Fundamental Research Program for Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Fundamental Research Program for Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers (I/UCRC) was a National Science Foundation (NSF) discretionary grant opportunity designed to support industry-defined fundamental research proposed by existing NSF I/UCRC centers. The central idea of the program is to let industry help shape research questions that remain fundamentally scientific or engineering in nature, rather than narrowly targeted applied development. By doing this, the program aims to expand the scope of I/UCRC research beyond the immediate, traditional applied interests of member companies and toward deeper foundational work that can open up new technical directions and ultimately drive innovation.

In practical terms, the opportunity encouraged proposals where industrial participation meaningfully extends the research horizon of an I/UCRC. The emphasis was on fundamental research that is still industrially relevant, meaning it should advance core understanding and methods while connecting to real needs and long-term challenges faced by industry. This aligns with the I/UCRC model, where university researchers and industry members collaborate, but here the goal is explicitly to push that collaboration toward more foundational research questions with broader scientific and engineering payoff.

The program (Funding Opportunity Number 10-507) was offered as a grant under the NSF research and development activity category, with relevance to CFDA areas 47.041 (Engineering Grants) and 47.070 (Computer and Information Science and Engineering). NSF anticipated making around 10 awards. The estimated total funding listed was about $200,000, with typical award sizes ranging from a $100,000 floor up to a $250,000 ceiling. Cost sharing or matching was not required, which lowers the barrier for centers that may not have additional non-federal funds available for this specific work.

Eligibility was tightly scoped to the I/UCRC structure. The proposal principal investigator (PI) had to be the center director of an NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, with other center participants allowed to serve as co-PIs. There was also a mechanism for flexibility: the lead institution’s center director could request a waiver to the PI requirement, suggesting NSF recognized there could be cases where another senior leader was better positioned to lead the specific project while still maintaining center accountability.

Timeline-wise, the opportunity was originally posted on November 18, 2009, with an original closing date of February 17, 2010. The record also indicates a subsequent cycle (noting February 2, 2011, and “First Wednesday in February, Annually Thereafter”), but the listing provided is ultimately archived and notes it was replaced by a newer solicitation (10-601). The archive date shown is September 10, 2010, indicating this specific announcement is no longer active and applicants would need to consult the replacement solicitation for current requirements.

For applicants and administrators, NSF pointed to “NSF Publication 10-507” as the primary reference document for the full announcement details. For access issues, the contact route included NSF Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov, reflecting that submissions and solicitation access were expected to be handled electronically through federal grant systems.

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