Opportunity Information: Apply for 16 510
Apply for 16 510
- The NSF in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs: Establishing Spokes to Advance Big Data Applications" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.070, 47.075, 47.076,.
- This funding opportunity was created on Oct 31, 2015 and posted on Oct 31, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 25, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funding opportunity "Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs: Establishing Spokes to Advance Big Data Applications" (Funding Opportunity No. 16-510) is designed to expand a national, region-based network that helps communities turn big data into practical solutions. It builds on the 2012 National Big Data Research and Development Initiative, which aimed to improve the country’s ability to extract knowledge and insight from large, complex digital data. NSF, through its Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), previously launched four Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs (BD Hubs) located in the Midwest, Northeast, South, and West. Those BD Hubs are meant to serve primarily as conveners and coordinators, bringing together stakeholders across academia, industry, government, and other sectors to connect real-world needs (solution seekers) with people and organizations able to help (solution providers).
This solicitation extends that hub model by funding the creation of "BD Spokes," which are narrower, topic-focused collaborations tied to a specific region and coordinated in partnership with that region’s BD Hub. A BD Spoke is expected to be multi-institutional and multi-sector, meaning it should involve partners across categories such as universities, companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and similar organizations. Unlike a general-purpose hub that serves an entire region broadly, a spoke targets a particular issue area where big data approaches can move the needle, ideally leveraging the unique strengths, assets, or industry footprint of that region. The emphasis is on action-oriented coordination rather than traditional research projects. In other words, a spoke functions like a hub in how it operates (organizing and connecting people), but it is more goal-driven and limited to a defined application area.
The work of a BD Spoke is centered on managing activities that accelerate progress toward solutions. Examples called out in the solicitation include organizing forums, meetings, and workshops to gather key stakeholders; engaging end users and solution providers through competitions and community challenges; and forming multidisciplinary teams to address complex questions that cannot be solved within a single field. The intent is to create sustained, structured collaboration that helps translate existing capabilities and data resources into real-world impact, rather than simply producing research outputs in isolation. Each spoke also operates with support and guidance from the regional BD Hub’s Steering Committee, which helps ensure alignment with regional goals and coordination with the broader national BD Hub network and other spokes.
The solicitation frames BD Spoke efforts around three broad themes. First, spokes should accelerate progress on societal grand challenges that matter at both regional and national levels, reflecting priority areas where big data can create measurable benefits. Second, they should help automate parts of the big data lifecycle, which can include steps like data acquisition, cleaning, integration, management, analysis, and deployment, with an emphasis on making these processes more efficient and usable in practice. Third, spokes should enable access to and increase the use of valuable existing data assets, including relevant international datasets where appropriate. That focus highlights that impact can come not only from new data collection, but also from improving discovery, accessibility, interoperability, governance, and responsible reuse of data that already exists.
A key boundary in this opportunity is that it is not intended to primarily fund fundamental research. NSF explicitly positions this solicitation as part of its broader big data portfolio that also includes research infrastructure, education and workforce development, and community engagement, but the BD Spokes program itself is mainly about building collaborations, partnerships, and coordination mechanisms that speed adoption and solution development. Applicants are encouraged to talk with NSF program officers to confirm fit, especially if the proposal includes a significant research component. NSF points applicants toward other programs if the main goal is basic or foundational research, such as the BIGDATA solicitation for foundational techniques and innovative applications, or the SaTC program for proposals centered on core privacy and security research.
Administratively, proposals must be tied to an existing BD Hub, and that requirement is enforced strictly. Every submission must include a letter of collaboration from a BD Hub coordinating institution, and proposals missing that letter will be returned without review with no exceptions. The opportunity is offered as a discretionary grant under NSF, with CFDA numbers 47.070, 47.075, and 47.076 listed. The original and current closing date for the opportunity was February 25, 2016, and it was posted October 31, 2015. The eligibility field is listed as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full announcement, reinforcing that the program expects cross-sector participation rather than limiting involvement to a single standard applicant type.
Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as funding the connective tissue of the big data ecosystem in each region: the relationships, shared agendas, convenings, challenges, and coordinated efforts that help stakeholders apply big data to concrete regional problems. The deliverable is less a traditional research breakthrough and more a functioning, topic-specific regional collaboration (a spoke) that demonstrably moves a community toward implementable big data solutions in partnership with the appropriate regional BD Hub.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the NSF "Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs: Establishing Spokes to Advance Big Data Applications" opportunity (16-510)?
This NSF funding opportunity supports the creation of Big Data (BD) Spokes, which are topic-focused, regionally grounded collaborations that help communities turn big data into practical, real-world solutions. The program expands the national network of NSF Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs (BD Hubs) by funding narrower "spokes" that operate in partnership with a specific regional hub.
How does a BD Spoke differ from a BD Hub?
A BD Hub is broad and region-wide in scope, serving primarily as a convener and coordinator across a large geography (Midwest, Northeast, South, West). A BD Spoke follows a similar convening and coordinating model, but it is more narrowly defined: it is tied to a specific region and focused on a particular application area or issue where big data approaches can make measurable progress.
What is the main purpose of funding BD Spokes?
The main purpose is to fund action-oriented coordination that accelerates solution development and adoption using big data. The emphasis is on sustained collaboration, partnership-building, and structured activities that connect "solution seekers" (real-world needs) with "solution providers" (people, organizations, and resources that can help).
