Polymers  (POL)

CONTACTS

PROGRAM GUIDELINES

Apply to PD 03-1773 as follows:

For full proposals submitted via FastLane: standard Grant Proposal Guidelines apply.
For full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: NSF Grants.gov Application Guide; A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov Guidelines apply (Note: The NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide)

Important Notice to Proposers

A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), NSF 13-1, was issued on October 4, 2012 and is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 14, 2013. Please be advised that, depending on the specified due date, the guidelines contained in NSF 13-1 may apply to proposals submitted in response to this funding opportunity.

Please be aware that significant changes have been made to the PAPPG to implement revised merit review criteria based on the National Science Board (NSB) report, National Science Foundation's Merit Review Criteria: Review and Revisions. While the two merit review criteria remain unchanged (Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts), guidance has been provided to clarify and improve the function of the criteria. Changes will affect the project summary and project description sections of proposals. Annual and final reports also will be affected.

A by-chapter summary of this and other significant changes is provided at the beginning of both the Grant Proposal Guide and the Award & Administration Guide.

DUE DATES

Full Proposal Window:  September 1, 2013 - October 31, 2013

September 1 - October 31, Annually Thereafter

If the closing date for the submission window falls on a weekend, the closing date moves to the following Monday. The last date of the submission window is an absolute deadline date and proposals must be received by NSF by 5:00 p.m. submitter's local time on that date.

The submission window applies to unsolicited proposals submitted to DMR programs, except for the following which may be submitted at any time during the year: Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID), EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER), proposals for workshops or conferences, proposals to the DMR National Facilities Program, and supplements to existing grants. For proposals submitted in response to special announcements or solicitations, the deadline dates specified in the announcement or solicitation apply.

We strongly advise Principal Investigators and Sponsored Research Offices to submit early and avoid a last-minute rush, which can cause problems in timely and correct transmission to NSF.

DMR discourages the submission of more than one proposal from the same Principal Investigator during the proposal-submission window.

SYNOPSIS

The DMR Polymers Program supports fundamental research and education on polymeric materials and polymer science. The program portfolio is mainly experimental and highly diverse with components of materials science, chemistry, physics, and other related disciplines. While interdisciplinarity is stressed, central goals include advancing the foundations of polymer science through innovative research and education and pushing back the wide horizon of the field. Polymers are studied from the molecular level through the nano-to-macro continuum using fundamental materials-focused scientific approaches. Such approaches are experimental but may also closely integrate theoretical, computational, or cyber aspects. Broad areas addressed include synthesis, molecular and self-assembly, characterization, phase behavior, structure, morphology, and properties. Particular focus is on transformative approaches to innovative materials with superior properties, on advancing polymer fundamentals and optimizing structure-property relationships, as well as on basic research addressing major societal challenges. High-quality proposals that integrate research, education, and other broader impacts are invited.

RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Research in Undergraduate Institutions (NSF 00-144)

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF 07-569)

Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program (NSF 08-557)

Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) (NSf 12-513)

RELATED URLS

Interdisciplinary Globally-Leading Polymer Science and Engineering: 2007 NSF Polymers Workshop (Co-sponsored by AFOSR, ARO, DOE/BES, NASA, NIH/NIBIB, NIST, and ONR)

Time Window for submitting unsolicited proposals to DMR Programs

THIS PROGRAM IS PART OF

Disciplinary Research Activities

What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)

Map of Recent Awards Made Through This Program

News

Discoveries