Call for Proposals

Overview

The LANL Institute for Multiscale Materials Studies (IMMS) funds projects in proposal development, research, education, conferences and workshops, summer schools, and distance education. This is a partnership between LANL and UCSB, with projects benefiting the scientific goals of both institutions. The program goal is to develop and apply multiscale understanding of material science, broadly defined. The current emphasis is on soft materials. A key purpose of the current call for proposals is to broaden the participation to other multiscale researchers at UCSB and LANL. The majority of the funding available to the IMMS is dedicated to student education and program development opportunities, with a smaller amount of funding available for direct research activities. Our goal is to facilitate research collaborations that take advantage of unique facilities or capabilities at the UCSB and LANL, and to develop further funding sources for projects based on these.

Our priority is funding programs in our thrust areas:

• General development of multiscale understanding of material response to external stimuli for a broad variety of applications (http://www.lanl.gov/science)
• Development of materials or understanding related to stockpile stewardship issues (e.g. mechanical response, lifetime issues, sensors) (http://www.lanl.gov/natlsecurity/nuclear/current)
• Development of materials understanding related to Threat Reduction or Non-proliferation issues (e.g. sensors or sequestering materials for chemical or biological agents; materials for tagging, tracking or locating chemical, biological or nuclear materials) (http://www.lanl.gov/natlsecurity/threat/index.shtml)
• Development of materials understanding related to Energy Security (e.g., fuel or solar cells; light-weight or self-healing structural materials; radiation tolerant materials; materials for separations related to fossil or nuclear energy production and utilization) (http://energycouncil.lanl.gov)

We will also consider funding of highly innovative projects in other areas that match the scientific goals of both institutions.

In evaluating proposals, we consider the following elements that support our objectives:

• Strong collaboration between LANL and UCSB PI’s.
• Program development from the partner institutions to jointly seek new funding opportunities.
• Strategic connections with the national and international scientific community in our thrust areas.
• Utilization of unique facilities or capabilities at one institution to further the research objectives of the partner institution.

Winning proposals typically do not touch all these areas, but the larger the funding request, the more compelling the argument needs to be in terms of these IMMS priorities. Cross-institutional collaboration is more highly weighted than other priorities. A typical award is $20K-$50K/ year: awards above $100K/year are unusual. Funding for collaborations at other institutions can be included where the benefits can be clearly demonstrated.

More Information

• Types of Proposals
• Proposal Structure
• Deadlines & Contact Information