Program Development Grants

Program Development grants focus on enabling teams to strategically position themselves to compete for large center-scale funding.

July 2017

Center for Formulated, Functional Goos

Bridge the academic/industrial divide in the formulated products and soft materials space through the creation of a center that supports academic-industrial interaction

November 2016

Bio-Building Blocks for Advanced Materials (BBAM)

Leverage recent DOE investments in synthetic biology and materials science to develop a Center focused on unique high performance polymers derived from microbially-produced monomers.

Center for Recovering Chemical Resources and Energy from Waste Streams

Develop the research thrusts and assemble the team for the creation of a Center focused on transforming polymers, agricultural and food waste to valuable chemicals, specialty fuels, and materials.

April 2016

MEMS Multicantilever Array for Blood Glucose Monitoring

Assemble an interdisciplinary team to develop a MEMS-based blood glucose monitoring patch that can offer painless, easy-to-use, real-time sampling for diabetics.

Quantum Interfaces

Secure funding for a large-scale “Quantum Interfaces” program, with its hub at CNSI.

Reconfigurable Photonic and Electronic Materials

Develop new proposals and whitepapers targeted to MURI and other Center-level programs within the theme of reconfigurable photonic and electronic materials.

November 2015

Growing the California Institute for Quantum Emulation

To grow the scope of the California Institute for Quantum Emulation (CAIQuE) and to support its transition to a large-scale funded research collaboration.

Next-Generation Computational Methods in Ship Hydrodynamics

Assemble an expert team to successfully compete for an upcoming ONR MURI call for research on understanding the intricacies of ship movement through water

March 2015

Engineering Well Tailored Sensors and Actuators for Synthetic Materials

Evolve ‘smart’ polymers using a novel class of materials that are responsive to light or temperature as a first-step towards an NSF ERC or DARPA grant.

Pathways to Next-Generation Antibiotics

Cultivate a new class of antibiotic that can penetrate the cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria, leading to the establishment of an NIH center or industrial collaboration.

Seeding the Southern California Electrochemical Energy Storage Alliance (SCEESA)

Pool expertise across SoCal to develop novel battery technology, positioning UCSB as a new research hub.

November 2014

Bio-inspired High-Performance Information Processing

Pursue an NSF Engineering Research Center focused on the fabrication and simulation of an artificial neural network using novel devices (memristors)

March 2014

Engineering Anaerobic Consortia for Sustainable Chemical Production

Establish a new scientific field and center based on fungi/microbe pairings that increase the efficiency of both the processing of biomass and production of biogas.

Neural Networks in 3D human iPSC-derived Neurons to Assess Genetic Phenotypes

Develop 3D ‘mini-brains’ to reveal brain circuitry and to manipulate that circuitry genetically using a multidisciplinary team that would attract relevant NIH or DARPA grants.

California NanoSystems Institute | UC Santa Barbara