Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) awarded a $113,002 Project Grant to the University of California, Merced on April 1, 2026, under the Basic and Applied Scientific Research program (CFDA 12.300). The three-year research initiative, scheduled for completion by March 31, 2029, focuses on designing large hydrostatic piezoelectric responses from first principles. This fundamental research effort supports ONR's mission to develop advanced materials and technology capabilities with potential applications to naval operations and marine corps capabilities. The research will be conducted at UC Merced's campus in California and evaluated competitively based on scientific and technical merit, naval relevance, institutional capabilities, investigator qualifications, and cost realism.

As a Hispanic-serving institution and the newest campus in the University of California system, UC Merced brings established capacity in advanced materials research and nanotechnology to this effort. The award reflects the competitive merit-based selection process inherent to ONR's grant program, which supports fundamental and applied research across diverse scientific and engineering disciplines at educational institutions nationwide. The project duration aligns with ONR's standard three-to-five-year performance periods for university research grants.