Materials Research Seed Grant Program
ForecastedInternal — Ohio State University only
Materials Research Seed Grant Program supports Ohio State investigators and collaborative teams pursuing new materials research to develop competitive external proposals and advance emerging fields.
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Funder: Ohio State University
Due Dates (Anticipated): January 2027 (Letter of Intent) | March 2027 (All-tier proposals) | September 2027 (Proto-IRG Letter of Intent) | September 2027 (Proto-IRG proposals)
Funding Amounts: MTBG: up to $70,000/year; EMRG: up to $50,000/year in direct costs, initially for one year
Summary: Supports new materials research and collaborative teams at Ohio State that can compete for external funding.
Key Information: For MTBG and EMRG, PIs must hold an Ohio State faculty-level appointment and propose research distinct from funded work.
Description
The Ohio State Materials Research Seed Grant Program is jointly funded and managed by the Center for Emergent Materials (CEM), the Center for Exploration of Novel Complex Materials (ENCOMM), and the Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research (IMR). It seeds excellence in materials-allied research by supporting new directions beyond existing research programs and helping investigators develop competitive external proposals.
The program describes three funding tiers. The 2025–2026 competition offered Multidisciplinary Team Building Grants (MTBG) and Exploratory Materials Research Grants (EMRG), supporting collaborative teams and nascent research, respectively. A separate 2026–2027 Proto-IRG call seeks innovative collaborative directions that position Ohio State as a leader in emerging fields. Those teams are expected to underpin Interdisciplinary Research Groups for the FY29 NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center competition.
