[Bnc-faculty-all-list] ERC Proposals

[James Cooper]

To:  BNC Faculty
Subject : ERC Proposals

This is in regard to my email of March 5 (copied below) and the informational meeting on March 8 dealing with the upcoming NSF ERC solicitation on nanotechnology.  I wanted to find out whether any groups have begun to nucleate to consider writing proposals under this solicitation.  If so, I think it would be helpful to have a follow-up meeting to let everyone know what proposals are being considered and see if any consolidations or teaming arrangements might make sense.

If you are part of a group considering a proposal, please respond with the names of the people involved and a tentative title of your proposal.  If more than one group responds (and I think there are several), then I'll try to set up a meeting.  Please respond by the end of the day on Wednesday if you are considering a proposal.

Thanks!

	-- Jim

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				Email of March 5
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To: BNC Faculty and Other Interested Parties
Re:  New NSF solicitation for NanoSystems ERCs
 
In the next few weeks, NSF will be issuing an RFP for a special round of ERC proposals devoted to NanoSystems.  NSF expects to create three new Engineering Research Centers in a special, odd-year cycle that will result in awards in September 2011.  This is a unique situation for several reasons: (1) unlike the typical "open" solicitation, the topic is restricted, (2) the selection timeline is extremely short (40-page full proposals only, no pre-proposals), and (3) funding is not contingent on passage of the FY2011 budget, since the funds are coming from phase-out of existing NSECs.
 
This is a unique opportunity for Purdue, but time is of the essence.  The key is to define a suitable, compelling topic, then form an unbeatable team by enlisting the top people in the country.  This needs to be done BEFORE competing teams begin to nucleate elsewhere, preferably before the RRP hits the streets.
 
It is important to realize that the ERC has a SYSTEMS focus.  It must address a compelling national need from the TOP DOWN, i.e. the national need is the driver, and the appropriate science and technology is selected based on its relevance to the systems need.  As far as we can determine, any national grand challenge that can be addressed by nanotechnology could be considered.  Some possible examples might include (these are my thoughts, they did not come from NSF):
 
(1) Nanoelectronics beyond Moore's Law (exploring all-spin logic, graphene, topological insulators, excitonic devices, collective phenomena, etc.)
 
(2) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (photovoltaics, thermoelectrics, nanoparticles for batteries or supercapacitors, MEMs devices for energy harvesting, etc.)
 
(3) Advances in Life Sciences (nanoparticles for in-vivo imaging, directed cancer therapy, drug delivery; implantable biomedical systems; electronic-neural interfaces; etc.).
 
To provide more details, an informal briefing and open discussion will be held Tuesday from 3:00 - 4:30 in BRK-2001.  Anyone interested in leading a team, or being part of a team, is invited to attend.
 
      -- Jim
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