National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Centers (ERC)

Program

Lynn Preston

Leader of the Engineering Research Centers (ERC) Program

Deputy Division Director

Division of Engineering Education and Centers

lpreston@nsf.gov

703-292-5358

Engineering Research Centers ProgramGuiding Goals - 20+ Years

Create and sustain an integrated, interdisciplinary research environment to advance fundamental engineering knowledge and engineered systems

Educate a globally competitive and diverse engineering workforce from K-12 on, and

Join academe and industry in partnership to achieve these goals

Core Key Features of an ERC

Guiding strategic vision for transforming engineered systems and the development of a globally competitive and diverse engineering workforce

Strategic plans for research, education, and diversity to realize the vision Complex, integrated, interdisciplinary research program -- fundamental to systems

research and proof-of-concept test beds Integrating research and education from precollege to practitioners (courses, course

modules, new degree programs) Partnership with industry/practitioners to formulate and evolve the strategic plan,

strengthen research and education, speed technology transfer Leadership, cohesive and diverse interdisciplinary team, effective management Cross-institutional commitment to facilitate and foster the interdisciplinary culture

and diversity of the ERC

FY 2007 Engineering Research Centers

ERC Class of 2006 Quality of Life Technology ERC, Carnegie Mellon and the U.

of Pittsburgh, 2006 Rutgers University with Purdue, New Jersey Institute of Technology and

UPRM, ERC for Structured Organic Composites for Pharmaceutical, Nutraceutical, and Agrochemical Applications, 2006

Princeton U. with the City University of New York, John Hopkins, Texas A & M, U. Maryland – Baltimore County, and Rice, Engineering Research Center for Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment, 2006

University of California, Berkeley with Harvard U., the MIT, Prairie View A&M, and the UC, San Francisco - Synthetic Biology ERC, 2006

U. Of Minnesota with GA Tech, Purdue, U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Vanderbilt, Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power, 2006

NSF Engineering Research CentersFY 2007

BioEngineering U. of Washington - - Bioengineered Materials, 1996 Georgia Tech with Emory University School of Medicine- - Engineering of

Living Tissue, 1998 Johns Hopkins with CMU and MIT, Brigham Women’s Hospital and Johns

Hopkins University Hospital - - Computer Integrated Surgical Systems, 1998

Vanderbilt University with Harvard-MIT, Northwestern Univ. and U. of Texas-Austin - - VaNTH ERC for Bioengineering Educational Technologies, 1999

U. of Southern California with Caltech and UC-Santa Cruz –Biomimetic Microelectronic Systems, 2003

University of California, Berkeley with Harvard U., the MIT, Prairie View A&M, and theUC, San Francisco - Synthetic Biology ERC, 2006

NSF Engineering Research CentersFY 2007

Microelectronics, Optics, and Information Technology Systems

U. of Southern California - - Integrated Media Systems, 1996 VPI with NC A&T, and U. of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, Rensselaer, and Wisconsin

- - Power Electronic Systems, 1998 U. of Michigan with Mich. St., & Mich. Technological Univ. - - Wireless

Integrated Microsytems, 2000 Northeastern U. with Boston U., U. of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM), &

Rensselaer - - Subsurface Sensing & Imaging Systems, 2000 Colorado State (CSU) with CU-Boulder and UC Berkeley -- Extreme Ultraviolet

S&T, 2003 UMass-Amherst with CSU, U. of Oklahoma, and U. of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez–

Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere, 2003 Princeton U. with the City University of New York, John Hopkins, Texas A & M, U.

Maryland – Baltimore County, and Rice, Engineering Research Center for Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment, 2006

Quality of Life ERC, Carnegie Mellon and the U. of Pittsburgh, 2006

NSF Engineering Research CentersFY 2007

Manufacturing and Processing U. of Michigan - - Reconfigurable Machining Systems, 1996 Clemson with MIT- -Advanced Engineering of Fibers and Films, 1998 U. of Kansas-Lawrence with U. of Iowa and Washington U at St. Louis –

Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, 2003 Rutgers University with Purdue, New Jersey Institute of Technology and UPRM, ERC for

Structured Organic Composites for Pharmaceutical, Nutraceutical, and Agrochemical Applications, 2006

U. Of Minnesota with GA Tech, Purdue, U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Vanderbilt, Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power, 2006

NSF Earthquake Engineering Research CentersFY 2007

University of California at Berkeley - - Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, 1997

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - - Mid-America Earthquake Center, 1997

State University of New York at Buffalo - - Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, 1997

Engineering Research Centers Program

Generation 3 ERCs

Partnerships in Transforming

Research, Education and Technology

NSF 07-

New Key Features of Gen 3 ERCs

Build a culture of discovery and innovation in academe Link scientific discovery to technological innovation by directly engaging

small innovative firms in the ERC’s research teams, using core funds to carry out translational research to speed innovation

