Civil Infrastructure Systems | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - NSF Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS) Grant (PD 10 1631)

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

The Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS) opportunity is a National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant program (Funding Opportunity Number PD 10 1631) focused on advancing the intelligent engineering of distributed civil infrastructure systems. It emphasizes improving how infrastructure networks are conceived, designed, built, operated, and maintained, with a strong focus on resilience to hazards and long-term sustainability.

What kinds of projects is the CIS program trying to support?

The program supports research that treats infrastructure as connected, interacting systems rather than isolated assets. Proposed work commonly addresses network-level performance, risk, cascading failures, recovery dynamics, and long-term service performance, especially under extreme events or chronic stressors such as aging, overuse, and climate-related impacts.

What is meant by "distributed civil infrastructure systems" in this opportunity?

In this context, "distributed" refers to infrastructure made up of many interconnected components spread across a region (for example, networks of roads, bridges, traffic controls, water distribution assets, and power systems). The CIS program is interested in how such systems function as networks where interactions among components and across sectors affect overall performance.

Why does the CIS program emphasize infrastructure as a network instead of individual assets?

The CIS program is centered on the idea that real-world infrastructure performance, risk, and recovery depend heavily on system interactions. Disruptions can propagate through dependencies, so understanding network behavior can be essential for improving reliability, reducing cascading failures, and improving resilience and recovery outcomes.

What are "intra-dependencies" and how do they relate to the CIS scope?

Intra-dependencies are relationships among components within the same infrastructure network. An example is how bridges, road segments, and traffic control devices interact within a transportation system. CIS proposals may study how these internal connections affect reliability, failure propagation, maintenance needs, and recovery after disruptions.

What are "inter-dependencies" and how do they relate to the CIS scope?

Inter-dependencies are connections across different infrastructure sectors. For example, a power outage can disrupt water distribution, communications, transportation operations, and emergency response. The CIS program highlights research that investigates how these cross-sector dependencies influence cascading failures, recovery dynamics, and overall system resilience.

What kinds of hazards or stressors does the CIS opportunity care about?

The opportunity highlights both extreme events and chronic stressors. Examples given include extreme events that trigger cascading failures and recovery challenges, as well as longer-term stressors such as infrastructure aging, overuse, and climate-related impacts.

Does the CIS program include research on infrastructure protection?

Yes. A major area is infrastructure protection through advanced information technologies that support better decision-making. This includes research related to detecting problems earlier, improving condition awareness, and making more predictive, data-driven decisions about interventions.

What types of sensing and monitoring research are relevant to CIS?

The opportunity specifically mentions structural and system health monitoring, sensing and data acquisition, and condition assessment methods. The intent is to improve understanding of infrastructure condition and performance using more advanced monitoring and assessment approaches.

Does the CIS opportunity support deterioration modeling and asset management research?

Yes. The program highlights deterioration modeling and asset management strategies, aiming to move beyond periodic inspections and reactive repairs toward predictive, data-driven approaches that quantify remaining service life and prioritize interventions to improve safety, control costs, and reduce disruptions.

What is meant by "predictive, data-driven" infrastructure management in this program?

Within the CIS scope, predictive and data-driven management refers to approaches that use sensing, monitoring, and analytical methods to detect issues earlier, estimate remaining service life, and guide prioritized interventions. The goal is to improve safety and reliability while reducing lifecycle costs and service disruptions.

What does NSF mean by emphasizing risk analysis in CIS?

NSF places special emphasis on risk analysis, encouraging applicants to consider uncertainty, consequences, and how risks evolve over time. This can include probabilistic methods, performance-based engineering, resilience metrics, and decision analysis that explicitly address uncertainty and outcomes.

What is a life-cycle framework and why is it important here?

A life-cycle framework considers the full timeline of infrastructure from planning and design through operation and end-of-life. The CIS opportunity encourages approaches that compare alternatives over time, including total life-cycle impacts such as cost, environmental burden, and social outcomes.

What research methods are suggested under the risk and life-cycle emphasis?

Methods mentioned include probabilistic methods, performance-based engineering, resilience metrics, and decision analysis. The program also highlights comparing alternatives based on total life-cycle impacts (including cost, environmental, and social considerations).

What is "cyber-enabled simulation" in the context of CIS?

Cyber-enabled simulation refers to computational modeling and simulation environments that leverage modern computing and data integration, potentially including real-time or near-real-time analytics, to represent complex infrastructure behavior. This can include digital representations of infrastructure networks and scenario-based simulations for hazards and disruptions.

What are examples of cyber-enabled simulation outputs or tools that fit CIS?

Examples described include digital representations of infrastructure networks, scenario-based hazard/disruption simulations, and tools that support planning, design optimization, and operational decision support.

Is the CIS opportunity focused on research or implementation?

The listing describes the scope as research-focused under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category. The emphasis is on developing new technologies, methods, and analytical approaches for resilient and sustainable infrastructure networks.

What type of funding mechanism is used for this opportunity?

Funding is provided through grants.

Is cost sharing required for the CIS opportunity?

The listing notes no cost-sharing requirement.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as broadly unrestricted (open to any applicant type), subject to any specific clarifications in the official NSF text. Applicants should consult the official program description for definitive eligibility rules.

What are the proposal due dates mentioned in the listing?

The historical information indicates annual proposal windows with due dates of September 1 and October 1, and also January 15 and February 15. Submissions were due by 5 p.m. local time for the proposer.

What time are proposals due on the deadline date?

Proposals were due by 5 p.m. local time of the proposer, according to the listing.

Is this CIS listing still active?

The opportunity record is described as archived, and the listing notes it was replaced by a newer program description number (12 1631). Anyone interested should consult the updated NSF program description for current requirements, deadlines, and scope.

What should applicants do to find the current version of the program?

The listing indicates the program was replaced by a newer program description (12 1631). To ensure up-to-date guidance, applicants should consult the updated NSF program description for current scope, requirements, and deadlines.

When was this opportunity posted?

The posting date shown in the listing is August 4, 2010.

Where can applicants get help if they cannot access the full announcement on Grants.gov?

The listing directs applicants to contact NSF Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov for trouble accessing the full announcement through Grants.gov.

What is the main goal of the CIS program in plain terms?

The program aims to improve the design, construction, and operation of infrastructure networks so they are more resilient to hazards, better able to recover from disruptions, and more sustainable over the long term, using system-level thinking, data, and advanced modeling and decision tools.