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Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO). Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity.

Program SummaryÌý

The national cyberinfrastructure (CI) ecosystem is essential to computational- and data-intensive research across all science and engineering (S&E) domains. The CI ecosystem is highly dynamic, driven by rapid advances in a wide range of technologies, increasing volumes of highly heterogeneous data, and escalating demands for CI resources and services by the research community. Innovations in CI are consequently key catalysts for new modes of discovery and play a critical role in ensuring U.S. leadership in science, engineering, economic competitiveness, and national security, consistent with NSF's mission. It is thus imperative that CI innovations become available, in a coordinated and sustainable manner, as part of the NSF-funded advanced CI ecosystem.

This CITAP solicitation is focused on the translation of innovative research CI software – such as system software, libraries, application codes, and software enabling data services.

NSF seeks proposals that aim to design, test, and subsequently operate a pathway service within the ACCESS program that manages and accelerates the translation of promising research CI software to production-quality services across the NSF advanced CI ecosystem in support of the NSF S&E research community. CITAP proposals are expected to create a new workflow process (represented notionally in the Figure 1) within the ACCESS program that: (1) identifies novel CI software from diverse sources in a strongly community-informed way; (2) establishes an open and merit-based process for selecting and prioritizing/sequencing which of the identified innovations are of highest and most immediate value to users of the advanced CI ecosystem and can be feasibly translated to production level and made available for use by researchers using ACCESS resources; and (3) establishes an operational process that translates innovations into production services, including creation of partnerships where necessary to address each of the technical challenges and intellectual property (IP) considerations faced when integrating novel CI software within the advanced CI ecosystem.

Deadlines

CU Internal Deadline: 11:59pm MST July 31, 2023

Sponsor Proposal Deadline: 5:00pm MST September 6, 2023

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

• Project Description (3 pages maximum): Please reference the solicitation for full details and include the following components: 1) Engagement of appropriate constituents including ACCESS program awardees, S&E research communities, technology development partners, and host systems. Please note that Letters of Collaboration from ACCESS program awardees are not necessary and should not be requested. 2) Understanding of the objectives and tasks/activities with specific milestones that will need to be fulfilled to close the knowledge gaps and technical barriers so that the proof-of-concept, prototype, or novel technology can be efficiently translated into a production-quality solution. 3) Ability to include the participation of the full spectrum of diverse talent in STEM and broaden the geographic extent of participation in the CI ecosystem. 4) Effectiveness of assessment methods and metrics to demonstrate progression, or corrective actions, for each technology along the acceleration pathway. 5) Ability for the pathway to address long-term sustainability of the technology. 6) Demonstration of the pathway’s scalability. 7) Experience with technology development partnerships.
• PI Curriculum Vitae
• Budget Overview (1 page maximum): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit:

Eligibility

An individual may serve as PI or co-PI on only one proposal per competition.

Limited Submission Guidelines

Organizations are limited to one CITAP proposal per competition.

Award Information

Number of Awards: 1

Anticipated Amount: $10M

Project Period: 5 years

Review Criteria

Reviewers of CITAP proposals will follow NSF’s complete merit review process as described in the PAPPG. Additionally, they will be asked to consider the following criteria specific to the CITAP solicitation.

• Engagement of appropriate constituents including ACCESS program awardees, S&E research communities, technology development partners, and host systems. Please note that Letters of Collaboration from ACCESS program awardees are not necessary and should not be requested.
• Understanding of the objectives and tasks/activities with specific milestones that will need to be fulfilled to close the knowledge gaps and technical barriers so that the proof-of-concept, prototype, or novel technology can be efficiently translated into a production-quality solution.
• Ability to include the participation of the full spectrum of diverse talent in STEM and broaden the geographic extent of participation in the CI ecosystem.
• Effectiveness of assessment methods and metrics to demonstrate progression, or corrective actions, for each technology along the acceleration pathway.
• Ability for the pathway to address long-term sustainability of the technology.
• Demonstration of the pathway’s scalability.
• Experience with technology development partnerships.

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