Opportunity Information: Apply for 24 567
The Molecular Foundations for Sustainability: Sustainable Polymers Enabled by Emerging Data Analytics (MFS-SPEED) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) cross-directorate grant opportunity designed to speed up the discovery, design, and eventual manufacturing of sustainable polymers by tightly integrating polymer science with modern data analytics. The call is positioned as a response to federal priorities laid out in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2021 and the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, signaling an emphasis on strategic, nationally relevant research capacity. NSF is running the program through its Directorates for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) and Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP), with additional involvement from major industry partners Procter and Gamble, PepsiCo, BASF, Dow, and IBM. In practice, that mix of NSF science directorates plus well-known corporate partners points to a program that wants deep fundamental research, but with a clear line of sight to scalable, real-world polymer development.
At its core, MFS-SPEED aims to build a data-centric research environment for polymers and advanced soft materials, where teams use state-of-the-art data science to shorten the time between an idea and a usable material. The solicitation highlights projects that develop new approaches for predicting polymer structure and properties, including relationships among chemistry, morphology, processing, and performance. A major focus is on extracting insights using data analytics, specifically including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to guide materials design and decision-making. The program also explicitly welcomes work that improves the efficiency and scalability of making monomers and polymers, whether by optimizing existing synthetic routes or inventing new ones. In other words, proposals are expected to connect the full chain from molecular design and property prediction to practical preparation methods, rather than treating computation, synthesis, and scale-up considerations as separate worlds.
Another central goal is workforce development. MFS-SPEED is not only about producing new polymer candidates; it is also about training researchers who can operate comfortably across polymer chemistry, soft matter physics, data science, and modern analytics. The program is looking for cross-disciplinary teams that can transcend traditional single-investigator or single-discipline boundaries, reflecting the reality that sustainable polymer innovation now depends on coordinated experimental, computational, and data-driven workflows. A competitive project under this call would typically involve collaborative research where data generation, curation, modeling, and experimental validation reinforce one another, and where trainees gain hands-on experience with those integrated methods.
From a funding and schedule standpoint, MFS-SPEED will support research grants with awards anticipated in FY24/FY25. Individual awards can be as large as $2 million total, with project durations of up to three years, and budgets should be aligned with the scope of work and the size of the collaborative team. NSF expects to make around six awards, which suggests a competitive program favoring well-justified, ambitious team efforts with a strong technical plan, clear data/analytics integration, and credible pathways to sustainable polymer outcomes. The opportunity is listed as a discretionary grant under NSF funding activity categories for science and technology and other research and development, with CFDA numbers 47.049 and 47.084. The funding opportunity number is 24-567, and the original closing date is 2025-01-16.
Eligibility is limited to specific types of U.S.-based organizations. Proposals may be submitted by U.S. institutions of higher education, including both two-year and four-year accredited colleges and universities (community colleges included), acting on behalf of their faculty. Non-profit, non-academic organizations are also eligible, such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies located in the United States, as long as they are directly associated with educational or research activities. Federally recognized Tribal Nations are eligible as well, consistent with the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994. The solicitation includes a specific note about international branch campuses of U.S. higher education institutions: if any project funding would support work at an international branch campus (including via subawards or consultants), the proposal must explain why performing that work abroad benefits the project and why the activities cannot be done at the U.S. campus.
Overall, MFS-SPEED is a targeted NSF program for teams aiming to reinvent how polymers are discovered and improved for sustainability, using advanced data analytics as the engine for faster learning cycles and better predictions. It encourages proposals that unite polymer synthesis and processing, property measurement, theory and simulation, and AI/ML-driven analytics into a coherent, shared, data-rich workflow, while also producing a workforce trained to operate at that intersection.Apply for 24 567
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Molecular Foundations for Sustainability: Sustainable Polymers Enabled by Emerging Data Analytics" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.049, 47.084.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-29.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-16. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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FAQs: Molecular Foundations for Sustainability - Sustainable Polymers Enabled by Emerging Data Analytics (MFS-SPEED)
What is the MFS-SPEED program?
Molecular Foundations for Sustainability: Sustainable Polymers Enabled by Emerging Data Analytics (MFS-SPEED) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) cross-directorate grant opportunity designed to speed up the discovery, design, and eventual manufacturing of sustainable polymers by tightly integrating polymer science with modern data analytics.
Which NSF directorates run MFS-SPEED?
NSF is running MFS-SPEED through the Directorates for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) and Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP).
Are there industry partners involved in MFS-SPEED?
Yes. The opportunity notes involvement from major industry partners Procter and Gamble, PepsiCo, BASF, Dow, and IBM, signaling interest in strong fundamental research with a clear line of sight to scalable, real-world polymer development.
