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ERI Funding Opportunities

Welcome to the ERI Funding Opportunities Site

College of Engineering campus
Research drives excellence in the College of Engineering by serving as a magnet to attract and retain outstanding faculty and students. Funding opportunities relevant to the College of Engineering will be posted here. If you are interested in pursuing any of these opportunities please contact Lori Jarmon (ljjarmon@iastate.edu, 294-3316) for assistance or additional information. New opportunities are posted weekly. To have the new opportunities delivered directly to your inbox please subscribe using your ISU email address. One email per week.

Expedited Research Implementation Series (ERIS)

DARPA

Solicitation: DARPA-PS-25-05

https://sam.gov/opp/1e287185b7694348881c2d99dcf0e8bf/view

Posted Date: December 10, 2025

Proposal Due Date: May 30, 2025 by 11:59 pm ET

As identified by DARPA, and based on its current set of program office interests, the government
is seeking video solution pitches that are relevant to one or more of the following topic areas which
are derived from DARPA’s direction to create breakthrough technologies and capabilities for
national security. This current list of topic areas will evolve as the customer base and mission focus
areas supported by ERIS evolve.

The current topic areas for ERIS include:
• Detecting and tracking elusive objects of interest across air, land, and space domains.
• Overcoming limitations of current sensing systems (size, weight, power, and cost (SWaPC), performance).
• Developing advanced antenna technologies for improved performance and reduced size.
• Developing advanced technologies for improved resilience, efficiency, and effectiveness of strategic systems. This topic are supports technologies for critical infrastructure and military command-and- control systems (networks and applications across strategic, command, operational, and tactical edges).

Non-destructive detection of membrane weld integrity

Halo

https://www.halo.science/request_for_solutions/non-destructive-detection-of-membrane-weld-integrity

Posted Date: March 27, 2025

Proposal Due Date: May 31, 2025

We are a leading provider of high-performance roofing systems used across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. A critical component of these systems is the thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) membrane, valued for its durability, energy efficiency, and long-term weather resistance. These membranes must be welded in the field to create waterproof seams that ensure the roofing system performs as designed.

We are looking for solutions capable of evaluating TPO weld quality in the seams of multiple TPO membrane thicknesses (including 45, 60, and 80 mil) using non-destructive methods. The ultimate goal is to implement a reliable and practical tool that can accurately identify weld defects (hot/cold welds) in real-time, support quality assurance protocols, and help ensure consistent installation standards and long-term membrane performance.

Solutions of interest include:
  • Infrared thermography-based weld inspection
  • Laser-induced spectroscopy for weld analysis
  • Air pressure testing for sealed overlap seams
  • Smart welders with real-time data logging
  • AI or machine vision to inspect seam appearance
  • Ultrasound-based seam quality detection
  • Electromagnetic scanning for heat mapping
  • Acoustic sensors for weld fusion assessment
  • Dielectric testing tools with real-time feedback
  • Closed-loop welding systems with auto adjustments
  • Terahertz imaging for subsurface defect detection

Photosensitive insulating materials for semiconductor packaging

HALO

https://www.halo.science/request_for_solutions/cellulose-based-sustainable-packaging

Response Due Date: April 30, 2025

We are a global leader in consumer health and wellness, committed to integrating sustainability into our operations and products, focusing on reducing environmental impact while improving everyday health. As part of our sustainability goals, we are continually seeking cellulose-based primary packaging solutions across rigid, semi-flexible, and flexible formats that align with our ambition to make packaging more sustainable.

Packaging for food, drug, and medical applications must meet strict regulatory and performance requirements, including oxygen and moisture barriers and product-pack compatibility throughout the product’s life cycle. Current cellulose-based solutions often rely on a significant mass of polymer-based multi-material liners, laminations, or complex multi-layered coatings to achieve these properties, which limits their recyclability and increases their carbon footprint. Technologies that combine high barrier performance, recyclability, and a reduced carbon footprint would enable truly sustainable packaging for regulated industries.

What we’re looking for

We are looking for innovative technologies to advance cellulose-based packaging by combining high barrier performance, recyclability, and a minimized carbon footprint.

Cellulose-based sustainable packaging

HALO

https://www.halo.science/request_for_solutions/cellulose-based-sustainable-packaging

Response Due Date: April 30, 2025

We are a global leader in consumer health and wellness, committed to integrating sustainability into our operations and products, focusing on reducing environmental impact while improving everyday health. As part of our sustainability goals, we are continually seeking cellulose-based primary packaging solutions across rigid, semi-flexible, and flexible formats that align with our ambition to make packaging more sustainable.

Packaging for food, drug, and medical applications must meet strict regulatory and performance requirements, including oxygen and moisture barriers and product-pack compatibility throughout the product’s life cycle. Current cellulose-based solutions often rely on a significant mass of polymer-based multi-material liners, laminations, or complex multi-layered coatings to achieve these properties, which limits their recyclability and increases their carbon footprint. Technologies that combine high barrier performance, recyclability, and a reduced carbon footprint would enable truly sustainable packaging for regulated industries.

Shortwave infrared photodetector materials and growth technologies

HALO

https://www.halo.science/request_for_solutions/SWIR-photodetector-materials-and-growth-technologies

Response Due Date: April 30, 2025

We are a global leader in advanced materials, known for our expertise in developing innovative solutions across various industries, including electronics and sensing technologies.

Shortwave infrared (SWIR) photodetectors are utilized in a wide range of applications, including night vision, spectroscopy, remote sensing, and biomedical imaging. These detectors enable imaging beyond the visible spectrum, making them essential for environments with low lighting, material identification, and non-invasive medical diagnostics.

