Building Community and Capacity in Data Intensive Research in Education | Apply Online

FAQs: NSF 15-563 - Building Community and Capacity in Data Intensive Research in Education

What is the NSF opportunity "Building Community and Capacity in Data Intensive Research in Education" (NSF 15-563)?

This is a National Science Foundation (NSF) discretionary grant opportunity created under NSF's Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science and Engineering (CIF21). It is run through NSF's Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) and is intended to strengthen the broader ecosystem for education-related, data-intensive research by supporting coordinated community and capacity-building activities.

What is the main goal of this solicitation?

The central goal is to help research communities organize around a shared vision for data-intensive research in education and to build the teams, skills, and technical capacity needed to create next-generation, large-scale education-related data resources and the analytic methods to use them. The emphasis is on enabling new kinds of research that were not previously feasible, rather than funding a single isolated study.

How does this program differ from a typical research grant that funds a single study?

Instead of focusing on one narrowly defined research project, proposals are expected to describe coordinated activities that move an entire community forward. This includes developing shared agendas, assembling interdisciplinary teams, aligning approaches to data infrastructure, and advancing analytic techniques for large, complex datasets. The intended impact is broader than one domain or one study.

What kinds of activities are proposals expected to include?

Based on the description provided, proposals are expected to include coordinated activities such as: developing a compelling, cross-cutting research agenda; assembling interdisciplinary teams; establishing shared approaches to data infrastructure; and advancing analytic techniques suited to large, complex, and potentially heterogeneous datasets.

What kinds of outcomes does NSF indicate successful projects should enable?

NSF indicates that successful projects should enable new kinds of research that were not previously feasible and that the impacts should reach beyond one narrow domain. In other words, the work should strengthen the ecosystem in ways that unlock broader, high-impact, data-driven education research.

What research areas or disciplines can be included in a proposal?

While the focus is anchored in NSF EHR research areas, the solicitation explicitly encourages investigators to build intellectual connections across multiple disciplines. Examples mentioned include learning sciences, statistics, computer science, data science, social science, psychology, cognitive science, and cyberinfrastructure, among others, as long as the outcomes meaningfully advance fundamental research relevant to EHR.

Is the program focused only on education, or can it connect to related fields?

The opportunity is education-focused and anchored in EHR research areas, but it encourages broad, cross-disciplinary connections. Proposals can draw from adjacent fields when doing so meaningfully advances fundamental research relevant to EHR.

What is the program category for this opportunity?

The program is categorized under "Science and Technology and other Research and Development."

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 47.076 (Education and Human Resources).

How much total funding was estimated for this solicitation?

The estimated total funding amount listed was $2,500,000.

What was the award size expectation based on the award floor?

An award floor of $500,000 was listed, which suggests NSF anticipated a limited number of relatively substantial awards rather than many small awards.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity explicitly listed no cost-sharing or matching requirement.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning the competition was broadly open to many types of organizations, subject to any specifics stated in the full solicitation.

What was the NSF publication or solicitation reference for the official details?

The official details were provided through an NSF publication referenced as 15-563.

What were the key dates for the original cycle?

The posted and creation date was April 9, 2015. The application deadline was September 1, 2015. The archive date was October 1, 2015.

What does it mean that the opportunity is archived?

An archive date of October 1, 2015 was listed, indicating the original cycle is no longer active under that posting.

Where could applicants get technical assistance for accessing the announcement?

Applicants needing technical assistance accessing the announcement were directed to Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

What role does cyberinfrastructure play in this program?

The program was created under NSF's CIF21 effort and emphasizes establishing shared approaches to data infrastructure and building technical capacity for large-scale data resources and analytics in education research.

What kind of data and analytics challenges is this program designed to address?

It targets data-intensive research needs, including analytic techniques suited to large, complex, and potentially heterogeneous datasets, and the creation of large-scale education-related data resources along with methods to use them.

What is the overarching emphasis of the solicitation?

The overarching emphasis is on catalyzing education-focused, data-intensive research by funding community- and capacity-building efforts that reshape what education researchers and related fields can do with data, rather than funding isolated, incremental projects.