Published: July 13, 2021

Colleagues,

We are pleased to lead the development of the university’s pre-proposal submission to the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) program. We believe that CU Boulder is well-positioned both technically and geographically to be a strong contender in the upcoming competition, but we can only do this by working together.

As we will further outline at the Kickoff event, our vision for the MRSEC@CU process is to facilitate an open exchange of ideas to best position CU Boulder to secure a MRSEC in the upcoming competition. A successful outcome will only happen if the MRSEC@CU process is truly an all-campus effort integrating the technical expertise in materials research while championing education and outreach from a leadership and team that is diverse, equitable and inclusive. 

Building upon the announcement from RIO, we aim to outline our process to develop and select Interdisciplinary Research Group (IRG) themes:

Upcoming MRSEC@CU events and activities

Kickoff and Ideation Workshop

  • When: Tuesday, July 20, 2021, 3–5 p.m. (presentations and discussion); 5–6 p.m. (social)
  • Where: Chancellor's Hall and Auditorium (CASE Building)

This event will introduce the MRSEC process, outline our approach as director and co-director, and host an initial technical interchange that is derived from broadly defined campus strengths in soft materials, biomaterials and condensed matter.

Register

Materials Characterization @ CU—Strengths, Needs and Wants 

  • When: Friday, August 20, 2021, 12–2 p.m. (lunch provided)
  • Where: SEEC 

Register

Collision Workshops

  • When: Mid-to-late September 2021
  • Where: TBD

Informed by the Kickoff and Ideation Workshop, subsequent discussions and topic inputs, we will hold collision workshops on emerging IRG themes.

MRSEC@CU Internal Competition Deadlines

Subsequent to the events this summer and fall, IRG topics will be input via the limited submission portal:

  • November 15, 2021: IRG submission deadline.
    • Format: Three-page IRG proposal mirroring NSF guidelines from partial or fully formed IRG teams.
  • January 15, 2022: IRG pre-proposals selected. 
    • With input from external reviewers and a scientific advisory committee, three IRG pre-proposals will be down-selected.

Thereafter, we will work with the IRG topic leads and teams to develop a compelling, integrated, and winning MRSEC pre-proposal (including another round of external review) for June 2022 submission.

We look forward to partnering with the broader materials science and engineering community on submitting a successful proposal.

Sincerely,

Kristi Anseth
Director, MRSEC@CU

Tim White
Co-Director, MRSEC@CU

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