Build partnerships with at least one academic, state and local government, and other program designed to stimulate entrepreneurship, with start-up firms, and otherwise speed the translation of academic knowledge into technological innovation

Engage ERC students in all phases of the innovation process so they understand what is required to translate fundamental knowledge discoveries into innovations

Strategically designed education programs to produce creative, innovative engineers

Provide faculty and students with cross-cultural, global research experiences through partnerships with foreign universities or other means

Build long-term sustained partnerships with a few pre-college institutions to increase the enrollment of domestic students in engineering and science degree programs

Eligibility Lead Organization - US academic institutions with undergraduate,

masters, and doctoral engineering programs with sufficient depth and breadth to support the vision

PI - Tenured faculty member at lead institution with a full or joint appointment in an engineering department. Engineer or scientist with substantial career experience in engineering

No limit on proposals per lead organization or per partner institution

Configuration & Eligibility Requirements (ER)

Configuration Eligibility Requirements: 1. Multi-university configuration (ER), no specific number but must be

manageable, 2. At least one university/college partner serves groups underrepresented in

engineering (women, racial & ethic minorities, & disabled) ER3. Long-term partnerships with a few middle and high schools to involve teacher

& students in ERC (ER)4. Partnership with an organization ( state or local gov. or academic) devoted to

speeding innovation & entrepreneurship - New Feature (ER)5. Full proposal will include letters from firms/agencies indicating commitment to

participation in the ERC’s industrial/practitioner partnership program (ER)6. Preliminary and full proposal will include commitment from the lead institution

for headquarters space for the ERC (ER) Proposal may include a foreign university partner - New Feature but US funds

cannot pay for foreign partnership, foreign funds will be in place during year 1 if awarded. Not an eligibility requirement.

Research

Systems vision for an emerging and potentially revolutionary or transforming engineered system at the cusp of emerging discoveries in science and engineering

Factor in societal and/or natural systems in which the system will function Strategic plan using ERC 3-Plane Chart identifying critical paths (erc-

assoc.org) Challenging barriers at fundamental, enabling technology, and systems level Leading edge role in bridging the gap between discovery and innovation, build

culture that links discovery to innovation through: Proof-of-concept test beds Involvement of small firms as members of the research team to carry out

translational research with teams of students - New Feature Collaboration with industrial/practitioner members

Involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in research in academic year plus a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program within the core effort

Technology Elements

Fundamental Insights

Identify Societal/Market Needs, Define System & SystemRequirements

Fundamental Research

FundamentalResearch

Fundamental Research

Testbed

SystemsResearch

Systems Research

ERC Strategic FrameworkIt’s not an ERC if it doesn’t do all three

Develop Useful Insights from Fundamental Knowledge

SystemRequirements

Integrate Fundamental Knowledge into Enabling Technology

Enabling Tech. ResearchEnabling Tech.

Research

Knowledge Base

Technology Base

Technology Integration

Systems Architecture

TestbedTestbed

Testbed

Deliverables

Deliverables

Deliverables

Societal/NaturalSystem Interface

Graduates & Technology

University Education - Newly Designed

Strategically nurture and develop graduates who are adaptive, creative innovators with the capacity to advance fundamental knowledge and exploit it to create innovations - New Feature

Structure to develop graduates who have the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to be successful in a globally connected, innovation-driven world- New Feature

Include development of new course materials derived from ERC’s interdisciplinary and systems research, and if suitable, degree programs and options

Strategic plan specifies desired characteristics, proposes how education program will impart these to students, and how it will measure and assess progress and impacts through longitudinal data - New Feature

Pre-College Education

Long-term partnerships with a small number of pre-college institutions (middle and high school) that are committed to - New Feature: Including engineering concepts in pre-college education; Increasing the enrollment of pre-college students in college-level engineering

degree program; Increasing the diversity of students interested in engineering

Involve pre-college teachers in ERC’s research to enable them to develop course modules to bring engineering concepts to the pre-college classroom (an ERC RET Program within the core effort)

Offer promising high school students a “Young Scholars” research opportunity in the ERC’s laboratories - New Feature

ERC’s faculty and students will participate in pre-college activities as mentors and their efforts will be recognized and rewarded by their administrations - New Feature

Partnerships for Innovation

Strategically designed to optimize innovation and speed commercialization/utilization of ERC’s findings/technology

Partnership with an organization devoted to speeding innovation & entrepreneurship (state or local government, university or other organization) - New Feature

Include small innovative domestic firms in research programs to translate ERC research into innovation through collaboration with ERC’s students - New Feature

