpt provided and is deferred to the full solicitation text under the “Additional Information on Eligibility” section. The excerpt notes that ERC competitions often require multi-institution teams and specific organizational commitments.
24. What would a strong proposal need to demonstrate, based on this description?
Based on the solicitation summary provided, a strong proposal would need to show more than strong nanotechnology research. It would also need an operational plan for integrating discovery with engineered systems, a credible innovation ecosystem and commercialization pathway, meaningful industry and small-business translation mechanisms, international research/education engagement, and a pre-college through graduate education pipeline that produces innovation-capable engineers.
25. How does this opportunity relate to the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)?
This competition builds on more than a decade of federal investment under the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), which supported a range of efforts from individual nanoscience awards to team grants and national user networks and centers. The ERC competition is positioned as a next-step effort focused on integration into engineered nanosystems and realistic transitions to application and commercialization.
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