We encourage new faculty and MIT organizations to pursue materials research by providing seed funding for materials, lab equipment, and other expenses, for the development and marketing of significant new research initiatives. Proposals will be accepted from single investigators or teams doing materials research. Proposals can be submitted at any time and will be reviewed by the MRL's internal operating committee. While junior faculty are given preference, proposals from senior faculty are welcomed.
The intent of this initiative is to support the growth of the materials community at MIT by providing faculty with flexible working capital and marketing resources. The objective is to leverage these limited funds into substantial federal or industrial support, and to this end the MRL backs its seed funds with its directed outreach access to the industrial sector and federal funding sources.
The MRL staff will work with faculty to identify the scope of research interests and develop an appropriate strategy to procure funding support. This includes assistance in drafting proposals, developing budgets, monitoring the progress of the proposal to its conclusion, prospectus preparation, identification and development of other potential funding sources, hosting of on-site workshops, arrangement of travel and meetings for presentations to potential sponsors, assistance in contract and budget negotiation, active interface with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), etc. We also provide assistance with development of websites, marketing brochures and video.
Each proposal should clearly state the scope of the opportunity to be pursued, as well as the research objectives, faculty involved, and timeline. Submit proposals to Entela Baolli via email at ebaolli@mit.edu.
Industrial Sponsorship
The MRL works with faculty and members of our Industry Collegium to identify research that would benefit from industrial sponsorship. We act as a liason between you and your sponsor, working out issues such as intellectual property and contract negotiation. We also support your development of marketing brochures and video.