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NSF Scalable Nanomanufacturing (NSF 13-545) FAQs

What is the NSF Scalable Nanomanufacturing opportunity (NSF Publication 13-545)?

It is a competitive NSF grant program focused on moving nanotechnology from small, laboratory-scale demonstrations to reliable, low-cost, industrially relevant manufacturing. The solicitation emphasizes practical manufacturing bottlenecks that prevent promising nanomaterials and nanoscale devices from being produced in volume with consistent quality.

What is the main goal of the program?

The main goal is to close the "scale-up gap" by supporting collaborative research and education that enables continuous, high-throughput nanomanufacturing with strong attention to throughput, cost, quality, and a realistic path to industrial implementation.

How does this program fit within broader national nanotechnology efforts?

The opportunity sits within the National Nanotechnology Initiative Signature Initiative on Sustainable Nanomanufacturing: Creating the Industries of the Future.

What does NSF mean by the "scale-up gap"?

The solicitation uses "scale-up gap" to describe how many nanofabrication methods work for limited quantities needed for testing and characterization but struggle when translated into continuous, high-throughput production. Typical issues include maintaining quality and repeatability at lower cost when production volumes increase.

What are the key expectations for a competitive proposal?

Competitive proposals are expected to clearly do three things: (1) make a convincing case that the targeted nanomaterial, device, or system has real or likely future demand significant enough to justify scale-up beyond the lab; (2) define a well-structured and plausibly comprehensive set of research issues that must be solved to enable low-cost production of high-quality products (for example yield, defect control, metrology, process variability, materials handling, integration, or reproducibility); and (3) present a strong research plan with measurable objectives to overcome those issues, supported by preliminary results that are genuinely relevant to scale-up rather than only proof-of-concept fabrication.

Does the program require preliminary results?

Yes. The solicitation indicates that proposals should be backed by preliminary results that are relevant to scale-up, not just early proof-of-concept demonstrations.

What funding mechanism does the program use?

Funding is provided through the Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Teams (NIRT) mechanism, reflecting NSF's expectation of cross-disciplinary collaboration.

What kinds of disciplines or expertise are expected on teams?

The solicitation signals cross-disciplinary work, typically spanning areas such as engineering, materials science, chemistry, physics, manufacturing systems, and related fields.

What topic areas can proposals address?

Proposals must address at least one, and preferably multiple, interconnected topic areas. The solicitation lists themes including: novel processes and techniques for continuous and scalable nanomanufacturing; directed self-assembly approaches (physical, chemical, or biological) that can generate heterogeneous nanostructures suitable for high-rate production; fundamental research in specific areas that can be justified as critical impediments to scale-up; principles and design methods for the machines and processes needed to manufacture nanoscale structures, devices, and systems; and research on societal, environmental, and educational implications of large-scale production and use of nanomaterials, including life cycle analysis.

Is the program only about technical advances?

No. In addition to technical advances, the solicitation invites attention to longer-term societal implications of widespread nanomanufacturing, including societal, environmental, and educational implications and life cycle analysis.

How is this solicitation different from other NSF nanoscale programs?

NSF notes that other nanoscale science and engineering projects will continue to be supported through other programs, but this solicitation is distinguished by its emphasis on manufacturing realism: throughput, cost, quality, and the path to industrial implementation.

How many awards were anticipated and what was the total budget?

The program anticipated about 6 awards, with an estimated total program budget of $5,000,000.

What was the expected award size?

Individual awards were expected to fall between $1,000,000 and $1,500,000.

Is cost sharing required?

No cost sharing was required.

What type of funding instrument is used?

The funding instrument is a grant, categorized under science and technology and other research and development.

Which CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?

The solicitation is tied to CFDA numbers 47.041 (Engineering Grants) and 47.049 (Mathematical and Physical Sciences).

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to U.S.-based academic institutions: accredited U.S. universities and colleges, including two- and four-year institutions and community colleges, acting on behalf of faculty.

Who can serve as Principal Investigator (PI)?

Principal Investigators must be at the faculty level or equivalent.

How should collaborative projects be submitted?

Collaborative projects must be submitted as a single proposal, with subawards/subcontracts used as needed.

Are separately submitted, linked collaborative proposals allowed?

No. Submitting separate, linked proposals from multiple institutions as a collaborative set is not allowed under this solicitation; the project is expected to be presented as one integrated team effort.

What were the key dates for this opportunity?

The opportunity was posted March 8, 2013. The full proposal deadline was June 3, 2013. The archive date was July 3, 2013.

Is this an active funding opportunity?

Based on the provided dates and the archive date (July 3, 2013), it is an archived opportunity.

Where were applicants directed for official details and submission support?

NSF referenced the full announcement (NSF Publication 13-545) for official details and provided support contacts for access and Grants.gov submission issues.