Algorithms for Threat Detection | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The NSF opportunity titled "Algorithms for Threat Detection" (Funding Opportunity Number 12-502) is a discretionary grant program run through the National Science Foundation's Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) in partnership with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA). Its central goal is to push forward the next generation of mathematical and statistical algorithms that can improve the detection of chemical agents, biological threats, and threat indicators derived from geospatial information. In practice, the program is aimed at translating advances in core mathematical sciences into usable methods for identifying, classifying, and inferring threats from complex, high-volume, and often noisy real-world data streams.

The solicitation focuses proposal submissions into two main technical thrusts. The first thrust is mathematical and statistical techniques for genomics, which points to methods that can extract actionable signals from biological data, including problems where threat detection depends on interpreting genetic or genomic patterns. The second thrust is mathematical and statistical techniques for analyzing data from sensor systems, which covers algorithmic approaches for data collected by sensors and sensor networks and is aligned with detecting chemical, biological, or geospatially inferred threats. Across both thrusts, the emphasis is on algorithm development grounded in mathematics and statistics, rather than purely applied system-building, with the expectation that strong mathematical innovation will lead to improved detection capability.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, the program is structured as a grant competition with an estimated total funding amount of $8,000,000 and an anticipated 20 awards. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which means applicants are not required to provide non-federal funds to be considered competitive. The opportunity is associated with multiple NSF CFDA listings (including Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Biological Sciences, Geosciences, Engineering, Social/Behavioral/Economic Sciences, Education and Human Resources, and others), reflecting the cross-cutting nature of threat-detection research and the likelihood that proposals may span disciplines even though the intellectual center of gravity is mathematical sciences.

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to any type of entity that meets standard federal grant requirements, subject to any specific clarifications that may appear in the official solicitation text. The opportunity was originally posted on October 20, 2011, with an original closing date of January 10, 2012, and it indicates a full proposal deadline of January 10 annually thereafter. The provided record also shows a current closing date of January 11, 2016, and an archive date of February 11, 2026, which signals that while the listing remains archived for reference, applicants would need to consult the official NSF publication (NSF 12-502) or current NSF systems to confirm whether the program is active in its original form or has been replaced, updated, or incorporated into another solicitation.

For practical next steps and official details, the announcement points to "NSF Publication 12-502" as the authoritative source document. It also provides support guidance: for technical trouble accessing the announcement electronically, applicants are directed to NSF grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

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