Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC): Research Core Program | 18 567

Opportunity Information: Apply for 18 567

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC), is offering the Research Core Program to fund translational research and education efforts that strengthen the nation’s advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI). The emphasis is on work that moves beyond basic concepts and prototypes and instead produces deployable, scalable, and sustainable CI systems and services that can meaningfully accelerate science and engineering research. In this context, “advanced CI” is broadly defined and includes high-performance and advanced computing, data resources and data-intensive systems, software platforms and tools, networking capabilities, and cybersecurity components, as well as the human expertise and skills needed to operate, support, and evolve these resources in real research environments.

A central theme of the opportunity is translation from research to practice. NSF OAC is looking for projects that build on existing research results and push them through design, engineering, integration, and validation so they can be used reliably by the research community. Successful projects are expected to show clear pathways to real-world adoption, including considerations like robustness, maintainability, interoperability with existing CI ecosystems, and the ability to scale. The program highlights several attributes that often characterize the kind of work OAC wants to support: multidisciplinary collaborations, extreme-scale or high-end performance needs, direct grounding in science and engineering research drivers, end-to-end thinking (from hardware and systems through software and user-facing services), and deliverables that can be deployed as operational research CI rather than remaining as isolated demonstrations.

The solicitation identifies several example areas that fit this translational focus. These include systems architecture and middleware for extreme-scale systems (for instance, software layers that help applications effectively use large and complex computing platforms), scalable algorithms and applications that can fully exploit advanced CI, and broader components of the advanced CI ecosystem. The “ecosystem” framing signals interest in work that improves how CI is delivered and consumed, such as integration frameworks, reusable services, software sustainability practices, data/workflow capabilities, and the operational processes or expert services needed to make CI effective for diverse research communities.

The program also draws a clear boundary between translational CI research and more foundational computer science research. If a project is primarily about fundamental advances in core computer and information science and engineering (CISE) theory or basic methods, NSF indicates that it may be a better fit for the core research programs in the CISE divisions: Computer and Communication Foundations (CCF), Computer and Network Systems (CNS), or Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS). In other words, OAC is prioritizing proposals where the main contribution is advanced CI that can be put to use by researchers, rather than purely foundational work without a strong deployment trajectory.

From an applicant’s planning standpoint, NSF strongly encourages prospective principal investigators to contact an OAC cognizant program director before submitting, using a one-page project summary to get guidance on fit and expectations. This is a practical step that can help applicants align their proposal with OAC’s translational goals, confirm whether the topic matches OAC priorities, and clarify any programmatic nuances before investing in a full submission.

Funding is offered as a grant under a discretionary NSF opportunity (CFDA 47.070) in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category. Proposals are limited to a single project class: Small Projects, with a total budget of up to $500,000 and a maximum duration of up to three years. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $500,000 and anticipates around 15 awards. The original closing date shown in the source information is November 15, 2018, and the opportunity was created on July 6, 2018. Eligibility is summarized as “Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification),” meaning applicants would need to consult the full solicitation details to confirm which organization types and conditions apply.

Overall, the grant is aimed at teams that can demonstrate both technical innovation and a credible route to operational impact: building advanced cyberinfrastructure capabilities that are not only novel, but also engineered for scale, reliability, and adoption across science and engineering research communities.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC): Research Core Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.070.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 06, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 15, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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