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Research

How to Apply for a 2008 MRSEC Seed Grant

The 2008 MRSEC Seed program will be open to research on any topic in nanoscale materials.  Projects that complement existing IRGs, or take them in compelling new and unanticipated directions, are especially valued. High risk ideas with the potential for transformative impact are encouraged.  We expect to fund two to three Seed projects in the 2008 competition at the level of $50K in direct costs. The typical duration of seed projects is 18 months.

Submission of proposals

The seed proposal competition will reopen in Fall 2008.  Please look for an announcement on this website about the opening and deadline dates for proposal submission. 

Seed proposals contain three parts:
(1) a project description, not to exceed 4 pages total (12 point font, 1” margins, not including references),
(2) a brief budget description, and
(3) CV's of the principal investigators, of any reasonable length.

The format of the budget statement is flexible and may include user fees. There are no indirect costs. Proposals must be submitted in a single self-contained pdf file through the online MRSEC proposal submission system. Submissions that do not meet these criteria will not be reviewed. A given investigator can submit no more than one seed proposal, but can be included as a collaborator on others.

Review of Seed proposals

The MRSEC Executive Committee will coordinate the review of the proposals. The Executive Committee will solicit the advice of additional reviewers through an online proposal evaluation system. Criteria for support include:

   1. Promise in advancing basic science with prospects for application.
   2. Successful coupling of theory, measurement, and new materials synthesis or fabrication.
   3. Qualifications of the investigators.

Administration of Seed projects

Approximately 12 months after inception, the principal investigator(s) of each Seed project will present a progress report in the form of an informal seminar in the MRSEC seminar series. Successful Seed projects may be selected for continuing support as part of an IRG at the end of the initial funding period. The principal investigators of each Seed project will provide a brief final report to the Executive Committee, no later than 24 months after the grant was first awarded, to outline their findings and describe their follow-up plan. The final report may be in oral or written form at the discretion of the Executive Committee.