ECosystem for Leading Innovation in Plasma Science and Engineering | PD 24 110Z

Opportunity Information: Apply for PD 24 110Z

The National Science Foundation (NSF) ECLIPSE program, short for ECosystem for Leading Innovation in Plasma Science and Engineering (Funding Opportunity Number PD 24 110Z), is a grant opportunity designed to push fundamental plasma science toward real-world societal and technological impact. Plasma science is described here as inherently transdisciplinary, pulling together plasma physics, plasma chemistry, materials science, space science, and related areas. The central idea behind ECLIPSE is to create a cross-NSF "meta-program" that helps promising plasma-focused research projects find support even when they do not fit neatly into a single traditional NSF division or program. In practice, ECLIPSE is meant to strengthen coordination across multiple NSF Directorates and encourage translational work that still has deep fundamental science at its core, but is clearly motivated by pressing needs in society or technology.

A key feature of ECLIPSE is its emphasis on projects that sit at the boundary between foundational plasma science and innovation. NSF is looking for proposals that do more than advance plasma knowledge in isolation; investigators need to connect their plasma science or engineering challenge to a concrete use case or priority area that stakeholders care about, whether those stakeholders are research communities, policymakers, industry, or the public. The program is also explicit that projects must align with NSF's science and engineering mission. If a proposal is mainly aimed at technology development that is typically supported by other federal agencies, it may be deemed ineligible and can be returned without review. Because of that boundary, NSF strongly encourages teams to talk with the relevant program officers early if there is any doubt about fit.

ECLIPSE covers a wide range of plasma-related topics, and the solicitation gives examples to signal the breadth it wants to capture. Example areas include plasma-surface interactions (relevant to advanced manufacturing, materials processing, and catalysis); atmospheric-pressure plasmas and microplasmas (with possible applications in microelectronics, plasma agriculture, environmental cleanup, and electrified approaches that support decarbonized chemical processing); and dusty plasmas (connected to nanomaterial development, aerosols, and functional coatings). It also highlights enabling technologies and methods such as new sensors for highly non-equilibrium plasmas (supporting applications like CubeSat-based geospace measurements and industrial diagnostics), advanced computational modeling for complex plasma systems (useful for space weather prediction and plasma reactor design), and studies of plasmons in nanophotonics and nano-optics (with potential relevance to sub-THz communications and photocatalytic processes). Additional example directions include chemical measurement science for characterizing plasma processes or using plasmas within measurement systems (for instance, environmental contaminant analysis or forensic identification) and fundamental studies of chemical reactions and mechanisms in plasmas tied to new synthesis pathways.

To be considered specifically under the ECLIPSE umbrella, proposals are expected to satisfy two core criteria. First, they must clearly define a fundamental scientific and/or engineering challenge in plasma science and engineering that is relevant to more than one NSF program, which is essentially the justification for using this cross-cutting mechanism. Second, they must provide a substantive explanation of how solving that plasma science challenge will address specific societal and/or technological needs that have been identified as priorities by broader communities and stakeholders. Depending on how the project is framed, this linkage to need can appear as part of the Intellectual Merit argument, the Broader Impacts argument, or both, but it cannot be superficial; it needs to be a genuine, well-developed bridge from fundamental plasma questions to meaningful outcomes.

ECLIPSE also places strong emphasis on building an inclusive, connected research ecosystem. The program encourages concrete Broader Impacts activities that broaden participation and increase diversity within the plasma science and engineering community, particularly for underrepresented groups in STEM. It explicitly welcomes submissions from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and organizations in EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions, and it encourages collaborations that include these institutions. Workforce development is another encouraged element, especially training and career pathways tied to plasma-related STEM careers, reflecting a desire not only to fund research results but also to strengthen the national talent pipeline in this field.

Administratively, ECLIPSE is not a standalone replacement for existing NSF programs. Instead, it functions as a coordinating layer across "Related Programs" within NSF. Applicants must submit their proposal to one of those existing programs and signal ECLIPSE consideration by beginning the proposal title with the acronym "ECLIPSE". Choosing the right receiving program matters: if a submission falls outside the scope of the program it was sent to, NSF may transfer it to a more appropriate program or return it without review. NSF also notes that supplemental funding requests to existing awards can be considered if they meet the same two ECLIPSE criteria, which creates a pathway for current NSF-funded teams to extend their work into ECLIPSE-relevant translational directions.

From a funding-opportunity standpoint, the opportunity is a discretionary NSF grant (CFDA numbers listed include 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.076, and 47.083), with unrestricted eligibility stated in the source data. The original closing date shown is 2024-08-13, and the opportunity was created 2024-01-06. Finally, NSF indicates that, when formal agreements (MOUs) allow, proposal information may be shared with other funding agencies for possible joint funding considerations, and representatives from those organizations may observe NSF merit review panels. This signals NSF interest in coordination beyond NSF itself, while still keeping the program grounded in NSF-supported science and engineering priorities.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "ECosystem for Leading Innovation in Plasma Science and Engineering" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.076, 47.083.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-01-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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