2026 Beckman Scholars Program
The University of Arizona is not eligible to apply to the 2026 Beckman Scholars Program due to an existing award.
If you have any questions, please contact RDS.
The University of Arizona is not eligible to apply to the 2026 Beckman Scholars Program due to an existing award.
If you have any questions, please contact RDS.
Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 0
Q. Hao (Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering)
Eligibility
One (1) per organization as lead institution.
The institutions that were awarded a MIP in the 2019 competition as the lead institution are not eligible to submit a MIP proposal as a lead institution in the 2025 competition.
Synopsis
Materials Innovation Platforms (MIP) is a mid-scale infrastructure program in the Division of Materials Research (DMR) designed to accelerate advances in materials research. MIPs respond to the increasing complexity of materials research that requires close collaboration of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams and access to cutting edge tools. These tools in a user facility benefit both a user program and in-house research, which focus on addressing grand challenges of fundamental science and meet national needs. MIPs embrace the paradigm set forth by the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), which strives to “discover, manufacture, and deploy advanced materials twice as fast, at a fraction of the cost,” and conduct research through iterative “closed-loop” efforts among the areas of materials synthesis/processing, materials characterization, and theory/modeling/simulation. In addition, they are expected to engage the emerging field of data science in materials research. Each MIP is a scientific ecosystem, which includes in-house research scientists, external users and other scientists who, collectively, form a community of practitioners and share tools, codes, samples, data and know-how. The knowledge sharing is designed to strengthen collaborations among scientists and enable them to work in new ways, fostering new modalities of research and training, for the purpose of accelerating discovery and development of new materials and novel materials phenomena/properties, as well as fostering their eventual deployment.
The scientific focus of the MIP program is subject to change from competition to competition. Information about the existing MIPs, from two previous competitions in 2015 and 2019, can be found at mip.org. The third MIP competition, in 2025, will accept proposals on alloys, amorphous, and composite materials. Given that the second MIP competition included an emphasis on biomaterials and polymer research, proposals mainly on these topics will not be considered in the third MIP competition.
U of A may submit eight (8) concept papers: four (4) in medical sciences and four (4) in science & engineering.
Medical Research: Apply to Internal Competition // Limit: 4 // Available: 4
Science and Engineering - Apply to Internal Competition // Limit: 4 // Available: 4
Required U or A pre-proposal elements
The U of A pre-proposal contains the following required sections:
A template is provided in the documents section of this limited submission. Use this template, complete it, and upload it as a PDF as part of this limited submission opportunity.
Uploaded as a PDF:
Program Description
Full sponsor guidelines https://www.wmkeck.org/research-overview/
Post selection as one of the pre-proposals, a concept review Zoom will be held with the W.M. Keck Foundation, RDS, and the UA Foundation in January will determine which one medical research and one science and engineering concept paper will be moved to a Phase 1 Submission.
The W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program uses a three-step process for this opportunity. The first step is a Concept paper. The next steps are by the foundation’s invitation. U of A review criteria reflect previous interactions with the W.M. Keck Foundation. Proposals should focus on basic, fundamental science with broad applications. Grants range from $1 million to $5 million and are typically $2 million or less, and more specifically in the $1.2 to $1.3 million range.
The proposed work should show a significant leap forward rather than an extension of existing work.
To be considered by Keck, applicants must have a statement expressing that the project is not a good fit due to risk (rather than technical or theoretical fit) or a decline from a federal program where the summary statement or individual reviews highlight the incredible novelty, but the high-risk nature that makes it difficult to fund at the federal level.
The Science and Engineering Research Program seeks to benefit humanity by supporting high-risk/high-impact projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach to intractable problems, push the edge of their field, or question the prevailing paradigm. Past grants have been awarded to support pioneering science and engineering research and the development of promising new technologies, instrumentation, or methodologies.
The Medical Research Program seeks to advance the frontiers of medicine to benefit humanity by supporting high-risk/high-impact projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach to intractable problems, push the edge of their field, or question the prevailing paradigm. Past grants have supported pioneering biological research, basic research, and the development of promising new technologies. The Keck Foundation does NOT fund work that is clinical, applied, or translational; treatment trials; or research for the sole purpose of drug development.
Both senior and early career investigators are encouraged to apply. Team approaches, including interdisciplinary teams, are encouraged.
Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 0
M. Phillips (Optical Sciences)
B. Parent (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering)
Executive Summary
The FES Discovery Plasma Science: Plasma Science and Technology–General Plasma Science (GPS) program seeks new or renewal single-investigator or small-group applications to carry out hypothesis-driven frontier-level research in basic plasma science and engineering. This program aims to develop accurate descriptions of the complex behavior of the plasma state, to push it into new regimes that expand our concept of what constitutes a plasma, to design experiments and diagnostics to explore these states, and to validate theoretical models.
For more information, see GPS program science drivers in the CPP Report: A Community Plan for Fusion Energy and
Discover Plasma Sciences, 2019-2020. This NOFO is focused on fundamental research involving plasma including astrophysical, dusty, and low temperature plasmas. Research toward developing plasma-based technologies is out of scope of this NOFO.
Limitations on Submissions
Applicant institutions are limited to no more than two pre-applications (or lead applications), and PIs may only be named on no more than one pre-application (or lead application).
Individuals named as DOE/NNSA National Laboratory PIs, Co-PIs, or senior/key personnel must be an indispensable part of the laboratory with their effort closely integrated into the laboratory’s current plasma science research program and supported at least 50% of their time by the laboratory.
If a multi-institutional team is submitting collaborative applications, only the lead institution should submit a pre-application that should include all institutions, institutional Co-PIs, and all other personnel and relevant information.
DOE will consider the latest received submissions to be the institution’s intended submissions.
• Pre-applications in excess of the limited number of submissions will be discouraged.
• Applications in excess of the limited number of submissions will be declined without review.
Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 0
S. Tin (Materials Science & Engineering) - Competitive Resubmission
Program Synopsis:
The Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) program provides sustained support of materials research and education of the highest quality while addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering. Each MRSEC addresses research of a scope and complexity requiring the scale, synergy, and multidisciplinarity provided by a campus-based research center. The MRSECs support materials research infrastructure in the United States, promote active collaboration between universities and other sectors, including industry and international organizations, and contribute to the development of a national network of university-based centers in materials research, education, and facilities. A MRSEC may be located at a single institution, or may involve multiple institutions in partnership, and is composed of two to three Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs), each addressing a fundamental materials science topic aligned with the Division of Materials Research (DMR).
Eligibility:
Only one MRSEC preliminary proposal may be submitted by any one organization as the lead institution in this competition. An institution proposing research in several groups should submit a single MRSEC proposal with multiple Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs). A MRSEC proposal must contain a minimum of 2 IRGs and a maximum of 3 IRGs. The IRGs in a Center may be thematically related, or they may address different aspects of materials research typically supported by DMR. Integration of multiple, differing IRGs into one MRSEC allows efficient utilization of resources, including common infrastructure, and better coordination of education and other activities of the Center.
Institutions that were awarded a MRSEC in the FY 2023 competition as the lead institution are not eligible to submit a MRSEC proposal as a lead institution in this competition.
MRSEC full proposals may be submitted by invitation only.
Limit: 2* // Tickets Available: 0
Wastewater Focus Area - Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 0
S. Savagatrup (Chemical and Environmental Engineering)
Air Focus Area - Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 0
M. Phillips (Wyant College of Optical Sciences)
The submission for this funding program is coordinated by the Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing.Please contact Dan Moseke, Project Director, for more information.
Limit:
An organization may only lead up to two proposals maximum (one for each Focus Area - air and wastewater) but may participate on more than one team.
Concise Description of Funding Opportunity:
NSTC’s PRISM program aims to enhance the sustainability of semiconductor manufacturing by addressing the challenges posed by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) usage. The objective of the PRISM program is the successful creation of end-to-end PFAS mitigation capabilities, integrating advanced analytical methods, abatement technologies, and predictive modeling to address the environmental impact of PFAS usage in semiconductor manufacturing.
Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 0
S. Ndlovu (Mining and Geological Engineering)
Limited Submission Eligibility
Lead Organizations are limited to one submission. No limits on partnering as sub-recipients.
