Project Calls
LIFT’s project calls offer our ecosystem the opportunity to submit proposals on topics designed to Drive American Manufacturing Into the Future. Project Calls can either be directed projects on specific topic areas from our federal partners or open to new ideas you and your organization might have.
Whichever form they take, each Project Call will have its own unique membership and submission requirements and funding opportunities, so see the open calls below for more information or contact LIFT directly with any questions.
October 15 - December 13, 2024
2024 Advanced Materials Challenge Project Call
LIFT and the Department of Defense today announced the launch of the 2024 Advanced Materials Challenge. The Advanced Materials Challenge is designed for industry and academia from across the nation to develop and accelerate the delivery of innovative material solutions for DoD applications.
Proposals should focus on identifying an advanced material of interest to DoD, design using decision aid tools and automation tools (i.e. ICME, M&S, AI, LLM , ML, etc.), prototyping both virtual and physical material systems (i.e. Digital Twin), and demonstrating the material’s applicability in a DoD component or system.
- Active
- Material Science, Metals
- Manufacturing
2024 Advanced Materials Challenge Project Call
LIFT and the Department of Defense launched the 2024 Advanced Materials Challenge designed for industry and academia to develop and accelerate the delivery of innovative material solutions for DoD applications.
Proposals focus on identifying an advanced material of interest to DoD, design using decision aid tools and automation tools, prototyping both virtual and physical material systems, and demonstrating the material’s applicability in a DoD component or system.
- Complete
- Metals
- Manufacturing
2024 LIFT Ecosystem Accelerator Program (LEAP) Call
The annual LIFT Ecosystem Accelerator Program (LEAP) project call is designed to solicit exciting new project ideas from LIFT members connecting materials, processes and systems, and bring them to completion on a shorter timeline.
Project ideas should be aligned with LIFT’s main technology pillars and focus areas.
- Complete
- Manufacturing, Talent Development
Department of Defense Organic Industrial Base Modernization Project Call
This call was focused on a single Special Topic Area (STA) derived from the Department of Defense Organic Industrial Base (OIB) and contained 10 focus areas. Project teams selected one or more focus areas to address dual-use applications that are responsive to the specific needs of the DoD and the domestic manufacturing industry.
- Complete
- Hypersonics, Metals
- Aviation, Manufacturing
2023 LIFT Ecosystem Accelerator Program (LEAP) Call
The annual LIFT Ecosystem Accelerator Program (LEAP) project call is designed to solicit exciting new project ideas from LIFT members connecting materials, processes and systems, and bring them to completion on a shorter timeline.
Project ideas should be aligned with LIFT’s main technology pillars and focus areas.
- Complete
- Manufacturing
Department of Defense Point of Need Manufacturing Challenge
The DoD Point of Need Manufacturing challenge offered a total of $1.5 million to fund projects addressing dual-use applications that are responsive to specific needs of the DoD and the domestic manufacturing industry.
The challenge was focused on a single Special Topic Area (STA) which has been derived from the DoD advanced manufacturing community.
- Complete
- Hypersonics
- Manufacturing
Hypersonics Thermal Management: Hypersonics Testing
LIFT sought increased development of hypersonic materials and processes for manufacturing to support the OSD’s requirement for Cross Platform System’s Development. LIFT proposed a rapid design of advanced future generation hypersonic materials and manufacturing processes for application in the time frame beyond 2025.
- Complete
- Hypersonics
- Manufacturing
Hypersonics Thermal Management: Hypersonics Modeling
LIFT sought increased development of hypersonic materials and processes for manufacturing to support the OSD’s requirement for Cross Platform System’s Development. LIFT proposed a rapid design of advanced future generation hypersonic materials and manufacturing processes for application in the time frame beyond 2025.
- Complete
- Hypersonics, Material Science
- Manufacturing
Hypersonics Thermal Management: Graded Additive Processing Modeling and Validation
LIFT sought increased development of hypersonic materials and processes for manufacturing to support the OSD’s requirement for Cross Platform System’s Development. Materials focused on those that offer functionally graded optimization which are manufactured through a Graded Additive Process. ICME capabilities will be developed to model and simulate the manufacture of these functionally graded materials systems allowing for agile and fast deployment in various component geometries and uses.
- Complete
- Ceramics, Hypersonics, Material Science
- Manufacturing
Hypersonics Materials Acceleration: Ceramic Matric Composites (CMC) Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME)
LIFT sought increased hypersonic materials development of ICME (Integrated Computational Materials Engineering) as a critical core competency for the Navy. Through initial program efforts, LIFT developed significant capability with ICME for ceramics and additively manufactured metallics subjected to hypersonic conditions. This capability will be extended to ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) produced via traditional methods.
