NSF-DFG Lead Agency Procedure in “Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer Our Future” (DMREF)
NSF-DFG Lead Agency Procedure in DMREF supports US–German research teams integrating experiments, computation, data and theory to accelerate materials design, discovery and development toward deployment.
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Funder: German Research Foundation
Due Dates: January 15, 2027 (elan registration) | January 19, 2027 (NSF proposal) | January 21, 2027, 4:00 pm CET (DFG submission)
Funding Amounts: NSF DMREF awards expected at $1.5–$2 million over four years; initial DFG funding covers up to 36 months
Summary: Supports joint US–German materials research integrating experiments, computation, data and theory to accelerate materials development and deployment.
Key Information: German non-university researchers must fulfil the duty to cooperate through a partner at a German university.
Description
The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF) support collaborative, data-driven materials research through the NSF–DFG Lead Agency Procedure in DMREF. The programme seeks to accelerate materials design, discovery and development toward deployment through deep integration of experiments, computation and theory, supported by accessible digital data across the materials development continuum.
This bilateral call covers chemical solid state and surface research, polymer research, theoretical chemistry, condensed matter physics, materials engineering and materials science. Projects should connect complementary expertise through iterative research linking theory, computational simulation and experiment. NSF acts as the lead agency for review, while each funder makes its own funding decision. Projects receive support only if both agencies approve, with each funding its respective researchers.
