Crosscutting Activities in Materials Research
NSF DMR Crosscutting Activities funds cross-disciplinary materials research community activities, education, diversity/inclusion, and related workshops, institutes, summer schools, REU/RET sites, and other nontraditional activities that do not fit in a topical DMR program.
⚑ Does not support traditional research proposals suitable for topical DMR programs · International-component full proposals should go to disciplinary programs, not XC directly · Proposals over $50,000 are strongly recommended for prior contact with a Program Director · Special NSF conference proposal guidelines apply to workshops/conferences
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 60 good | technical depth: central; funds training education (capped) |
| IPPRA | 39 weak | outside portfolio topics; signature methods: community engaged, surveys longitudinal; social/behavioral work is minor; funds training education, not research (capped) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
Crosscutting Activities in Materials Research (XC) coordinates and supports crosscutting activities within the Division of Materials Research (DMR) and more broadly across NSF.
The emphasis within XC is diversity and inclusion, international cooperation, and education (including experiential learning at REU/RET Sites). Additionally, activities that broadly engage the community, such as summer schools, institutes, workshops, and conferences that do not fit within just one or two programs in the Division of Materials Research, may be supported by XC.If preparing a workshop proposal, follow the Special Guidelines for Conference Proposals outlined in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). Occasionally projects crossing several programs in DMR are shifted to XC or co-funded by XC. The goal is to bring greater visibility to these projects through DMR’s XC website.
Proposals are welcome that do not fit elsewhere at NSF that are also highly relevant for the materials research and education community. Some XC activities are co-funded with other NSF units. XC does not handle traditional research proposals suitable for submission to topical or other programs in DMR. For this reason, the XC Team welcomes inquiries that include a draft of one-page NSF summary, or a shorter write-up. It is highly recommended that you contact one of the Program Directors for XC prior to submission of a full proposal exceeding $50,000.
Crosscutting Activities in Materials Research (XC) replaced the Office of Special Programs in Materials Research (OSP) in 2016.
Diversity:
Activitiesthat focus on broadening participation of underrepresented groups and/or diversity and inclusion are supported.
Supplements(e.g., CLB, AGEP-GRS, MPS-GRSV and ROAs) are handled by the cognizantProgram Director of the original award. See the Related Publications section below for more information.
XC supports Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (see Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide, Chapter II.E.6 for details) https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappg18_1/pappg_2.jsp#IIE6
International:
In2016 a Dear Colleague Letter outlining collaborative projectswith Israel (BSF) was issued; it remains active until archived.
Submissionof full proposals with an international component may be made to thedisciplinary programs (but not to XC directly).
Supplementsare handled by the cognizant Program Director of the original award.
Discontinuedin 2014: The previous International Materials Institutes (IMI)and Materials World Network (MWN) programs are no longer supported .
Education:
Innovativeand creative ideas in education (e.g., materials science and/or engineering, solid state and materials chemistry, condensed matterphysics, integrated computational materials science/engineering, ormaterials data science/analytics) that do not have a forum elsewhere at NSFare of interest.
XC encourages outreach and/or materials education proposals targeting underserved populations such as K-12students in rural communities and those designed to increase public scientific literacy.
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)/ Research Experiences for Teachers (RET): reu.dmr@nsf.gov
XCcoordinates the REU and RET Sites activities within DMR. See the REU Site Solicitation for deadlines and additional program information.
REU/RET supplements to research proposals are handled by the cognizant ProgramDirector of the original award.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: U.S. National Science Foundation <grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · National Science Foundation conventions SEE AN NSF EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — National Science Foundation's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.