NSF DMREF: Program Guide & Proposal Strategy

The NSF DMREF (Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer Our Future) program is the flagship cross-directorate funding competition operated by the National Science Foundation to accelerate the discovery and deployment of advanced materials. As the primary response of the NSF to the federal Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), DMREF supports interdisciplinary research teams that tightly integrate predictive theory, high-throughput computation, and experimental synthesis. In modern materials science, the program serves as the benchmark mechanism for high-risk, collaborative materials development.

What It Is and Who Runs It

DMREF is a competitive federal grant mechanism managed by the NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) through the Division of Materials Research (DMR), in active partnership with several other NSF directorates. Participating organizations include the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) across the CBET, CMMI, and ECCS divisions; the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) through CCF and IIS; and the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP). As described on the official NSF program page on 2026-11-07, the initiative also coordinates with external federal mission partners such as the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The overarching objective of DMREF is to compress the multi-decade timeline historically required to discover, optimize, and commercialize new materials down to a fraction of that duration. Rather than funding isolated fundamental studies, the program specifically targets closed-loop research workflows where computational predictions guide experimental characterization, and physical measurements immediately refine computational algorithms.

Eligibility

Eligibility for DMREF is defined in the official program solicitation (NSF 25-508, which succeeded NSF 23-530), and enforces strict institutional and investigator limits:

Eligible Institutions: Proposals may be submitted by accredited higher education institutions located in the United States, including two- and four-year colleges and universities, as well as qualified non-profit research organizations and museums. Foreign institutions and for-profit commercial entities may participate as subawardees or unfunded collaborators where permitted by solicitation terms.
Institutional Submission Limits: Under solicitation NSF 25-508, an institution may serve as the lead organization on a maximum of five (5) DMREF proposals per competition cycle. There is no restriction on the number of proposals an institution may join as a collaborative, non-lead participant.
Individual Submission Limits: An individual investigator may appear as a Principal Investigator (PI), co-PI, or Senior/Key Personnel on no more than one (1) proposal submitted to a DMREF competition window. Proposals that include an investigator listed on multiple submissions are returned without review.
Prior Awardee Restrictions: Solicitations frequently enforce cycling rules; under NSF 25-508, investigators who served as lead PI or co-PI on an active DMREF award funded under the immediately preceding solicitation are barred from serving as PI or co-PI on new submissions, though they may contribute as non-PI Senior Personnel.

What It Funds or Requires

DMREF supports interdisciplinary collaborative teams—typically comprising two to four senior investigators spanning computational modelling, theoretical physics/chemistry, data science, and laboratory synthesis. As described on the official page on 2026-11-07, awards are structured with standard parameters:

Award Scope and Duration: Projects are funded for a four-year period, with anticipated total award sizes ranging between $1,500,000 and $2,000,000 per project, inclusive of indirect costs.
The Closed-Loop Mandate: The most critical scientific requirement of DMREF is a genuine, iterative “closed loop.” Reviewers explicitly evaluate whether the theoretical, computational, and experimental efforts function in an ongoing feedback cycle. A proposal that simply conducts computation first and hands results to an experimental team linearly does not meet the program definition.
FAIR Data and Software Compliance: Projects must include a comprehensive Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) adhering to FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). All software routines, machine learning models, and experimental datasets generated under the grant must be deposited into recognized public materials data repositories, supplemented by standard data dictionaries and metadata schemas.
Workforce Development and Interdisciplinary Training: Funded teams must demonstrate how graduate students and postdoctoral scholars will be cross-trained across computational and experimental techniques, equipping them for modern careers in industry and academic research.

Application or Compliance Steps

Preparing a competitive DMREF submission requires careful alignment with both NSF Research.gov guidelines and solicitation-specific criteria. Teams should follow these sequential steps:

Formulate an Interdisciplinary Team: Recruit co-investigators whose combined expertise spans predictive modeling (e.g., density functional theory, molecular dynamics, phase-field modeling, or materials informatics) and physical fabrication/characterization. Confirm institutional compliance with internal university limit-of-five vetting.
Diagram the Closed-Loop Methodology: Construct a clear project workflow diagram for the Project Description illustrating how data, hypotheses, and physical samples circulate iteratively between team members across all four project years.
Address DMREF-Specific Review Criteria: In addition to standard NSF Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria, ensure the 15-page project narrative explicitly responds to: (a) the degree of closed-loop synergy; (b) the digital data management infrastructure; and (c) the collaborative management plan.
Draft the Data Management and Sharing Plan: Prepare the supplementary DMSP specifying target public repositories (such as the Materials Data Facility, NOMAD, or GitHub for open-source code), metadata standards, and public release schedules within defined embargo windows.
Submit Single-Copy Documents and Verify Compliance: Ensure all collaborator and other affiliations (COA) files, current and pending support forms, and letters of collaboration adhere strictly to NSF PAPPG formatting before submission through Research.gov.

