Network for Computational Nanotechnology

The goals of the Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN) are to: 1) accelerate the transformation of nanoscience to nanotechnology through the integration of simulation with experimentation; 2) engage an ever-larger and more diverse cyber community sharing novel, high-quality nanoscale computation and simulation research and educational resources; 3) develop open-access, open-source software to stimulate data sharing; and 4) inspire and educate the next-generation workforce.  The NCN consists of a stand-alone Cyber Platform, which provides computation, simulation, and education services to over 330,000 researchers, educators, students, and industry members of the nanoscience and engineering community annually worldwide; and Nodes, which develop compelling new computational and simulation tools to disseminate through Cyber Platform (nanoHUB.org) and cultivate communities of users in emerging areas of nanoscale science and engineering.  For more information on NCN, please see http://nanohub.org/about#funding .

This solicitation will support the next phase of NCN Nodes Programs. Current awards for existing NCN Nodes expire in September 2017.  Those who submit proposals in response to this solicitation will need to address the following questions:

1.  What compelling new nanoscience modeling and computational tool(s) will be developed and how will it advance nanotechnology to meet critical national needs?

2.  What will the Node undertake to nucleate a community of academic and industry users engaged in the new tool(s) and increase quality and quantity of nanoHUB tools, resources, and usage?

3.  How will the Node interact productively with the Cyber Platform and other Nodes to augment existing capabilities and ensure seamless and complementary advancement of the NCN’s goals?

Content areas of the three new Nodes will be:

Engineered nanoBIO - Create integrated computational tools that support new understanding and simulation of biological phenomena from the nanoscale across length scales for the design of devices and systems;

Hierarchical nanoMFG - Computation and simulation software to address the challenges of hierarchical nanomanufacturing processes from nanoscale components to devices and systems, and their scale up;

Nano-Engineered Electronic Device and Module Application Node (NEEDMA) - Develop computation and simulation tools that can be employed for turning nanoscale science and engineering into applications through the discovery and development of nanoelectronic-based devices and modules with impact on circuit and systems responding to grand challenges.

Proposals will be accepted only for the above Node content areas. A proposal for another Node content area will be returned without review.