Block-Gift Program
Block-Gift Program supports graduate students in photonics, power electronics, optical communications, and quantum research to advance their education and develop technical communication skills.
Funder: Coherent / II-VI Foundation
Due Dates: February 15, 2027 (White Paper and renewal applications) | September 1, 2027 (New-topic concept summaries)
Funding Amounts: $95,000–$110,000 annually per institution; projects support students toward degrees over three years
Summary: Supports graduate student education through research in photonics, power electronics, optical communications, and quantum technologies.
Key Information: Full proposals are invitation-only, and projects must involve at least two graduate students with student education as their primary focus.
Description
The Coherent / II-VI Foundation’s Block-Gift Program promotes graduate-level research while educating the next generation of engineers, scientists, and mathematicians. Research typically falls within four technology areas: optics, lasers and photonics; wide bandgap power electronics; optical communications; and quantum technologies. Projects generally emphasize material synthesis, crystal growth and processing, or novel device design, fabrication, and characterization. The Foundation periodically adds topics of special interest.
Student development is central to the program. Projects support graduate students working toward PhD or MS degrees, with opportunities to develop written and verbal technical communication skills. Students collaborate on research progress reports with their advisors’ counsel, while Foundation mini-conferences offer opportunities to present findings, exchange ideas with professors and other participants, and build research relationships.
