Opportunity Information: Apply for PD 08 1633
Apply for PD 08 1633
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Materials and Surface Engineering" 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 Aug 4, 2010 and posted on Mar 23, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by archived replaced by 10 1633. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Materials and Surface Engineering (MSE) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PD 08 1633) was a National Science Foundation (NSF) discretionary grant program in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category, listed under CFDA 47.041 (Engineering Grants). Its central aim was to fund fundamental research that improves scientific understanding of how microstructure, surfaces, and engineered coatings influence the properties and real-world performance of engineering materials. A major theme of the program was moving beyond simply measuring material behavior and toward being able to deliberately control and optimize performance through materials design, meaning the intentional tailoring of structure and surface condition to achieve desired properties.
Research topics of interest emphasized how materials behave in demanding service environments, especially where failure or degradation is driven by harsh external conditions. The solicitation highlighted material service under impact loading, temperature extremes, corrosive environments, oxidation, and frictional or wear conditions, reflecting practical challenges faced in aerospace, transportation, energy systems, manufacturing, and other engineered applications. By focusing on surfaces and coatings as well as bulk microstructure, the program targeted the regions of materials where many critical interactions occur, such as contact, environmental attack, and tribological damage, and encouraged work that links those surface or near-surface phenomena to overall component performance and lifetime.
The program also explicitly included research that could lead to biomedical applications of materials, which can involve questions like how surface chemistry, topography, coatings, and microstructural features affect biocompatibility, adhesion, wear in implants, corrosion in physiological environments, and long-term performance in the body. The opportunity supported both experimental and theoretical approaches, indicating openness to laboratory-based studies (for example, characterization, testing, and in situ observation) as well as modeling and simulation efforts that explain mechanisms or predict performance, ideally in ways that inform design rules and materials selection.
In terms of administrative details, eligibility was listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility language in the full text). The opportunity did not require cost sharing or matching. The original full proposal windows included September 1 to October 1, 2009 and January 15 to February 15, 2010, with those windows repeating annually thereafter while the program announcement was active. The listing shows an archive date of August 4, 2010 and notes that it was archived and replaced by a later announcement (10 1633). The public listing itself reports expected awards and estimated total funding as 0, which often indicates that funding levels and award counts were not specified in the Grants.gov record and would typically be clarified in the NSF program description and annual budget context rather than in this summary record.
For access and submission logistics, the source included contact guidance pointing applicants to NSF Grants.gov support (grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov) for technical issues accessing the announcement electronically. The full program details were provided through an NSF program description link associated with PD 08 1633, which would have contained the specific scope guidance, proposal preparation requirements, and review considerations used by NSF for this program.
Materials and Surface Engineering (MSE) Grant (NSF PD 08 1633) - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Materials and Surface Engineering (MSE) grant opportunity?
The Materials and Surface Engineering (MSE) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PD 08 1633) was a National Science Foundation (NSF) discretionary grant program in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category. It was listed under CFDA 47.041 (Engineering Grants).
What was the central goal of the MSE program?
The program aimed to fund fundamental research that improves scientific understanding of how microstructure, surfaces, and engineered coatings influence the properties and real-world performance of engineering materials. A major theme was moving beyond measuring material behavior to deliberately controlling and optimizing performance through materials design (intentional tailoring of structure and surface condition to achieve desired properties).
What kinds of research topics were emphasized?
Topics of interest emphasized materials behavior in demanding service environments, especially where failure or degradation is driven by harsh external conditions. The solicitation highlighted material service under impact loading, temperature extremes, corrosive environments, oxidation, and frictional or wear conditions.
What types of real-world applications motivated the research scope?
The described service environments reflect practical challenges faced in aerospace, transportation, energy systems, manufacturing, and other engineered applications where materials may fail or degrade due to mechanical, thermal, chemical, or tribological conditions.
Did the program focus only on bulk materials, or also on surfaces and coatings?
The program explicitly targeted both surfaces/coatings and bulk microstructure. It emphasized that many critical interactions occur at or near surfaces, including contact, environmental attack, and tribological damage, and encouraged work linking surface or near-surface phenomena to overall component performance and lifetime.
What is meant by "moving beyond measuring" toward "controlling and optimizing" performance?
Within the program description, this theme refers to shifting from simply characterizing how a material behaves to developing understanding that enables deliberate materials design, such as tailoring microstructure, surface condition, or coatings to achieve targeted properties and improved service performance.
Which environmental or loading conditions were specifically highlighted?
The solicitation highlighted impact loading, temperature extremes, corrosive environments, oxidation, and frictional or wear conditions as key drivers of degradation and failure in service.
Were biomedical materials topics included in the scope?
Yes. The program explicitly included research that could lead to biomedical applications of materials, including questions about how surface chemistry, topography, coatings, and microstructural features affect biocompatibility, adhesion, implant wear, corrosion in physiological environments, and long-term performance in the body.
What kinds of research approaches were supported (experimental vs. theoretical)?
The opportunity supported both experimental and theoretical approaches. This included laboratory-based studies (such as characterization, testing, and in situ observation) and modeling/simulation efforts that explain mechanisms or predict performance, ideally in ways that inform design rules and materials selection.
Was eligibility restricted to certain organization types?
Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning it was open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility language that may have been included in the full program text.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity did not require cost sharing or matching.
When were proposals accepted for this opportunity?
The original full proposal windows included September 1 to October 1, 2009 and January 15 to February 15, 2010. Those windows repeated annually thereafter while the program announcement was active.
Is this funding opportunity still active?
No. The listing shows an archive date of August 4, 2010 and notes that the announcement was archived and replaced by a later announcement (10 1633).
What does it mean that PD 08 1633 was replaced by 10 1633?
Based on the listing, PD 08 1633 was archived and superseded by a later NSF announcement identified as 10 1633, indicating that the program announcement was updated or reissued under a newer number.
Why does the listing show expected awards and estimated total funding as 0?
The public listing reports expected awards and estimated total funding as 0. In context, this often indicates that award counts and funding levels were not specified in the Grants.gov summary record and would typically be clarified in the NSF program description and annual budget context rather than in that summary.
Where were the full program details provided?
The full program details were provided through an NSF program description link associated with PD 08 1633. That program description would have contained specific scope guidance, proposal preparation requirements, and review considerations used by NSF for this program.
Who should applicants contact for technical issues accessing the announcement electronically?
The source included guidance to contact NSF Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov for technical issues accessing the announcement electronically.
What kinds of materials performance outcomes was the program trying to improve?
The program focused on understanding and improving how microstructure, surfaces, and coatings influence material properties and real-world performance, including behavior and durability in harsh service conditions and the resulting overall component performance and lifetime.
How did the program connect surface phenomena to component lifetime?
It encouraged research that links surface or near-surface mechanisms (such as contact interactions, environmental attack, and tribological damage) to overall component performance and lifetime, recognizing that many failure and degradation processes initiate or are controlled by surface conditions.
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