Currently, Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) is the most widely used semiconductor material for SWIR detection due to its high sensitivity and fast response time. However, InGaAs-based detectors are expensive to manufacture, particularly for detecting longer wavelengths. Additionally, they are primarily fabricated on indium phosphide (InP) substrates, which limits their ability to integrate with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, the standard platform for modern electronic and imaging systems. This lack of CMOS compatibility poses a barrier to widespread adoption.

 

Engineering for Civil Infrastructure

NSF
Solicitation: PD-19-073Y
Posted Date: January 24, 2025
Full Proposal Accepted Anytime
The Engineering for Civil Infrastructure (ECI) program supports fundamental research in geotechnical, structural, materials, architectural, and coastal engineering. The ECI program promotes research that can shape the future of the nation’s physical civil infrastructure and that can contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and hazards and disaster resilience. Types of civil infrastructure that the ECI program considers include, but are not limited to, buildings, residential construction, earth and earth retaining structures, and components of flood protection systems; water, waste disposal, and wastewater systems; energy infrastructure (excluding nuclear); and transportation systems (excluding pavements). Both disciplinary and convergent research that can address the challenges of physical civil infrastructure to be resilient and sustainable over its service lifetime are of particular interest. Of particular interest is experimental and analytical/computational research to advance the fundamental understanding of coupled multi-physics, multi-scale (spatial and temporal), multi-functional behavior of these materials and their intended use in civil infrastructure. Principal Investigators are encouraged to leverage NSF’s investments in the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) experimental, computational modeling and simulation, and data resources (https://www.designsafe-ci.org/) in their research to accelerate advances needed for reducing the impacts of natural hazards on civil infrastructure. The NHERI Science Plan (https://www.designsafe-ci.org/facilities/nco/science-plan/) offers a range of research topics that could benefit from the use of NHERI resources and are relevant to the ECI program. Proposers are actively encouraged to email a one-page project summary to the ECI Program Officers before submitting a full proposal for guidance on whether the proposed research topic falls within the scope of the ECI program; this guidance especially should be requested for multi-disciplinary research proposals, proposals for which research and/or development on the subject civil infrastructure(s) are also supported by other federal and state agencies, and proposals that consider civil infrastructure not listed above.

Safe Streets and Roads for All Funding Opportunity

DoT

Solicitation: DOT-SS4A-FY25-01

https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/358587

Posted Date: March 28, 2025

Response Due Date: June 26, 2025, by 5:00 PM (EDT).

The purpose of this notice is to solicit applications for Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants. Funds for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 SS4A grant program are to be awarded on a competitive basis to support planning and demonstration activities, as well as projects and strategies to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets involving all roadway users.

Joint Hydrographic Center 2025

DOC

Solicitation: NOAA-NOS-OCS-2025-30451

https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/358602

Posted Date: March 27, 2025

Response Due Date: May 27, 2025

The purpose of this notice is to solicit proposals for a single cooperative agreement between NOAA and an institution of higher learning to operate and maintain a Joint Hydrographic Center as authorized in the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act and the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act. Additional supportive policy statements for the guidance of activities at these centers include the November 2019 Presidential Memorandum on ocean mapping, which calls for mapping, exploring, and characterizing the U.S. EEZ to improve our Nation’s understanding of our vast ocean resources and to advance the economic, security, and environmental interests of the United States. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement should advance the purposes of the Acts and the Presidential Memorandum by addressing the Program Priorities described in this announcement.

Program Announcement for MTO Pitch Day Solicitation

DoD

Solicitation: DARPA-PA-25-05

https://sam.gov/opp/1960fc69bfb040aca4f8b23dd39920d3/view

Posted Date: March 28, 2025

Response Due Date: July 07, 2025, 04:00 pm EDT

As stated in the MTO Office-wide Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), HR001124S0028, Section IV: Special Considerations, “Periodically, DARPA may endeavor to hold “Pitch Day(s). A “Pitch Day” entails DARPA soliciting proposals for a specific, targeted aspect under one or more of the BAA’s thrust areas. Proposers ultimately would pitch their proposals to DARPA via oral presentations.” In this regard, DARPA’s MTO will host a Pitch Day for engagement with prospective proposers and to catalyze future efforts in the topics of unconventional computing, biologically inspired microsystems, and commercially catalyzed defense development to enable next generation microsystems.
The goals of the MTO Pitch Day are to: 1) fund proposals for short-term efforts with the potential to grow into groundbreaking new DARPA programs, and 2) employ an acquisition strategy to encourage participation by new and first-time or non-traditional proposers. This funding opportunity will aim to broaden DARPA’s reach with small businesses, educational institutions, and other non-traditional performers to break down barriers of entry for performers new to DARPA and the national security space.

 

Autonomous Decisions, Algorithms, and Modeling (ADAM)

AFRL

Notice of Intent

Solicitation: FA2377-25-S-1207

https://sam.gov/opp/826532a830974581ad9a3229f5a237d3/view

Posted Date: March 26, 2025

Opportunity will open this year

Solicitations issued under this MAA will seek approaches covering one or more of the following Technical Areas. Efforts awarded under these Technical Areas may consist of concept development, analysis, basic research, applied research, advanced technology development, advanced component development and prototyping, experimentation and/or transition activities that will enable future efforts.

Technical Area 1: Multi-Domain Sense Making

Technical Area 2: Sensing Autonomy

Technical Area 3: Sensing and Effects Analysis

Technical Area 4: Multi-Sensing Knowledge

Technical Area 5: Sensing Management

 

View All Opportunities