Glass beer bottle assembly line. Credit: EPA; Wikipedia.

In January, Peter reported that the board of the newly established Usable Glass Strength Coalition convened for their inaugural meeting in late January. The mission of the coalition of industrial members is to support a sustained effort in the United States to understand why current forms of glass are not stronger, and to develop commercial glasses that are qualitatively stronger than anything currently available. The UGSC is partnered with the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council to establish, manage, and promote its initiatives.

The group is moving fast to get things going and just issued their first call for proposals to study flaw nucleation in glass. Based on announcement details, they are looking to back a significant research effort at the PhD level.

Here are the RFP highlights. Full details are available online.

Request for research proposal
Focus on gaining a deeper understanding of the relationship between glass surface structure and chemistry, particularly as it relates to the susceptibility to chemical, thermal, and physical damage. Proposal to answer the fundamental question: Where and how do flaws nucleate in glass?

Please download and read the entire RFP (pdf) before submitting proposals.

Opportunity
Proof and concept research and development anticipated.

Timeline
Proposals will be considered to support graduate level research at the MS (1.5 year term) to PhD (three-year term) level.

Financials
Investment will be commensurate with the project scope, but is anticipated to be in the rage of $90,000–$120,000 per year.

Response due date
May 15, 2013

Contacts and submissions
Technical questions may be addressed to the UGSG technical director, Alastair N. Cormack.

Proposal submissions should be sent electronically to UGSC executive assistant, Donna Banks or by mail to Glass Manufacturing Industry Council–UGSC, 600 N. Cleveland Avenue, Suite 210, Westerville, OH 43082.

Response evaluation
The UGSC will evaluate the response using the following criteria.

  • Overall scientific and technical merit of the proposed approach
  • Respondent’s capabilities and related experience
  • Realism of the proposed plan and cost estimates

For more information about UGSC, visit the UGSC page.

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