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Fulton Partnerships In Engineering Research

About the PIER program

ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (FSE) is the largest engineering college in the country and a research powerhouse, with over $250M in annual research expenditures. One of FSE’s five core values is “deliver innovation that matters,” and partnerships with industry and community organizations are critical to achieving such impact.

The Fulton Partnerships In Engineering Research (PIER) program incentivizes (co-funds) new collaborative research partnerships that are foundational to innovation, entrepreneurship and tech transfer in areas key to the future of our region, country and world. 

Opportunity overview

FSE is soliciting proposals for PIER research and development projects that are collaborations between ASU researchers and industry partners or other stakeholders. Successful proposals will have co-investment from the stakeholder partner such that a portion of the project costs expended at ASU will be funded by FSE through PIER and a portion will be funded by the partner, as detailed below. Projects must be 12 months in duration and have a direct-cost budget of $80,000. It is anticipated that approximately five awards will be made in each round of PIER funding. 

Topics of interest

Applicants may submit proposals on any topics that advance engineering research. However, proposals are encouraged to align with active FSE research priorities and to build bridges to larger collaborative funding opportunities, per the review criteria below. Present FSE research priorities include: 

Microelectronics

  • RF and power devices.
  • Advanced packaging.
  • 2D and other new semiconductor materials.
  • Test.
  • Quantum algorithms.
  • Fab manufacturing processes.
  • Data center planning, operation and efficiency.
  • Fab construction, operation and maintenance.

Space, defense and national security

  • Autonomous systems.
  • Robotics.
  • Advanced manufacturing techniques.
  • Communications.
  • Defense systems.
  • Spacecraft.
  • Energy generation, transmission and storage.
  • Critical mineral extraction, processing and recycling.

Medicine

  • Cell and tissue engineering.
  • AI and digital tools.
  • Imaging.
  • Biosensors.
  • Medical devices.
  • Bioelectronics and lab-on-a-chip devices.

Eligible teams

Any team having at least one FSE faculty principal investigator (PI) and at least one stakeholder partner (industry or community member) that commits to co-investment in the project is eligible to apply. The stakeholder partner must be registered in the U.S. Teams may have members that are neither within FSE nor at a co-investing partner if they do not receive PIER funds (i.e., their contribution is in-kind).

Industry partners are invited to review ASU’s standard Sponsored Research Agreement.

Apply for PIER

Go to PIER application

For more information

Please direct questions to Sean Jones.

Portrait of Sean Jones

Sean Jones

Asst Director Research Advancement

Office of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORIEN), Fulton Schools of Engineering