/Office for Research and Innovation
Proposal Development

 

NSF Ecosystem for Low-dimensional Electronics: Growth, Assembly, Nanoelectronics, and Translation (NSF ELEGANT)

NSF ELEGANT Portal

All applications for this internal competition must be submitted via InfoReady. You can sign in using your Net-ID and your @stonybrook.edu email address. Please allow sufficient time to familiarize yourself with the portal prior to submitting your pre-application. Pre-application requirements are listed in the announcement below.

The Office for Research and Innovation invites applications for the NSF Ecosystem for Low-dimensional Electronics: Growth, Assembly, Nanoelectronics, and Translation (NSF ELEGANT) OTASO, which seeks to translate low-dimensional semiconductor technologies from laboratory demonstrations into industrially viable platforms that U.S. microelectronics manufacturers can qualify, fabricate, and deploy. Stony Brook University can submit a proposal to this program as Ecosystem Coordinator or as an Expert Performer Team, but not both. If applying for the Expert Performer Team category, Stony Brook University may submit separate proposals for different Themes. OR&I is awaiting clarification from the sponsor regarding whether there is a limit to how many applications an organization may submit per category. We will update this limited competition when the sponsor releases more information. 

Please see below for details. If you are interested in applying, you must submit a pre-application via the NSF Ecosystem for Low-dimensional Electronics: Growth, Assembly, Nanoelectronics, and Translation (NSF ELEGANT) OTASO Portal in InfoReady by Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 9 am. Pre-applications for internal review and selection must be uploaded to the portal as a single PDF document.

KEYWORDS: Technology translation, advanced microelectronics manufacturing, nanoelectronics, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, advanced communications

WHAT DOES IT FUND: The ELEGANT program aims to foster development and testing of advanced microelectronics manufacturing technology so that industry can make a timely, credible, evidence-based commitment to its adoption. This solicitation seeks to select (i) an Ecosystem Coordinator and (ii) Expert Performer Teams to constitute and perform activities of the ELEGANT program. The Ecosystem Coordinator will be accountable for the effective support and coordination of the ELEGANT ecosystem, including supporting NSF oversight, facilitating collaboration among Expert Performer Teams, and ensuring progress toward meeting program objectives and Translational Endpoints throughout the period of performance. ELEGANT is a translational program, not a research program. Every activity funded under ELEGANT must be in service of an industry-adoptable Translational Endpoint — the industry adoptable deliverable against which performers are selected and held accountable. Strong and sustained industry participation is a central program requirement.

     Expert Performer Teams are organized around five Translation Themes, each defined by a specific Translational Endpoint rather than a technical discipline, as follows (see p. 8 of OTASO for more details on the expected deliverable for each Theme):

  • Theme 1: Manufacturable Materials Platform;
  • Theme 2: Process Technology and Process Design Kit (PDK);
  • Theme 3: Device, Circuit and Full-Chip Demonstration; 
  • Theme 4: Manufacturing Readiness and Transition; and 
  • Theme 5: AI-Enabled Acceleration.

NSF may select multiple Teams within a single Theme, allowing the collective effort to cover the full breadth of a Theme while fielding competing technical approaches against one another where parallel investment in a Theme is justified.

THIS PROGRAM DOES NOT FUND: Research activities that do not serve the industry-adoptable Translational Endpoint deliverable (see Themes on p. 8 of OTASO) or proposals that do not involve strong and sustained industry participation.

APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS: Each proposal must identify a Principal Director who is a full-time employee of the lead organization, and may include a Co-Principal Director, who must also be a full-time employee of the proposing organization. Individuals may only be named as Principal Director or Co-Principal Director on one proposal. The Principal Director and any Co-Principal Directors must demonstrate relevant technical expertise and standing within the semiconductor community.

AWARD: No minimum or maximum award amount is listed. ELEGANT will consist of three successive Government-funded phases, each anticipated to span 24 months (6 years total). Actual phase-level funding will be established through Annual Project Plans (APPs) and is subject to NSF approval and availability of funds. NSF lists planning estimates 6-year totals for each theme as follows:

  • Theme 1 — Manufacturable Materials Platform $43M
  • Theme 2 — Process Technology & PDK $35M
  • Theme 3 — Device, Circuit & Full-Chip Demonstration $42M
  • Theme 4 — Manufacturing Readiness & Transition $12M
  • Theme 5 — AI-Enabled Acceleration $6M
  • Ecosystem Coordinator $12M

COST SHARE: If the team is proposing industry cost-share contributions, identify each contribution separately, including its form, anticipated value, and applicable phase.

SPONSOR DEADLINE: December 18, 2026

 

PRE-APPLICATION: A complete pre-application should include the following:
  • Project narrative (no more than 2 pages total) that includes:
    • If applying for the Expert Performer Teams category (see p. 7 of NOFO):
      • Brief description of how you will execute the technical translation activities and work toward the endpoint of your chosen Theme(s). This includes conducting translational R&D, delivering against program milestones, maintaining technical documentation, and coordinating with NSF and the Ecosystem Coordinator on knowledge sharing, milestone tracking, and cross-theme alignment.
      • Brief description of the team's strategy for developing and sustaining industry partnerships, including organizations such as peers, suppliers, customers, etc. that have already expressed interest in collaborating, the nature of their anticipated involvement, and the plan for deepening engagement as program results mature.
      • Brief description of anticipated workforce gaps and capability needs in the target Theme's domain, and proposed strategies for addressing them, including integration of students, trainees, early-career researchers, and technical staff.
    • If applying for the Ecosystem Coordinator category (see p. 8 of NOFO):
      • Brief description of how you will support and coordinate the ELEGANT ecosystem, including supporting NSF oversight, facilitating collaboration among Expert Performer Teams, and ensuring progress toward meeting program objectives and Translational Endpoints throughout the period of performance. 
      • Brief description of existing industry relationships with the domestic semiconductor ecosystem (manufacturers, equipment suppliers, materials suppliers, EDA vendors, and standards bodies) relevant to ELEGANT's coordination and transition objectives.
      • List of technical subject matter experts (SMEs) you will employ. SMEs must have substantial industry experience in transitioning advanced semiconductor technologies from R&D to manufacturing and commercial production. Describe how you will incorporate the following program activities:
        • Pollinator SMEs, who share information across Expert Performer Teams and Themes
        • Shepherd SMEs, who ensure Expert Performer Teams meet their execution schedules
        • Technology Roadmapping
        • Standards Development
        • Intellectual Property (IP) Framework Administration
        • Industry Roundtable Secretariat
  • Brief paragraph that explains how you view the main components of the six-year budget. If applying for the Expert Team category, budgets should recognize that NSF may fund competing approaches and Teams in phase 1 (especially within Themes 1 and 3) and describe how funding evolves subsequent to Phase 1 Go/NoGo down-selection decisions.
  • PI's CV/Biosketch

 

REVIEW CRITERIA in descending order of weight (see p. 12 of OTASO):

  • For Ecosystem Coordinator applicants:
  • Coordination and Management Approach (highest weight)
  • Translation Strategy and Credibility
  • Experience and Qualifications
  • Industry Roundtable Secretariat Support
  • Price Reasonableness
  • For Expert Performer Team applicants: 
  • Translation Strategy and Credibility (highest weight)
  • Experience and Qualifications
  • Phase-Level Execution Realism
  • Cross-Theme Integration Approach
  • Industry Participation
  • Price Reasonableness

 

Price reasonableness is evaluated separately and will not be traded against technical merit except where proposals are otherwise technically equivalent.