Typical Timeline Phases

While specific calendar dates vary across solicitation years, DMREF grant cycles follow predictable operational phases across the award lifecycle:

Phase 1: Institutional Pre-Selection (Months 1–2): Universities conduct internal competitions to select their allocated five lead submissions under the institutional cap. Teams draft initial five-page concept notes.
Phase 2: Full Proposal Submission and Intake (Months 3–4): Final proposals are submitted via Research.gov by the published solicitation deadline. NSF program officers conduct compliance checks, returning proposals that violate individual PI limits.
Phase 3: Interdisciplinary Merit Review (Months 5–8): Proposals undergo comprehensive panel review. Because DMREF spans multiple directorates, review panels typically include joint representation from materials scientists, chemical engineers, computer scientists, and applied mathematicians.
Phase 4: Program Officer Deliberation and Negotiation (Months 9–10): Program directors from MPS, ENG, and CISE co-fund top-rated proposals, requesting revised budgets or clarified data sharing plans prior to formal recommendation.
Phase 5: Post-Award Execution and Biennial Meetings (Years 1–4): Grantees participate in mandatory biennial DMREF grantee meetings to present iterative findings, coordinate data interoperability across teams, and report progress on closed-loop milestones.

Common Mistakes

Proposals submitted to DMREF frequently encounter specific structural pitfalls that diminish reviewer enthusiasm or lead to administrative return:

Pseudo-Closed Loops: Presenting a linear workflow where computational calculations are carried out in Year 1 and experimental testing takes place in Years 2–4. Review panels look for continuous, bi-directional interaction throughout the four-year term.
Investigator Limit Violations: Inclusion of a co-PI or Senior Personnel member who is also named on another DMREF submission in the same cycle, resulting in disqualification of both applications.
Vague Data Management Plans: Providing generic promises to “make data available upon reasonable request” rather than committing to permanent, open-access public repositories and standardized machine-readable formats.
Imbalanced Team Roles: Submitting proposals where one component (such as data science or synthesis) appears as an auxiliary service rather than a core, intellectually driven partner in materials discovery.
Overlooking MGI Alignment: Failing to articulate how the proposed discovery pipeline contributes to broader MGI infrastructure, such as linking findings to open crystal structure data or community database standards.

Related Programs

Researchers evaluating DMREF should consider how it compares to alternative federal materials funding mechanisms across scale, duration, and scientific scope.

Program	Funding Agency	Award Size & Duration	Primary Focus	Key Structural Requirement
NSF DMREF	NSF (MPS, ENG, CISE, TIP)	$1.5M–$2.0M over 4 years	Accelerated materials discovery via Materials Genome Initiative	Mandatory closed loop of theory, computation, and experiment
NSF MRSEC	NSF (DMR)	$3.0M–$5.0M/year over 6 years	Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) tackling major materials challenges	Multi-investigator center infrastructure and shared facilities
DOE EFRC	Department of Energy (BES)	$2.0M–$4.0M/year over 4 years	Fundamental research addressing clean energy and national energy security	Large multi-institutional consortia aligned with DOE mission goals
NIST MGI / CHiMaD	NIST	Consortium-scale cooperative agreements	Development of validated data, standards, and computational materials tools	Close integration with national measurement laboratories and standards
NSF DMR Core Programs	NSF (DMR)	$400K–$700K over 3 years	Single-investigator or small-team fundamental materials science	Individual disciplinary excellence without mandatory closed-loop constraints

Frequently Asked Questions

What does DMREF stand for?

DMREF stands for Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer Our Future. It is an ongoing National Science Foundation funding program that supports collaborative teams working to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced materials.

How does DMREF relate to the Materials Genome Initiative?

DMREF is the National Science Foundation’s primary research response to the federal Materials Genome Initiative (MGI). MGI was established to cut the time and cost of commercializing new materials in half through digital data sharing and integrated computational-experimental discovery.

What is a “closed loop” in a DMREF proposal?

In a DMREF proposal, a closed loop refers to an iterative research process where computational simulations or machine learning predictions directly inform physical laboratory experiments, and experimental characterization data is fed back into computational models to refine predictions continuously.

Can an investigator submit multiple proposals to DMREF?

No. Under NSF DMREF solicitation rules, an individual researcher may serve as Senior/Key Personnel (including PI, co-PI, or faculty associate) on only one proposal per competition cycle.

What are the data sharing requirements for DMREF awards?

DMREF grantees are required to implement open, FAIR-compliant data sharing practices. All primary experimental data, computational scripts, simulation inputs/outputs, and machine learning models must be deposited into recognized public repositories to support community reuse and validation.

Sources

National Science Foundation. “Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer Our Future (DMREF).” NSF Program Page and Solicitation NSF 25-508, 2026. https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/designing-materials-revolutionize-engineer-our-future-dmref (Accessed 2026-11-07).
National Science Foundation. “DMREF Solicitation NSF 23-530.” NSF Publications, 2023. https://www.nsf.gov/publications/ods/ods_key_id.cfm?ods_key=nsf23530 (Accessed 2026-11-07).
DMREF Community Network. “DMREF Program and Community Portal.” DMREF.org, 2026. https://www.dmref.org (Accessed 2026-11-07).
National Science and Technology Council. “Materials Genome Initiative Strategic Plan.” Executive Office of the President, 2021. https://www.mgi.gov (Accessed 2026-11-07).