Is this program meant to fund fundamental research?
No. This solicitation is not intended to primarily fund fundamental or foundational research. NSF describes BD Spokes as focused on building collaborations, partnerships, and coordination mechanisms that speed the use of big data for practical impact. If a proposal includes a significant research component, applicants are encouraged to talk with NSF program officers to confirm fit.
If our primary goal is basic research, where should we apply instead?
The solicitation points applicants to other NSF programs when the main goal is foundational work. Examples specifically referenced include the BIGDATA solicitation (for foundational techniques and innovative applications) and the SaTC program (for proposals centered on core privacy and security research).
What does NSF expect a BD Spoke to do in practice?
A BD Spoke is expected to manage and run activities that move a community toward implementable solutions. Examples described in the solicitation include:
- Organizing forums, meetings, and workshops to convene key stakeholders
- Engaging end users and solution providers through competitions and community challenges
- Forming multidisciplinary teams to address complex questions that cannot be solved within a single field
What types of partners should be involved in a BD Spoke?
A BD Spoke is expected to be multi-institutional and multi-sector. That means it should involve partners across categories such as universities, industry, government agencies, nonprofits, and similar organizations, reflecting the program goal of connecting needs with capabilities across the regional ecosystem.
Does a BD Spoke have to be connected to a specific region?
Yes. Spokes are region-based and are coordinated in partnership with a specific existing NSF BD Hub for that region. They are intended to leverage regional strengths, assets, and/or the region's unique industry footprint to target an issue area where big data can make a meaningful difference.
What are the major themes or focus areas for BD Spokes?
The solicitation frames BD Spoke efforts around three broad themes:
- Accelerating progress on societal grand challenges with regional and national importance
- Helping automate parts of the big data lifecycle (e.g., acquisition, cleaning, integration, management, analysis, deployment) to make big data more efficient and usable in practice
- Enabling access to and increasing the use of valuable existing data assets (including relevant international datasets where appropriate)
What does "automating parts of the big data lifecycle" mean in this program?
In this context, it refers to making the practical workflow of using big data more efficient and usable, including steps such as acquiring data, cleaning and integrating it, managing it, analyzing it, and deploying results into real use. The emphasis is on applied improvement and adoption rather than purely theoretical advancement.
Is creating new datasets the main goal of this opportunity?
No. The solicitation highlights that impact can come from better use of data that already exists. BD Spokes are encouraged to improve discovery, accessibility, interoperability, governance, and responsible reuse of valuable existing data assets, including international datasets when appropriate.
Who coordinates or guides a BD Spoke once it is funded?
Each BD Spoke operates with support and guidance from the regional BD Hub's Steering Committee. This structure is meant to help align spoke activities with regional goals and support coordination with the broader national BD Hub network and other spokes.
What is the relationship between "solution seekers" and "solution providers" in the BD Hub/Spoke model?
The BD Hub/Spoke model is designed to connect real-world needs with the people and organizations that can address them. "Solution seekers" are stakeholders with concrete problems or needs; "solution providers" are stakeholders with expertise, tools, data resources, or implementation capacity. BD Spokes are funded to organize and sustain those connections in a structured way.
Is a letter of collaboration from a BD Hub required?
Yes. Every submission must include a letter of collaboration from a BD Hub coordinating institution. The solicitation states this requirement is enforced strictly.
What happens if the BD Hub letter of collaboration is missing?
The proposal will be returned without review, with no exceptions, if it does not include the required letter of collaboration from a BD Hub coordinating institution.
Which NSF directorate is associated with this opportunity?
NSF is offering this opportunity through its Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE).
How does this opportunity relate to the 2012 National Big Data Research and Development Initiative?
The BD Hub and BD Spoke model builds on the 2012 National Big Data Research and Development Initiative, which aimed to improve the nation's ability to extract knowledge and insight from large, complex digital data. This solicitation continues that direction by strengthening region-based coordination and applied collaboration.
What kind of outcomes is NSF looking for from a BD Spoke?
The expected outcome is not primarily a traditional research breakthrough. Instead, the deliverable is a functioning, topic-specific regional collaboration that demonstrably moves a community toward implementable big data solutions, supported by convenings, shared agendas, challenges, and coordinated efforts in partnership with the relevant regional BD Hub.
What type of award is this, administratively?
The opportunity is offered as a discretionary grant under NSF.
Which CFDA numbers are associated with this funding opportunity?
The solicitation lists CFDA numbers 47.070, 47.075, and 47.076.
When was this opportunity posted and when was it due?
The opportunity was posted on October 31, 2015, and the original and current closing date listed is February 25, 2016.
What is listed for eligibility?
The eligibility field is listed as "Others," with additional clarification referenced in the full announcement. The solicitation also emphasizes cross-sector, multi-institutional collaboration, rather than limiting participation to a single standard applicant category.
What are the existing BD Hub regions mentioned in the solicitation?
The solicitation references four BD Hubs located in the Midwest, Northeast, South, and West.
What is the single most important compliance requirement highlighted in the solicitation?
The strict requirement to tie the proposal to an existing BD Hub, demonstrated by including a letter of collaboration from the BD Hub coordinating institution. Missing this letter results in the proposal being returned without review.
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