(CLOSED) NSF- Enabling Quantum Leap: Convergent Accelerated Discovery Foundries for Quantum Materials Science, Engineering and Information (Q-AMASE-i)

Synopsis:

The Division of Materials Research (DMR), the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS), the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS), and the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) seek to rapidly accelerate quantum materials design, synthesis, characterization, and translation of fundamental materials engineering and information research for quantum devices, systems, and networks. The new program of Enabling Quantum Leap: Convergent Accelerated Discovery Foundries for Quantum Materials Science, Engineering, and Information (Q-AMASE-i) aims to support these goals by establishing Foundries with mid-scale infrastructure for rapid prototyping and development of quantum materials and devices. The new materials, devices, tools and methods developed by Q-AMASE-i will be shared with the science and engineering communities through a Foundry-operated network. Technology transfer of Foundry activities will be enabled by close cooperation with industrial partners.

Six-year awards totaling $20,000,000 to $25,000,000 for the award period are anticipated. Q-AMASE-i Foundries will be awarded as cooperative agreements with an initial commitment of six years, with the possibility of one six-year renewal, subsequent to a rigorous and favorable review by NSF. The annual performance review includes NSF's evaluation of the annual report after the first year, an annual site visit after the second and fourth year of Foundry activities, and a reverse or program management site visit after the third and fifth year. Funding after the second year will depend on the quality of progress and performance documented during the site visits.

Anticipated Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement

Estimated Number of Awards: 1 to 5

The final number of awards will depend on the availability of funds and the quality of the proposals.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $20,000,000 to $25,000,000

Awards totaling $20,000,000 to $25,000,000 over a six year period are anticipated. The budget must be commensurate with the scope of the project and thoroughly justified in the proposal. Annual budget may not exceed $7,000,000 in any of the award years.

Eligibility Information:

Who May Serve as PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Letters of Intent per Organization:

One (1) per organization as lead institution.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI: 1

Individuals may appear as Senior Personnel (Principal Investigator/Project Director, co-PI, and Faculty Associate or equivalent) on only one Q-AMASE proposal. I No exceptions will be made. For this purpose, a multi-institution collaborative project is treated as one proposal. The lead institution must submit a single collaborative proposal managed by the lead institution, with subawards. Linked collaborative proposals submitted by participating institutions are not allowed.

Additional Details:

All Q-AMASE-i proposals must involve at least five Senior Personnel to ensure that all aspects of the project are adequately covered by relevant expertise. Senior Personnel need to demonstrate expertise in different areas of research, e.g. physics, materials, chemistry, mathematics, computational or data sciences, engineering in order to foster a convergent research approach.

Internal Nomination Process:

Applicants should send the following documents in sequence in one PDF no later than 5 p.m. on August 21, 2018:

• Project Summary (1 page)

• Description of the vision, key components, main activities, and major goals of the proposed Foundry (5 pages max)

• Must include justification why you think Penn State should win this award

• Must include justification why you think your team should win this downselect

• Biosketches of PIs and coPIs

• List of all project personal, their affiliations, and their roles

• All Q-AMASE-i proposals must involve at least five Senior Personnel to ensure that all aspects of the project are adequately covered by relevant expertise. Senior Personnel need to demonstrate expertise in different areas of research, e.g. physics, materials, chemistry, mathematics, computational or data sciences, engineering in order to foster a convergent research approach.

• Estimated total budget for each year of Foundry's activities.

• Formatting Guidelines and Page Limit:

  • Font/size: Times New Roman (12 pt.)

  • Document margins: 1.0” (top, bottom, left and right)

  • Standard paper size (8 ½” x 11)

Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.edu.