The stewardship science academic alliances (ssaa) program was established in 2002 to support state-of-the-art research at U.S. Academic institutions in areas of fundamental physical science and…

Michigan State University received a $300,000 Project Grant from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) under the Stewardship Science Academic Alliances Program (CFDA 81.112), effective January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028. The award supports state-of-the-art research in fundamental physical science and technology relevant to the Stockpile Stewardship Program, with research to be conducted at the university's East Lansing, Michigan campus. The SSAA Program, established in 2002, funds academic research in areas of strategic national importance not otherwise supported by other federal agencies, with a particular focus on maintaining a trained cadre of scientists and engineers to meet current and future NNSA workforce needs.

Under this three-year award, Michigan State University will conduct research aligned with NNSA priorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics while providing advanced research experience to graduate and undergraduate students. The project will contribute to building the nation's long-term scientific workforce in stockpile stewardship-related disciplines, with emphasis on areas such as materials properties under extreme conditions, low-energy nuclear science, radiochemistry, or high-energy-density physics. The award represents a typical project grant under the SSAA Program, which generally ranges from $300,000 to $600,000 over three years and requires documented interaction between academic researchers and NNSA/Department of Energy laboratory personnel to foster future recruitment and training pipelines.

The stewardship science academic alliances (ssaa) program was established in 2002 to support state-of-the-art research at U.S. Academic institutions in areas of fundamental physical science and technology of relevance to the SSP mission. The ssaa program provides the research experience necessary to maintain a cadre of trained scientists and engineers at U.S. Universities to meet the nation's current and future SSP needs, with a focus on those areas not supported by other federal agencies. IT supports the DOE/nnsa's priorities both to address the workforce specific needs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and to support the next generation of professionals who will meet those needs.