Purpose and Objectives
The intent of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to seek out new opportunities to accelerate the transformational advances in science and engineering necessary to reduce material criticality for energy innovation, with specific emphasis on industrial relevance, participation, and adoption. Additionally, CMI seeks projects that strengthen and expand its R&D portfolio by developing the capabilities and expertise across supply chain stages of materials contained in CMI materials scope. The current materials scope within CMI is summarized as shown in Table 1. It specifies whether the initial Phase III research efforts are directed toward process innovation, material innovation, or a combination of both. CMI materials scope includes magnetic rare earth elements, energy storage materials, platinum group metals, and gallium, germanium and tellurium. The current R&D profile reflects CMI’s strategic plan and vision (as informed by CMI Phase III Roadmap) to address challenges across four broadly defined parts of the supply chain: upstream, midstream, downstream, and materials innovation.
Cost Share Requirement
Cost share (20% minimum) required for matching federal support of private sector industrial team members. A minimum of 20% cost share of total project costs is encouraged.
Limit: 5 // Available: 5
Applications such as high performance computing and lowpower electronics, both needed for artificial intelligence (AI), require leap-ahead advances in semiconductor advanced packaging. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) seeks proposals for R&D activities that will establish and accelerate domestic semiconductor advanced packaging through investments in five (5) R&D Areas: (1) Equipment, Tools, Processes, and Process Integration; (2) Power Delivery and Thermal Management; (3) Connector Technology, including Photonics and Radio Frequency (RF); (4) Chiplets Ecosystem; and (5) Co-design/Electronic Design Automation (EDA).
The submission of a concept paper is required. Eligible applicants may submit only one concept paper per R&D Area. Each concept paper may only include one R&D Area. Applicants may submit separate concept papers on different R&D Areas.
No Applicants // Tickets: 1 // Tickets Available: 1
The Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program supports the research and teaching careers of talented early career faculty in the chemical sciences. The Award, which requires an institutional nomination, is based on an independent body of scholarship attained in the early years of their appointment, and a demonstrated commitment to education, signaling the promise of continuing outstanding contributions to both research and teaching.
U of A may submit eight (8) concept papers: four (4) in medical sciences and four (4) in science & engineering.
Medical Research: Limit: 4 // Available: 1 // Request Ticket
N. Zhao (Nutritional Science and Wellness)
S. Goldman (Medicine)
Science and Engineering - Limit: 4 // Available: 0
A. Zabludoff (Astronomy & Steward Observatory)
S. Kong (Astronomy & Steward Observatory)
E. Lee (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
B. Vasic (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Required U or A pre-proposal elements
The UA pre-proposal contains the following required sections:
A template is provided in the documents section of this limited submission. Use this template, complete it, and upload it as a PDF as part of this limited submission opportunity.
Uploaded as a PDF:
Program Description
Full sponsor guidelines https://www.wmkeck.org/research-overview/
Post selection as one of the pre-proposals, a concept review Zoom will be held with the W.M. Keck Foundation, RDS, and the UA Foundation in January will determine which one medical research and one science and engineering concept paper will be moved to a Phase 1 Submission.
The W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program uses a three-step process for this opportunity. The first step is a Concept paper. The next steps are by the foundation’s invitation. U of A review criteria reflect previous interactions with the W.M. Keck Foundation. Proposals should focus on basic, fundamental science with broad applications. Grants range from $1 million to $5 million and are typically $2 million or less, and more specifically in the $1.2 to $1.3 million range.
The proposed work should show a significant leap forward rather than an extension of existing work.
To be considered by Keck, applicants must have a statement expressing that the project is not a good fit due to risk (rather than technical or theoretical fit) or a decline from a federal program where the summary statement or individual reviews highlight the incredible novelty, but the high-risk nature that makes it difficult to fund at the federal level.
The Science and Engineering Research Program seeks to benefit humanity by supporting high-risk/high-impact projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach to intractable problems, push the edge of their field, or question the prevailing paradigm. Past grants have been awarded to support pioneering science and engineering research and the development of promising new technologies, instrumentation, or methodologies.
The Medical Research Program seeks to advance the frontiers of medicine to benefit humanity by supporting high-risk/high-impact projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach to intractable problems, push the edge of their field, or question the prevailing paradigm. Past grants have supported pioneering biological research, basic research, and the development of promising new technologies. The Keck Foundation does NOT fund work that is clinical, applied, or translational; treatment trials; or research for the sole purpose of drug development.
Both senior and early career investigators are encouraged to apply. Team approaches, including interdisciplinary teams, are encouraged.