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NSF PD-23-1417: Interfacial Engineering

Closed Closed Opportunity NSF PD-23-1417

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Major Research Instrumentation Program: (MRI) (NSF 27-500). Status: Closes January 29, 2027 (83 days left). It is in our archive of U.S. National Science Foundation notices from 2023.

U.S. National Science Foundation offered grants to any type of organization. It expected to make about 113 awards worth $3.2 million in total. It is no longer open on Grants.gov.

From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed August 12, 2026. Checked November 7, 2026.

Other notices with this title

U.S. National Science Foundation has posted this title under other numbers: earlier or later rounds, or the same competition for another area. Each has its own dates and may change its rules.

NoticePostedDeadlineStatus
NSF PD-20-1417June 6, 2025ClosedClosed

Key dates

PostedApril 5, 2023
Archived by Grants.govAugust 13, 2026

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to any type of organization.

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Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

The Interfacial Engineering program is part of the Chemical Process Systems cluster, which also includes: 1) the Catalysis program; 2) the Electrochemical Systems program; and 3) the Process Systems, Reaction Engineering, and Molecular Thermodynamics program. The goal of the Interfacial Engineering program is to support fundamental research on atomic- and molecular-scale interfacial phenomena and engineering of interfacial properties, processes, and materials. Fundamental understanding of the thermodynamic, kinetic, and transport properties of interfacial systems underpins improvements in chemical process efficiency and resource utilization. As such, proposed research should have a clear vision for how the results will translate to practice in or otherwise advance industrial chemical or biochemical processes. The program encourages proposals that present new approaches to long-standing challenges or address emerging research areas and technologies. Collaborative and interdisciplinary proposals are also encouraged, particularly those that involve a combination of experiment with theory or modeling. Major research areas of interest in the program include: Chemical separations: Design of scalable mass separating agents (for example, sorbents and membranes); field-induced separation processes that target a significant reduction in energy and/or materials requirements Biological separations: Downstream processing of biologically-derived chemicals, therapeutic proteins, and biologics for increased throughput and purity; engineering interfaces for molecular recognition Interfacial phenomena at engineered interfaces and surfaces: Kinetics and thermodynamics of adsorption/desorption and complex interactions of molecules and ions at engineered interfaces and surfaces within chemical process systems Nanoconfinement and engineered surfaces: Theory, modeling, and/or approaches for examining transport and thermodynamic properties of fluids within nanopores, under nanoconfinement, or at highly engineered surfaces within chemical process systems NOTE: Studies that examine chemical reaction and transport phenomena related to electrochemical system performance, including batteries, fuel cells, flow batteries, electrochemical conversions, and related components, should be directed to the Electrochemical Systems program (CBET 7644).

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Who has won Engineering grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Engineering (47.041) awarded $4.3 billion across 11,244 grant awards, an average of $385,774 per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Georgia Tech Research CorpGeorgia193$106 million
Purdue UniversityIndiana238$106 million
Regents of the University of MichiganMichigan250$101 million
University of California, San DiegoCalifornia114$96.4 million
The Trustees of the University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania59$80.6 million

Top states: California ($485 million), Texas ($346 million), New York ($297 million), Pennsylvania ($269 million), Massachusetts ($265 million).

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, NSF 27-500, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.

Questions people ask

Is NSF PD-23-1417 still open?

No. It is no longer open on Grants.gov. A newer notice is open: NSF 27-500, closes January 29, 2027 (83 days left).

Who can apply for Interfacial Engineering?

U.S. National Science Foundation accepted applications from any type of organization.

What is the deadline for Interfacial Engineering?

Closed. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

How much funding is available?

About $3.2 million in total across about 113 awards.

Who has won Engineering grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Georgia Tech Research Corp, Purdue University, Regents of the University of Michigan. The program made 11,244 awards worth $4.3 billion in that time.

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