Opportunity Information: Apply for 13 591
Apply for 13 591
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Partnerships for Innovation Accelerating Innovation Research Research Alliance" 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 26, 2013 and posted on Aug 26, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 12, 2014 Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposers local time) December 13, 2013 Full Proposal Deadline(s) February 12, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $6,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Organization Limit Proposals may only be submitted by the following Universities and Colleges Universities and two and four year colleges with a campus located in the US and accredited in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations also are referred to as academic institutions. The lead (submitting) organization must be an academic institution. One and only one institution within an NSF funded research alliance can be the lead/submitting institution. An NSF funded research alliance is defined as a research partnership between/among universities and other entities that is formed for mutual benefit and funded by the NSF. Examples of NSF research alliances include but are not limited to consortia, such as Engineering Research Centers, Industry University Cooperative Research Centers, Science and Technology Centers, Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers, Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers, Centers for Chemical Innovation, Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation grantees and others. PI Limit A PI may submit only one proposal to this PFIAIR RA solicitation. At least one individual representing a Research Partner must be a co PI or Senior Personnel on the proposal. A Research Partner provides a complementary skill set to the Research Alliance such that competitive technologies, which neither party could do as well alone, are accelerated to commercial realities and transferred to the marketplace.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) opportunity titled "Partnerships for Innovation - Accelerating Innovation Research (AIR) - Research Alliance (RA)" (Funding Opportunity Number 13-591) is a discretionary grant program designed to push existing academic research discoveries closer to real-world products, services, and market adoption. It sits under NSF's broader Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program in the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP). PFI is structured around two complementary tracks: Accelerating Innovation Research (AIR), which targets moving specific research outcomes toward commercialization, and Building Innovation Capacity (BIC), which focuses more on strengthening the broader systems and capabilities that support innovation. Within AIR, NSF separated efforts into additional subprograms, including a Technology Translation track and this Research Alliance track, which is specifically built to take advantage of NSF's prior investments in large, multi-organization research centers and consortia.
The central purpose of the AIR Research Alliance solicitation is to leverage NSF-funded research alliances (for example, Engineering Research Centers, Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers, Science and Technology Centers, Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers, Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers, Centers for Chemical Innovation, and other NSF-supported multi-party collaborations) and turn the research outputs from those alliances into competitive technologies with credible commercialization pathways. In practical terms, the program is trying to bridge the gap between academic results and market-ready solutions by encouraging structured partnerships that bring together universities, industry, and other public or private entities. NSF frames the intended impact in economic terms as well: the agency expects that these collaborations will help generate new wealth, strengthen local and regional economies, and catalyze innovation ecosystems rooted in academia but connected to external stakeholders who can help drive adoption and scale.
Funding for this particular competition was estimated at $6,000,000 total, with an expectation of about 10 awards. The listed award floor is $800,000, and the program indicates no cost-sharing or matching requirement, which is notable because it lowers barriers for academic teams and partners that may not have discretionary funds available for formal match commitments. The funding activity category is science and technology and other research and development, and the CFDA listing includes 47.041 (Engineering Grants), reflecting NSF's alignment with engineering and innovation-oriented translation work even when projects may span multiple disciplines.
Eligibility is centered on accredited U.S. universities and colleges (including two- and four-year institutions) acting on behalf of faculty. The lead submitting organization must be an academic institution, and a key structural constraint is that only one institution within a given NSF-funded research alliance may serve as the lead/submitting institution for a proposal under this solicitation. That limitation is meant to prevent multiple competing submissions from the same alliance and to focus the effort on a unified translation strategy. There is also a proposal submission limit at the PI level: a principal investigator may submit only one proposal to this AIR RA competition.
Partnership requirements are built into the solicitation. At least one individual representing a "Research Partner" must be included as a co-PI or senior personnel. The Research Partner is defined as bringing complementary capabilities that, when paired with the research alliance, can accelerate progress toward commercial reality in a way that neither party could achieve as effectively alone. This emphasis signals that NSF is not only looking for strong science and engineering, but also for a credible team structure that includes expertise in product development, scale-up, market understanding, regulatory pathways when relevant, manufacturing, customer discovery, or other commercialization-enabling skills depending on the technology area.
The timeline provided in the source information shows the opportunity was posted on August 26, 2013, with a required Letter of Intent due December 13, 2013 (by 5 p.m. local time of the proposer), and full proposals due February 12, 2014. The archive date is March 12, 2014. NSF also indicated that a webinar would be held within six weeks of the solicitation release to answer questions, with details to be posted on the IIP/PFI website, reinforcing that NSF expected applicants to engage early and align their submissions with the program's specific goals and structure.
For applicants, the opportunity can be understood as a translation accelerator that specifically rewards the ability to mobilize an existing NSF-funded alliance and surrounding ecosystem toward commercialization outcomes. Rather than funding early exploratory research, it targets the stage where discoveries exist and the challenge is to convert them into competitive technologies and transferable innovations. The program is therefore well-suited for teams that can show not only technical promise but also a well-organized partnership plan, clear roles between alliance members and external partners, and a plausible pathway to market adoption and economic impact.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the NSF "Partnerships for Innovation - Accelerating Innovation Research (AIR) - Research Alliance (RA)" opportunity?
It is a National Science Foundation (NSF) discretionary grant opportunity under the Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program, focused on accelerating the transition of existing academic research results into real-world technologies with credible commercialization pathways. The specific opportunity is titled "Partnerships for Innovation - Accelerating Innovation Research (AIR) - Research Alliance (RA)" and is associated with Funding Opportunity Number 13-591.