Partnership program comprised of industrial firms and, if appropriate practitioner organizations, to provide guidance on strategic planning, research opportunities, education, the role of innovation in the ERC and to speed the translation of research into new processes and products

No requirements for industrial support in cash or in kind because this support is considered cost sharing by NSF - New Feature

Governed by a center-wide membership agreement and IP policy Industrial/Practitioner Advisory Board

InfrastructureTeam: Center Director and Deputy Director Thrust Leaders Investigators (faculty, post docs, staff, undergraduate and graduate students) Education Program Director (faculty), supported by staff as needed Pre-College Education Program Director (faculty or staff), supported by staff Industrial Collaboration and Innovation Director Administrative Director Student Leadership Council Scientific and Industrial Advisory Boards Internal Academic Policy Board Council of Deans, led by Dean of Engineering of lead institution

Team Diversity - Team will be diverse in gender, race, and ethnicity and include persons with disabilities at levels that exceed national engineering-wide averages, governed by a diversity strategic plan developed in collaboration with participating institutions and the departments providing faculty and students to the ERC

InfrastructureOrganization and Management Systems ERC reports to the Dean of Engineering who leads a Council of Deans Effective organizational and financial management systems Assessment systems including input from scientific and industrial advisory

boardsFacilities, Equipment, and Headquarters Appropriate facilities and equipment to achieve goals Headquarters large enough to support the leadership, management, and

collaboration functions of the ERC Supported by cyberinfrastructure with appropriate software and staff to enable

effective cross-campus collaboration - New FeatureInstitutional Commitment Facilitate partnership across institutional lines in research and education Promotion and tenure policies reward interdisciplinary research, research on

education, research to advance technology, and mentoring faculty and students at the university and pre-college levels - New Feature

Pre-college partners are committed to long-term partnerships involving teachers and students and including engineering information in curricula - New Feature

Proposal InformationLetter of Intent - Required Vision, and key participantsPreliminary Proposals - Submitted through FastLane & Grants.gov List of Participants and separately submitted on Excel spreadsheet via

ercintent@nsf.gov Slides of Vision and strategic plan separately submitted via ercintent@nsf.gov 25 pages extended by length of list of participants Letters from required institutional partners (university and pre-college

administrators & innovation partners) & up to 10 from firms/practitioners committed to membership

Full Proposals - Submitted through FastLane & Grants.gov List of Participants and separately submitted on Excel spreadsheet via

ercintent@nsf.gov Slides of Vision and strategic plan separately submitted via ercintent@nsf.gov 40 pages extended by length of list of participants Letters from required institutional partners (university and pre-college

administrators & innovation partners) & all firms/practitioners committed to membership

Due Dates & Funding February 02, 2007 - Letters of Intent - Required May 3, 2007 - Preliminary Proposals Due August 1, 2007 - Invitations October 30, 2007 - Invited Full Proposals Due January - February 2008 - Site Visits August 2008 - Awards

Five Awards Planned, funded under cooperative agreements with potential for ten years of funding

Base funding levels flat for first five years at $3.25 M per yearGrowth possible each year through supplemental funding, limited to a total of

20% over five yearsResearch Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and Teachers (RET)Programs

required to be supported by base funds but additional funds may be available through submission to the REU & RET solicitations

No requirements for academic cost sharing or other third-party support, such as industrial support - New Feature

Cognizant NSF Staff

ERC Program - Lynn Preston, Leader of the ERC Program, lpreston@nsf.gov and Bruce Kramer, bkramer@nsf.gov

University Education - Win Aung, waung@nsf.govPre-College Education - Mary Poats, mpoats@nsf.govBioengineering: Leon Esterowitz, Bioengineering and Photonics, lesterow@nsf.gov,

Bruce Hamilton, Bioprocess Engineering bhamilto@nsf.gov, Fred Heineken, Bioengineering, fheineke@nsf.gov, Sohi Rastegar, ERC PD, srastega@nsf.gov

Chemical Engineering: Judy Raper, jraper@nsf.govInfrastructure: Vilas Mujumdar, ERC PD, vmujumda@nsf.gov, Joy Pauschke, ERC

PD, jpauschk@nsf.govManufacturing and Processing: Bruce Kramer, ERC PD, bkramer@nsf.gov, George

Hazelrigg, ghazelrig@nsf.govMicroelectronics and Optics: Deborah Jackson, ERC PD, djackson@nsf.gov, Larry

Goldberg, lgoldber@nsf.gov, Barbara Kenny, ERC PD, bkenny@nsf.gov, Rajinder Khosla, rkhosla@nsf.gov

Small Business: Murali Nair, mnair@nsf.gov, Deborah Jackson, Barbara Kenny