The Northwestern University Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) develops and supports collaborative, interdisciplinary research and education in the science and engineering of nano-scale multifunctional material structures. The Northwestern University (NU) Materials Research Center (MRC) started in 1960 when NU, Cornell University, and the University of Pennsylvania were awar
ded funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to establish the first interdisciplinary material research centers. As an interdepartmental, interschool research center, the MRC has been continuously funded via ARPA from 1960 to 1972 and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Material Research Lab program from 1972 to 1996. Since 1996, the main funding source for the MRC has been through the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) program. Per the mrsec.org web-site there are currently 30 MRSEC programs in the US. There are over 125 centers in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Feinberg School of Medicine, School of Education and Social Policy, School of Law, etc. At NU, centers foster interdisciplinary teams which work to solve society's problems and facilitate clinical and commercial use of their innovations.