Where does this opportunity fit within NSF programs?
This solicitation sits within NSF's Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) under the broader Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program. PFI is described as having two complementary tracks: (1) Accelerating Innovation Research (AIR), which targets moving specific research outcomes toward commercialization, and (2) Building Innovation Capacity (BIC), which focuses on strengthening the systems and capabilities that support innovation.
What is the purpose of the AIR Research Alliance (RA) track?
The AIR RA track is designed to leverage NSF's prior investments in large, multi-organization research centers and consortia, and to push research outputs from those alliances closer to market-ready technologies. The intent is to bridge the gap between academic research results and adoption in the marketplace through structured partnerships among universities, industry, and other entities.
What kinds of NSF-funded alliances are meant to be leveraged?
The solicitation is aimed at NSF-funded research alliances such as Engineering Research Centers (ERCs), Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (I/UCRCs), Science and Technology Centers (STCs), Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers (NSECs), Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs), Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCIs), and other NSF-supported multi-party collaborations.
What types of activities or project stage does this program support?
Based on the description provided, this program is not positioned as support for early exploratory research. Instead, it targets the stage where discoveries and research outcomes already exist and the challenge is converting them into competitive technologies and transferable innovations, including credible pathways to commercialization and market adoption.
What outcomes is NSF trying to achieve through this solicitation?
NSF frames the intended impact in terms of moving alliance-derived research outputs toward products, services, and market adoption. It also highlights expected economic impacts such as generating new wealth, strengthening local and regional economies, and catalyzing innovation ecosystems that connect academic research with external stakeholders able to drive adoption and scale.
How much funding is available, and how many awards are expected?
Total funding for the competition was estimated at $6,000,000, with an expectation of approximately 10 awards.
What is the minimum award size?
The listed award floor is $800,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The program indicates there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
What is the funding activity category and CFDA listing?
The funding activity category is "science and technology and other research and development." The CFDA listing includes 47.041 (Engineering Grants).
Who is eligible to submit as the lead organization?
Eligibility is centered on accredited U.S. universities and colleges, including two- and four-year institutions, acting on behalf of faculty. The lead submitting organization must be an academic institution.
Can a non-academic organization serve as the lead applicant?
No. Based on the provided information, the lead/submitting organization must be an accredited U.S. university or college. Non-academic organizations may participate as partners but are not described as eligible to serve as the lead.
Are there limits on how many proposals an NSF-funded alliance can submit?
Yes. Only one institution within a given NSF-funded research alliance may serve as the lead/submitting institution for a proposal under this solicitation. This is intended to prevent multiple competing submissions from the same alliance and to focus effort on a unified translation strategy.
Are there limits on how many proposals a Principal Investigator (PI) may submit?
Yes. A principal investigator may submit only one proposal to this AIR RA competition.
What partnership requirements apply to proposals?
At least one individual representing a "Research Partner" must be included as a co-PI or as senior personnel. The Research Partner is expected to bring complementary capabilities that, combined with the research alliance, accelerate progress toward commercialization in ways neither could achieve as effectively alone.
What is meant by a "Research Partner" in this solicitation?
A Research Partner is described as an individual (and, by extension, the partner role) that contributes complementary commercialization-relevant capabilities to the project team. The emphasis is on added capabilities that help translate research outputs toward commercial reality.
What kinds of complementary capabilities does NSF appear to value in partners?
The solicitation emphasizes credibility in commercialization enablement. Examples mentioned include expertise in product development, scale-up, market understanding, regulatory pathways (when relevant), manufacturing, customer discovery, and other skills needed to move a technology toward adoption, depending on the technology area.
What is the key difference between AIR and BIC within PFI?
As described, AIR targets moving specific research outcomes toward commercialization, while BIC focuses more broadly on strengthening innovation systems and capabilities. This opportunity is in the AIR track and is focused on translation of specific research outputs from alliances.
When was the opportunity posted, and what were the key deadlines?
The opportunity was posted on August 26, 2013. A Letter of Intent (LOI) was required and due December 13, 2013 by 5 p.m. local time of the proposer. Full proposals were due February 12, 2014.
What does "5 p.m. local time of the proposer" mean for the deadline?
It indicates the LOI deadline time is based on the local time zone of the submitting organization (the proposer), with the submission due by 5 p.m. in that local time.
What is the archive date, and what was it for this solicitation?
The archive date shown is March 12, 2014. Based on the information provided, this reflects when the solicitation was archived.
Was there any planned NSF informational event for applicants?
Yes. NSF indicated that a webinar would be held within six weeks of the solicitation release to answer questions, with details to be posted on the IIP/PFI website.
What types of teams is this opportunity best suited for?
It is best suited for teams that can mobilize an existing NSF-funded alliance and surrounding ecosystem toward commercialization outcomes, and that can present not only technical promise but also an organized partnership plan, clear roles for alliance members and external partners, and a plausible pathway to market adoption and economic impact.
Does this opportunity require industry involvement?
The solicitation emphasizes structured partnerships that bring together universities, industry, and other public or private entities, and it requires inclusion of at least one Research Partner as co-PI or senior personnel. While the information does not explicitly state that the Research Partner must be industry, it does require a partner bringing complementary commercialization-relevant capabilities.
What is the overall intent of the program in practical terms?
In practical terms, it is meant to bridge the gap between academic results and market-ready solutions by organizing collaborations around translation and commercialization, using prior NSF investments in multi-organization research alliances as the foundation for moving technologies closer to products, services, and adoption.
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