Analytical Modeling for Extreme Scale Computing Environments | Apply Online

FAQs: DOE Office of Science (ASCR) Grant - Analytical Modeling for Extreme Scale Computing Environments (DE-FOA-0001088)

1) What is the title and funding opportunity number for this grant?

The opportunity is titled "Analytical Modeling for Extreme Scale Computing Environments" and the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA) is DE-FOA-0001088.

2) Which federal agency and program offered this opportunity?

This opportunity was offered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, through its Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program.

3) What is the central goal of this funding opportunity?

The central goal was to fund research that materially improves the community's ability to understand, predict, and ultimately improve the performance of scientific workflows running across extreme scale networks and distributed computing infrastructures.

4) What kinds of research approaches were being sought?

The FOA emphasized analytical modeling approaches designed to capture the performance behavior of complex, distributed, data- and compute-intensive workflows. This points to theory-driven or mathematically grounded modeling methods, potentially complemented by empirical validation, rather than relying only on ad hoc benchmarking or small-scale tests.

5) What types of computing environments does "extreme scale" refer to here?

Based on the synopsis, "extreme scale" refers to environments characterized by very large network scale, high concurrency, and system heterogeneity, where predicting workflow performance is difficult without rigorous models. The FOA specifically referenced extreme scale networks and distributed computing infrastructures.

6) What is meant by "scientific workflow performance" in the context of this FOA?

In this FOA, scientific workflow performance refers to end-to-end behavior of workflows that may span multiple stages and systems, including overall timing, bottlenecks, contention for shared resources, and scaling limits when workflows run across distributed resources and networks.

7) What performance factors or modeling themes does the synopsis suggest?

While the synopsis does not list formal subtopics, it signals interest in models that can address issues such as communication and data movement costs, coupling between workflow stages, sensitivity to network topology and congestion, and the performance impacts of scheduling, placement, or coordination across multiple systems.

8) What program category and CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

This FOA sat within the DOE Office of Science Financial Assistance Program and is associated with CFDA 81.049. It was categorized under "Science and Technology and other Research and Development."

9) Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broadly open (listed as "unrestricted") to most applicant types, with two explicit exclusions described in the synopsis.

10) Which organizations were explicitly excluded from eligibility?

Two exclusions were explicitly stated: (1) Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contractors, and (2) nonprofit organizations classified under IRS section 501(c)(4) that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995.

11) Were individuals allowed to apply as Principal Investigator/Program Director?

The announcement explicitly invited qualified individuals to serve as Program Director/Principal Investigator through their institutions.

12) Did DOE encourage any particular groups to apply?

Yes. The announcement reiterated DOE's encouragement for applications from underrepresented groups and individuals with disabilities.

13) Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement stated for this opportunity, meaning non-federal cost share was not required as a condition of award.

14) What were the posting and closing dates for the FOA?

The FOA was posted/created on March 10, 2014. The original closing date and the final closing date were both April 18, 2014.

15) When was the opportunity archived?

The archive date listed for the opportunity was July 18, 2014.

16) Where were the full announcement and application instructions hosted?

The full announcement and application instructions were hosted on FedConnect, with the FOA accessible via the referenced FedConnect document link.

17) Was there a related announcement for DOE laboratories?

Yes. A companion announcement for DOE laboratories (LAB 14-1088) was referenced, to be posted on the Office of Science grants and contracts website. This indicates a parallel pathway for lab-led efforts versus external financial assistance applicants.

18) How much funding was available under this FOA?

The summary metadata lists estimated total funding and award ceiling/floor as 0. This typically indicates that award amounts were not specified in the extracted public fields, and that authoritative funding levels, number of awards, and any budget constraints would have been detailed in the full FOA text.

19) Does the public synopsis specify the expected number of awards?

No. The synopsis indicates that such details (including expected number of awards) would be found in the full FOA text rather than the abbreviated summary metadata.

20) Who was the technical/scientific program contact for questions?

The technical/scientific program contact listed was Richard A. Carlson. Phone: 301-903-9486. Email: Richard.Carlson@science.doe.gov.

21) What types of questions would the listed contact be appropriate for?

Based on the synopsis, the contact could be used for technical/scientific program questions or access issues related to the opportunity and its materials.