Opportunity Information: Apply for 12 540
Apply for 12 540
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "CISE MPS Interdisciplinary Faculty Program in Quantum Information Science" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.049 Mathematical and Physical Sciences 47.070 Computer and Information Science and Engineering.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 22, 2013 and posted on Mar 1, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 3, 2013 Full Proposal Deadline(s) June 01, 2012 December 04, 2012 June 03, 2013 December 03, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $4,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 16 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- PI LimitThe scholar must be in a tenured faculty position at the associate or full professor level in his or her US home institution and must be prepared to spend a minimum of one contiguous semester with the hosts group. Scholar and host must be from substantially different environments, such that the collaborative activity represents a broadening of experience and a bone fide change in the research direction. Scholar and host must also be from different institutions, so that the interaction with the host research group represents a full immersion and not a part time activity.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funding opportunity titled "CISE MPS Interdisciplinary Faculty Program in Quantum Information Science" (NSF 12-540) was a discretionary grant program intended to accelerate research progress in Quantum Information Science (QIS) by directly supporting deep, sustained collaboration across disciplines. The core idea was to bring together researchers working in QIS and researchers rooted in the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) and/or Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) communities to tackle research problems that sit at the intersection of these fields. Rather than funding short workshops or light-touch collaborations, the program emphasized long-term, immersive visits by a faculty "scholar" to a "host" institution, structured so that the visiting researcher could fully integrate into the host group and build meaningful joint work.
A defining feature of the program was its focus on genuine interdisciplinarity and career-stage leadership. The principal investigator (the "scholar") was required to hold a tenured faculty appointment at the associate professor or full professor level at a U.S. home institution. The scholar also had to commit to spending at least one contiguous semester in residence with the host research group. This was not designed as a periodic travel arrangement; it was explicitly framed as a full immersion experience intended to create a substantive shift or expansion in research direction. To reinforce that goal, the scholar and host had to come from "substantially different environments" and must be at different institutions, ensuring the collaboration represented a real change in setting and intellectual context rather than an extension of existing local collaborations.
In practical terms, the opportunity supported joint research efforts aimed at advancing QIS through problems that connect mathematical and physical sciences with computer and information sciences. While the announcement summary does not enumerate specific topical sub-areas, the framing makes clear that NSF was looking for proposals where the collaborative work truly lives at the interface of fields and benefits from cross-pollination between communities that do not normally operate in the same research environment. The semester-long residency requirement was meant to create the conditions for developing shared methods, building new technical fluency across disciplines, and producing sustained research outputs rather than one-off results.
From an administrative and funding perspective, NSF anticipated making around 16 awards under this program, with an estimated total funding level of $4,000,000. The program fell under the "Science and Technology and other Research and Development" activity category and was offered as a grant (not a contract or cooperative agreement). It did not require cost sharing or matching funds. The program was associated with two NSF CFDA listings: 47.049 (Mathematical and Physical Sciences) and 47.070 (Computer and Information Science and Engineering), underscoring the cross-directorate nature of the initiative.
The solicitation was originally posted March 1, 2012, and included multiple full proposal deadlines over time: June 1, 2012; December 4, 2012; June 3, 2013; and December 3, 2013. The final listed closing date was December 3, 2013, and the opportunity was archived on January 3, 2014. The agency overseeing the program was NSF, and the public-facing reference for the complete announcement was NSF Publication 12-540. For access issues related to the announcement on Grants.gov, the listed support contact was grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.
Overall, this opportunity can be understood as a targeted mechanism NSF used to catalyze interdisciplinary, high-impact QIS research by investing in the time and structure needed for senior faculty to embed themselves in a different research ecosystem, learn new approaches, and pursue collaborative projects that bridge CISE and MPS perspectives in quantum information science.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the NSF opportunity "CISE MPS Interdisciplinary Faculty Program in Quantum Information Science" (NSF 12-540)?
This NSF discretionary grant program (NSF Publication 12-540) was designed to accelerate research progress in Quantum Information Science (QIS) by supporting deep, sustained interdisciplinary collaboration. The program specifically emphasized long-term, immersive collaboration rather than short workshops or lightweight partnerships.
What was the main goal of this program?
The goal was to catalyze high-impact QIS research by enabling a faculty "scholar" to embed within a "host" institution for a substantial period, building meaningful joint work at the intersection of Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) and/or Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS).
What types of collaborations did the program emphasize?
The program emphasized genuine interdisciplinarity, where the collaborative work truly sits at the interface of fields. It was intended to bring together researchers rooted in QIS with researchers in the CISE and/or MPS communities to tackle intersectional research problems that benefit from cross-pollination between distinct research environments.
How was the collaboration structured (scholar and host roles)?
The principal investigator was the "scholar" who proposed to visit and integrate into a "host" research group at another institution. The structure was intended to support full immersion in the host environment so the scholar could build sustained joint research efforts rather than periodic travel-based collaboration.
Who was eligible to serve as the principal investigator (the "scholar")?
The scholar was required to be a tenured faculty member at a U.S. home institution, holding the rank of associate professor or full professor.
What residency or time-in-residence commitment was required?
The scholar had to commit to spending at least one contiguous semester in residence with the host research group. The program explicitly described this as a full immersion experience, not a periodic travel arrangement.
Did the scholar and host have to be at different institutions?
Yes. The scholar and the host had to be at different institutions.
What does "substantially different environments" mean in this program?
The solicitation required that the scholar and host come from substantially different environments. This was meant to ensure the collaboration represented a real change in setting and intellectual context, rather than simply extending existing local collaborations.
What kinds of research topics were supported?
The program supported joint research efforts aimed at advancing QIS through problems connecting mathematical and physical sciences with computer and information sciences. The summary does not list specific topical sub-areas, but it makes clear that proposals were expected to be truly interdisciplinary and to benefit from combining perspectives across CISE and MPS.
Was this program intended for workshops or short-term collaborations?
No. The program was specifically framed as support for long-term, immersive visits and deep collaboration, rather than funding short workshops or light-touch partnerships.
How many awards did NSF anticipate making under this solicitation?
NSF anticipated making around 16 awards.
What was the estimated total funding level for the program?
The estimated total funding level was $4,000,000.
What type of federal assistance instrument was used?
The opportunity was offered as a grant (not a contract or cooperative agreement).
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The solicitation did not require cost sharing or matching funds.
Which NSF areas or CFDA listings were associated with this opportunity?
The program was associated with two NSF CFDA listings: 47.049 (Mathematical and Physical Sciences) and 47.070 (Computer and Information Science and Engineering). This reflects the cross-directorate nature of the initiative.
What activity category did this program fall under?
The activity category was "Science and Technology and other Research and Development."
When was the solicitation posted?
The solicitation was originally posted on March 1, 2012.
What were the full proposal deadlines?
The solicitation included multiple full proposal deadlines: June 1, 2012; December 4, 2012; June 3, 2013; and December 3, 2013.
What was the final closing date for submissions?
The final listed closing date was December 3, 2013.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. The opportunity was archived on January 3, 2014.
Which federal agency oversaw this opportunity?
The overseeing agency was the National Science Foundation (NSF).
What is the public-facing reference for the complete announcement?
The complete announcement was referenced as NSF Publication 12-540.
Who should be contacted for access issues related to the announcement on Grants.gov?
For access issues related to the announcement on Grants.gov, the listed support contact was grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.
Why did NSF require a semester-long contiguous visit?
The semester-long residency requirement was intended to create conditions for developing shared methods, building new technical fluency across disciplines, and producing sustained research outputs rather than one-off results. It was designed to support a substantive shift or expansion in research direction through immersion in a different research ecosystem.
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