MPS Materials Research Programs (MPS Materials)
NSF MPS funds basic research on materials and their properties across areas like biomaterials, ceramics, polymers, and more, seeking ambitious, foundational science without requiring immediate applications.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: August 17, 2076 (Original closing) | August 24, 2076 (Current closing; proposals accepted anytime)
Funding Amounts: Estimated total program funding: $100,000,000; ~200–300 awards anticipated; award size and duration vary by project.
Summary: Funds foundational research in materials science, including experimental, theoretical, and computational studies across a wide range of materials topics.
Key Information: Proposals are accepted at any time; each PI/co-PI may submit only one proposal per fiscal year across all included programs.
Description
The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF MPS) supports multiple materials research programs aimed at advancing the fundamental understanding of materials, their properties, and their potential applications. This funding opportunity is open to research in areas such as biomaterials, ceramics, condensed matter and materials theory, condensed matter physics, electronic and photonic materials, metals and metallic nanostructures, polymers, and solid state and materials chemistry.
NSF MPS seeks intellectually ambitious and potentially transformative foundational research. Proposals do not need to promise a near-term product, deployment, or commercial outcome, nor do they need to address later-stage development to be competitive. Projects may be purely experimental, theoretical, computational, or combine these approaches, and are encouraged to leverage emerging technologies, interdisciplinary collaborations, and data-intensive methods.
