Hazard Mitigation and Structural Engineering | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Hazard Mitigation and Structural Engineering (HMSE) program was a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity focused on fundamental research aimed at reducing the impacts of both natural and human-caused hazards on civil infrastructure. Its core goal was to advance the reliability, resiliency, and sustainability of buildings and other structural systems, with an emphasis on research that can ultimately lead to safer and more functional communities when disruptive events occur. The hazards highlighted under this program included major natural events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and tornadoes, along with other extreme loading scenarios and human-related threats such as explosive and impact loading. A key theme across the program was supporting work that moves beyond incremental improvements and instead pushes toward transformative, cost-effective innovations for both new construction and the rehabilitation of existing structures.

A central concept in the HMSE description is resiliency, defined broadly to include not only primary structural components but also nonstructural systems that affect whether a building can remain occupied or operational after an event. In practice, this framing recognizes that structural integrity alone does not guarantee post-disaster usability; performance depends on how the full building system behaves, including architectural and nonstructural elements. The program encouraged researchers to treat structures "in their entirety," which signals interest in system-level performance and integrated design rather than isolated component studies.

The opportunity strongly promoted interdisciplinary research that links structural and architectural engineering with discoveries and tools from other fields. Examples of relevant cross-cutting areas mentioned include earth and atmospheric sciences (to better characterize hazards), materials science and mechanics of materials (to understand and improve how materials behave under extreme demands), sensor technology (to detect damage and changes in performance), high-performance computational modeling and simulation (to model complex structural response and uncertainty), dynamics and control (to enable adaptive or controlled response to hazards), and even economics (to address cost-effectiveness, risk tradeoffs, and decision-making under uncertainty). This indicates that proposals were expected to connect engineering advances with broader scientific or analytical approaches that improve prediction, design, or mitigation strategies.

In terms of research directions, HMSE encouraged structural and architectural engineering work that goes beyond conventional, mature construction materials and methods. The program explicitly called out interest in smart and sustainable materials and technologies, suggesting support for innovations such as materials with enhanced energy dissipation, self-sensing or self-adapting capabilities, improved durability, or reduced environmental impact. The emphasis on both new and rehabilitated structures also reflects a practical reality: much of the built environment is existing infrastructure, so strengthening and upgrading strategies are as important as designing the next generation of hazard-resistant buildings.

Another major area supported by the program was structural health monitoring, but with a clear expectation that research should extend beyond simply collecting data. The description points to holistic monitoring systems that integrate sensing with condition assessment and decision-making tools, with the end goal of improving structural performance. In other words, the program was interested in end-to-end approaches where monitoring data feeds into diagnosis, forecasting of remaining capacity or functionality, and actionable decisions about inspection, repair, continued operation, or risk reduction.

From the administrative details provided, this opportunity was issued as a discretionary NSF grant under the broader Engineering Grants CFDA listing (47.041) and did not require cost sharing or matching. Eligibility was described as unrestricted, meaning it was broadly open to applicant types, subject to any additional clarifications within the full program text. The solicitation was originally posted on December 20, 2012, and it offered full proposal submission windows from January 15, 2013 to February 15, 2013, and again from September 1, 2013 to October 1, 2013 (with proposals due by 5 p.m. local time for the proposer). The notice indicates that the opportunity has since been archived and replaced by PD 15 7396, so the specific solicitation number PD 13 1637 is no longer active.

Overall, the HMSE program can be summed up as an NSF effort to fund foundational, forward-looking research that improves how buildings and other structures are designed, evaluated, monitored, and upgraded to better withstand extreme events. Its priorities leaned toward integrated, interdisciplinary, system-level approaches that produce meaningful gains in resilience and sustainability, while also keeping an eye on practicality and cost-effectiveness so innovations can translate into real-world hazard mitigation.

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