Enabling Quantum Leap: Convergent Accelerated Discovery Foundries for Quantum Materials Science, Engineering and Information (Q-AMASE-i) Solicitation

Program Summary 

New program Q-AMASE-i aims to support various agency goals to rapidly accelerate quantum materials design, synthesis, characterization, and translation of fundamental materials engineering and information research for quantum devices, systems, and networks by establishing Foundries with mid-scale infrastructure for rapid prototyping and development of quantum materials and devices. The new materials, devices, tools and methods developed by Q-AMASE-i will be shared with the science and engineering communities through a Foundry-operated network. Technology transfer of Foundry activities will be enabled by close cooperation with industrial partners.

Q-AMASE-i Foundries are expected to produce advances such as: transformative breakthrough fundamental research; novel materials, tools, devices, algorithms, and simulations integrated with industrial technologies; quantum systems research; new application domains; and the next generation of a highly-trained workforce. Accelerated engineering of quantum technologies supporting quantum sensing, quantum communications, or quantum computing systems is the ultimate goal of a Q-AMASE-i Foundry.

Proposed activities should include transdisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers and should propose new concepts involving quantum materials that enable robust, efficient devices and novel system architectures, while deploying and integrating a data-harnessing community infrastructure within the discovery process. The activities should be designed to accelerate fundamental understanding of the physics of materials, their structure, property, and processing relationships, as well as associated device performance optimization for rapid technology development.

Research topics of interest include discovery, understanding, and optimization of materials for specific applications, modeling, design, fabrication, and characterization of quantum devices. Demonstration of superior functionalities for scalable and robust operation, and integration of those functionalities into circuits for system delivery is expected. Specifically, the demonstration is achieved by integration of accelerated materials manufacturing, characterization, and machine-learning tools with silicon-chip technology, or other industrial technologies. Such research should also demonstrate data-harnessing methods embodied in shareable and scalable tools that enable new understanding of the integrated system.

See solicitation for additional program guidance and detail.

Deadlines

CU Internal Deadline: 11:59pm MST September 2, 2018

Sponsor Letter of Intent (required) Deadline: 5:00pm MST September 17, 2018

Sponsor Application Deadline: 5:00pm MST November 5, 2018

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

  • Project Description (2-3 pages): Please include proposal title, a project overview, and a description of the vision, key components, main activities, and major goals of the proposed Foundry. Also address intellectual merit and broader impacts.
  • List of Senior Personnel (Up to 2 pages): Please include the Principal Investigator/Project Director, co-PI(s), and Faculty Associate(s) or equivalent, including unfunded collaborators. Provide names, departmental and organizational affiliations, and expected major roles of all participants. Note that at least five Senior Personnel are required to ensure that all aspects of the project are adequately covered by relevant expertise; expertise should be demonstrated in different areas of research, e.g. physics, materials, chemistry, mathematics, computational or data sciences, engineering in order to foster a convergent research approach.
  • PI Biosketch / CV
  • Budget Overview (Up to 1 page): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit: https://colorado.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/home/6241

Eligibility

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI: Individuals may appear as Senior Personnel (Principal Investigator/Project Director, co-PI, and Faculty Associate or equivalent) on only one Q-AMASE letter of intent and proposal. For this purpose, a multi-institution collaborative project is treated as one proposal. The lead institution must submit a single collaborative proposal managed by the lead institution, with subawards. Linked collaborative proposals submitted by participating institutions are not allowed.

Limited Submission Guidelines

Only one Letter of Intent per organization as the lead institution is allowed.

One proposal per organization as lead institution is permitted.

Award Information and Duration

Award Amount: Awards totaling $20,000,000 to $25,000,000 are anticipated. The budget must be commensurate with the scope of the project and thoroughly justified in the proposal. Annual budget may not exceed $7,000,000 in any of the award years.

Number of Awards: 1 to 5

Award Term: Q-AMASE-I Foundries will be awarded as cooperative agreements with an initial commitment of six years, with the possibility of one six-year renewal, subsequent to a rigorous and favorable review by NSF. Funding after the second year will depend on the quality of progress and performance documented during site visits.