(CLOSED) NSF 19-578 Physics Frontiers Centers (PFC)

Sponsor Name: 
NSF
Amount: 
$8,000,000.00
Description of the Award: 

The Physics Frontiers Centers (PFC) program supports university-based centers and institutes where the collective efforts of a larger group of individuals can enable transformational advances in the most promising research areas. The program is designed to foster major breakthroughs at the intellectual frontiers of physics by providing needed resources such as combinations of talents, skills, disciplines, and/or specialized infrastructure, not usually available to individual investigators or small groups, in an environment in which the collective efforts of the larger group can be shown to be seminal to promoting significant progress in the science and the education of students. Activities supported through the program are in all sub-fields of physics within the purview of the Division of Physics: atomic, molecular, optical, plasma, elementary particle, nuclear, particle astro-, gravitational, and biological physics. Interdisciplinary projects at the interface between these physics areas and other disciplines and physics sub-fields may also be considered, although the bulk of the effort must fall within one of those areas within the purview of the Division of Physics. The successful PFC activity will demonstrate: (1) the potential for a profound advance in physics; (2) creative, substantive activities aimed at enhancing education, diversity, and public outreach; (3) potential for broader impacts, e.g., impacts on other field(s) and benefits to society; (4) a synergy or value-added rationale that justifies a center- or institute-like approach.

Limit (Number of applicants permitted per institution): 
2
Sponsor LOI Deadline: 
Aug 01, 2019
Sponsor Final Deadline: 
Aug 01, 2019
OSVPR Application or NOI Instructions: 

If you are interested in submitting a proposal, click on the submit application on the InfoReady URL and follow the required prompts to give us your contact information. If interest exceeds the sponsor's institutional limit, the Office of the Vice President for Research will hold an internal Limited Submissions competition after the Call of Intent deadline.

To be considered as a Penn State institutional nominee, please submit a notice of intent by the date provided directly below.
Penn State OSVPR NOI Deadline: 
Wednesday, May 15, 2019 - 4:00pm
This limited submission is in downselect: 
Penn State may only submit a specific number of proposals to this funding opportunity. The number of NOIs received require that an internal competition take place, thus, a downselect process has commenced. No Penn State researchers may apply to this opportunity outside of this downselect process. To apply for this limited submission, please use this link:
Notes: 
Mostafa, Miguel (Physics, ECoS) 5/17/19