What is the main goal of MFS-SPEED?
The program aims to build a data-centric research environment for polymers and advanced soft materials, where teams use state-of-the-art data science to shorten the time between an idea and a usable material.
What kinds of research topics does MFS-SPEED emphasize?
The solicitation highlights projects that develop new approaches for predicting polymer structure and properties, including relationships among chemistry, morphology, processing, and performance, and that use advanced data analytics to guide materials design and decision-making.
Is artificial intelligence or machine learning explicitly encouraged?
Yes. The program specifically includes artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) as part of the data analytics approaches used to extract insights and guide materials design and decisions.
Does the program support work on polymer synthesis and scale-up, not just modeling?
Yes. MFS-SPEED explicitly welcomes work that improves the efficiency and scalability of making monomers and polymers, including optimizing existing synthetic routes or inventing new ones, and expects proposals to connect molecular design and property prediction to practical preparation methods.
Does MFS-SPEED expect teams to cover the full pipeline from design to validation?
Based on the description, proposals are expected to connect the full chain from molecular design and property prediction to practical preparation methods, rather than treating computation, synthesis, and scale-up considerations as separate efforts.
What does "data-centric research environment" mean in this program context?
In this call, it refers to a workflow where data generation, curation, modeling, and experimental validation reinforce one another, using modern analytics to speed learning cycles and improve prediction and decision-making for sustainable polymer development.
Is workforce development part of the program?
Yes. A central goal is workforce development, with an emphasis on training researchers who can work across polymer chemistry, soft matter physics, data science, and modern analytics.
What kind of team structure is MFS-SPEED looking for?
The program is looking for cross-disciplinary teams that can transcend traditional single-investigator or single-discipline boundaries, reflecting coordinated experimental, computational, and data-driven workflows.
What is the anticipated award size for MFS-SPEED grants?
Individual awards can be as large as $2 million total.
How long can an MFS-SPEED project last?
Project durations can be up to three years.
When are awards anticipated to be made?
Awards are anticipated in FY24/FY25.
How many awards does NSF expect to make under this program?
NSF expects to make around six awards.
Is this considered a competitive program?
The description indicates a competitive opportunity, given the expectation of around six awards and the emphasis on ambitious, well-justified team efforts with strong technical plans, clear data/analytics integration, and credible pathways to sustainable polymer outcomes.
What is the funding opportunity number for MFS-SPEED?
The funding opportunity number is 24-567.
What is the closing date listed for this opportunity?
The original closing date is 2025-01-16.
What CFDA numbers are associated with this NSF opportunity?
The opportunity lists CFDA numbers 47.049 and 47.084.
What type of funding opportunity is MFS-SPEED?
It is listed as a discretionary grant under NSF funding activity categories for science and technology and other research and development.
Who is eligible to submit a proposal?
Eligibility is limited to specific types of U.S.-based organizations: (1) U.S. institutions of higher education, including two-year and four-year accredited colleges and universities (including community colleges), acting on behalf of their faculty; (2) non-profit, non-academic organizations in the United States that are directly associated with educational or research activities (such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies); and (3) federally recognized Tribal Nations.
Are community colleges eligible under MFS-SPEED?
Yes. The eligibility description includes two-year accredited colleges and universities and explicitly notes community colleges.
Are non-profit organizations eligible if they are not universities?
Yes, as long as they are non-profit, non-academic organizations located in the United States and are directly associated with educational or research activities (examples listed include independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies).
Are federally recognized Tribal Nations eligible?
Yes. Federally recognized Tribal Nations are eligible, consistent with the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994.
Can a proposal include work at an international branch campus of a U.S. institution?
Yes, but with a specific requirement. If any project funding would support work at an international branch campus (including via subawards or consultants), the proposal must explain why performing that work abroad benefits the project and why the activities cannot be done at the U.S. campus.
Does the international branch campus requirement apply to subawards and consultants?
Yes. The note states that the requirement applies if funding would support work at an international branch campus, including via subawards or consultants.
How does this program connect to federal priorities?
The call is positioned as a response to federal priorities laid out in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2021 and the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, suggesting an emphasis on strategic, nationally relevant research capacity.
What kinds of materials are in scope beyond polymers?
The program description mentions polymers and advanced soft materials, indicating that advanced soft materials are within scope as described.
What elements should a strong proposal generally demonstrate based on the description?
Based on the program description, competitive proposals typically align deep polymer science with modern data analytics, integrate data generation/curation/modeling with experimental validation, address predictive structure-property-processing-performance relationships, consider scalable monomer/polymer preparation, and include meaningful cross-disciplinary workforce development.
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