Materials Science Centers: Keep Reporting, Please
Published Date: 3/9/2026
Notice
Summary
The National Science Foundation wants to keep collecting reports from Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) for another 3 years. This affects MRSEC grantees who help advance materials science through research and education. They’re asking for public comments by May 8, 2026, to make sure the reporting process stays smooth and useful without adding extra costs or delays.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
Annual MRSEC Reporting Continues
If you are an MRSEC grantee (a non-profit research center), you must keep filing an annual report each year through the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) on Research.gov and to an external technical assistance contractor. NSF estimates the burden is 80 hours per annual report for each of 20 centers (1600 hours total per year), and it intends to renew this information collection for up to 3 years.
Reports Used To Decide Funding
If you run an MRSEC, NSF will use the annual and final reports and the submitted management and performance indicators (for example personnel, expenditures, patents, publications, degrees) to evaluate centers and determine continued funding. These reporting requirements are included in the cooperative agreement between the academic institution and NSF.
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