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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - NSF Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS)

What is the Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS) grant opportunity?

The Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS) opportunity is a National Science Foundation (NSF) research program focused on advancing the "intelligent engineering" of distributed civil infrastructure. It supports research on how large, networked infrastructure systems are planned, built, operated, and maintained when they function as interconnected systems rather than isolated assets.

What is the main goal of the CIS program?

The overall goal is to improve resilience and sustainability across infrastructure networks by supporting new engineering approaches, methods, and technologies that help infrastructure systems continue functioning under stress and recover more effectively from disruptions.

What kinds of infrastructure systems are included?

The program is oriented around civil infrastructure systems and networks, including examples such as bridges, water networks, transportation corridors, and other civil systems. It also includes the way these components interact and depend on one another as part of broader networks.

Is CIS focused on individual assets or on whole systems?

CIS is systems-oriented. While individual components (like a bridge or a water treatment element) may be part of the research, the program emphasizes network-level performance, interconnections, dependencies, and system-wide outcomes rather than treating assets as isolated elements.

What does "intelligent engineering" mean in this program context?

In this context, "intelligent engineering" refers to research that improves how distributed infrastructure networks are analyzed and managed using advanced engineering approaches and information-based methods, especially where system behavior emerges from interactions among many connected components.

What are intra-dependencies and why do they matter?

Intra-dependencies are dependencies within a single infrastructure sector or network. For example, within a transportation network, disruptions in one area can create cascading congestion or vulnerabilities elsewhere. CIS emphasizes understanding and managing these within-sector interactions to reduce cascading failures and improve system function under stress.

What are inter-dependencies and why do they matter?

Inter-dependencies are dependencies across different infrastructure sectors. For example, power outages can affect water treatment, communications, or transportation operations. CIS supports research that can explain, predict, and reduce cascading failures that arise from these cross-sector linkages.

What types of failures or disruptions does CIS research aim to address?

The program emphasizes research that helps infrastructure networks continue functioning under stress from hazards, aging, changing demand, or deliberate attacks, with a particular focus on understanding and reducing cascading failures.

Does CIS support research related to infrastructure protection?

Yes. The opportunity specifically targets infrastructure protection and modern information-based methods for monitoring and managing infrastructure assets and systems.

What kinds of monitoring and assessment technologies are of interest?

The program highlights advanced sensing and data-driven technologies for structural and system health monitoring, condition assessment, deterioration modeling, and asset management. Examples mentioned include sensor networks, automated or remote inspection methods, real-time data collection, and analytical techniques that translate data into actionable engineering decisions.

What is meant by "structural and system health monitoring" in this program?

It refers to approaches that measure infrastructure condition, interpret what the measurements imply about performance and deterioration, estimate remaining service life, and support better decisions on repair, replacement, or operational changes at both the component and network levels.

What is the role of data and analytics in CIS projects?

CIS emphasizes analytical techniques that turn raw monitoring data into decisions and actions. This includes methods that interpret condition data, model deterioration, estimate remaining service life, and guide asset management decisions across a networked system.

What are the "special emphasis" research areas?

The program identifies special emphasis areas that include risk analysis and life-cycle frameworks, along with interest in cyber-enabled simulation for modeling and decision support in complex infrastructure systems.

What does risk analysis mean under this solicitation?

Risk analysis here generally refers to quantifying the likelihood and consequences of different failure modes across an infrastructure network, including rare but high-impact events.

What are life-cycle frameworks in the CIS context?

Life-cycle frameworks are approaches that evaluate infrastructure decisions over the full life of an asset or system. They consider long-term performance, maintenance needs, costs, and environmental impacts rather than focusing only on initial construction.

What is "cyber-enabled simulation" and how does it fit into CIS?

Cyber-enabled simulation refers to computational environments and modeling tools that simulate infrastructure behavior, system interactions, hazards, deterioration processes, and operational strategies. These simulations can support design, planning, training, and decision-making when field experimentation is difficult or impractical.

Does CIS include research on resilient and sustainable design and operations?

Yes. A major focus is technologies and methods that improve the design, construction, and operation of resilient and sustainable infrastructure networks, including innovations that increase robustness to hazards and disruptions, improve adaptability over time, increase efficiency in resource use, and align with sustainability goals.

Is the program limited to a single infrastructure sector (like transportation only)?

No. The opportunity is not limited to one type of infrastructure. It is oriented around systems-level engineering where network performance and interconnections are central, including dependencies within and across infrastructure sectors.

What is the CFDA number and category for this opportunity?

The opportunity was listed under CFDA 47.041 (Engineering Grants) in the science and technology research and development category.

Was cost sharing required?

No. The opportunity stated that cost sharing was not required.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning it was open to any applicant type, subject to any additional eligibility language in the full announcement.

When was the solicitation originally posted and what were the proposal windows?

The solicitation was originally posted on March 23, 2009. Proposal windows were noted as September 1 to October 1 annually thereafter and January 15 to February 15 annually thereafter.

Is this CIS solicitation still active?

No. The record indicates the opportunity has been archived and replaced by a later solicitation referenced as "10 1631." The archive date shown was August 4, 2010.

Where should applicants look if they want the current version of the solicitation?

The record indicates the opportunity was replaced by a later solicitation referenced as "10 1631." The current solicitation would be the replacement referenced in the archived record.

Who should be contacted for technical issues accessing the announcement?

For technical issues accessing the announcement, the listed contact was NSF Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.