- Complete
- Ceramics, Hypersonics, Metals
- Manufacturing
Hypersonics Materials Acceleration: Hypersonics Modeling
LIFT sought increased hypersonic materials development of ICME (Integrated Computational Materials Engineering) as a critical core competency for the Navy. Through initial program efforts, LIFT developed significant capability with ICME for ceramics and additively manufactured metallics subjected to hypersonic conditions. This capability will be extended to ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) produced via traditional methods.
- Complete
- Hypersonics, Material Science, Metals
- Manufacturing
Hypersonics Materials Acceleration: Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) Benchtop Testing
LIFT sought increased hypersonic materials development of ICME (Integrated Computational Materials Engineering) as a critical core competency for the Navy. LIFT developed significant capability with ICME for ceramics and additively manufactured metallics subjected to hypersonic conditions. This capability will be extended to ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) produced via traditional methods.
- Complete
- Ceramics, Hypersonics, Material Science
- Manufacturing
Hypersonics Materials Acceleration: Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME)
LIFT seeks increased hypersonic materials development of ICME (Integrated Computational Materials Engineering) as a critical core competency for the Navy. Through initial program efforts, LIFT developed significant capability with ICME for ceramics and additively manufactured metallics subjected to hypersonic conditions. This capability will be extended to ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) produced via traditional methods.
- Complete
- Material Science, Technology
- Manufacturing
2022 LIFT Ecosystem Accelerator Program (LEAP) Project Call
The annual LIFT Ecosystem Accelerator Program (LEAP) project call is designed to solicit exciting new project ideas from LIFT members connecting materials, processes and systems, and bring them to completion on a shorter timeline. Project ideas should be aligned with LIFT’s main technology pillars and focus areas.
- Complete
- Ceramics, Material Science
- Manufacturing
Hypersonic Thermal Research and Material Acceleration – Ceramics
LIFT is seeking to develop an ICME toolchain for additive manufacturing (AM) of relevant ceramics/CMCs for hypersonic applications such as a skin or leading edge. Toolchain to include material discovery-chemistry-processing-structure-properties-performance links to enable prediction of ceramic/CMC performance from starting materials. Toolsets to be fully integrated as state of the art allows.
- Complete
- Material Science, Technology
- Manufacturing
Hypersonic Thermal Research and Material Acceleration – Metallics
This program defined opportunities for mechanical property optimization of metallic alloys used in hypersonic vehicles. It will develop ICME models that accurately predict the performance of new metallic alloys and ceramic/CMC materials and manufacturing supply chain(s) for new metallic alloy powders. The mechanical properties predicted through ICME models will be correlated through real-world testing and disparate metallic alloys will be joined through solid-state joining techniques. The materials database will be augmented with performance results of new alloys and Ceramic/CMC’s.
- Complete
- Material Science, Technology
- Automotive, Aviation, Manufacturing
U LIFT Challenge
The challenge, funded by LIFT and modeled after the popular television show “Shark Tank,” was open to universities from across the country. Submissions were aligned with LIFT’s ICME technology thrusts, including hypersonics, lightweight armor, weapon systems, space, orphan & obsolete parts, airframe structures or cross collaboration with LIFT’s other technology pillars, including advanced material & process development, multi-material joining, and agile & smarter manufacturing. Materials of interest include metallics, ceramics, and hybrid materials.
- Complete
- Hypersonics, Material Science
- Manufacturing
Hypersonics Challenge
Operating at speeds of Mach 5 or higher, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic vehicles are among the Department of Defense’s top priorities, including developing a safe and secure domestic supply base. The Hypersonics Challenge was a call for project proposals on three specific topics dealing with the materials and manufacture of hypersonic vehicles, including:: Hypersonics Modeling & Simulation, including: Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME); Advanced Manufacturing Methods for Quality and Production, and; Advanced Manufacturing for High Temperature Composites. Project challenge proposals were chosen will be provided up to $1 million for project development
A New Era of Aerospace Engineering: 3D Printing & Data-Driven Certification
In the realm of aerospace technology, the race to develop propulsion systems capable of powering vehicles at hypersonic speeds has never been more intense. Hypersonic flight, defined as speeds above Mach 5, is now within our grasp, thanks in no small part to the fusion of 3D printing and cutting-edge materials. Click below to read more.
Special Reports
National Defense Industrial Strategy - 2023
With the publication of the 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS), Secretary Austin charted the Defense Department’s way forward through today’s “decisive decade.” Taking its lead from the NDS, this first-ever National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS) will catalyze generational change from the existing defense industrial base to a more robust, resilient, and dynamic modernized defense industrial ecosystem.
Public-Private Innovations to Propel the Joint Force
The Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program (OSD ManTech) oversees DOD’s relationship with the DoD national manufacturing innovation institutes.
The DOD Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) are considered an integral part of the wider DOD Manufacturing Technology Program.