The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) plans to establish a new Advanced Materials Center of Excellence to facilitate collaborations between NIST and researchers from academia and industry on advanced materials development.

Complex polymers pose problems for theory and modeling. This molecular dynamics simulation shows interactions in a polymer mixture as it solidifies. (Credit: Douglas/NIST)

The planned center, which NIST expects to fund at approximately $25 million over five years, will emphasize innovations in measurement technology, modeling, simulation, and data and informatics tools related to advanced materials. NIST plans to hold a competition this summer to select an organization to host the new center.

Only the second center of excellence in NIST history, it will create a collaborative environment and concentration of technical capability to accelerate materials discovery and development. NIST will also collaborate with ASM International and its Computational Materials Data Network to establish an open, digital repository of materials data.

Advanced materials and products, from tough glass used for smartphone screens to new biomaterials to repair damaged tissues and organs in the body, are critical for the US to get to market first in order to fuel innovation, create jobs, and spur economic growth.

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