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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is the National Science Foundation (NSF) Control Systems (CS) program, Funding Opportunity Number PD 08 1632. It is a discretionary research grant opportunity in the science and technology / research and development category (CFDA 47.041, Engineering Grants).

What kinds of projects does the NSF Control Systems (CS) program support?

The program is designed to fund innovative, application-driven research in control theory and control technology. A strong emphasis is placed on work motivated by real-world systems, rather than proposals built around purely abstract formulations.

Is the program limited to established control topics?

No. While transformative proposals in established areas (such as model-based control) are welcome, the central priority is to support paradigm-shifting control ideas that significantly change how control strategies are conceived, analyzed, or implemented.

What does NSF mean by "application-driven" control research in this program?

Based on the program description, "application-driven" means research motivated by real-world systems and practical contexts, rather than control formulations that are purely abstract and not grounded in system realities.

What major theme does this opportunity highlight?

A key theme is advancing control approaches that explicitly address modern system complexity, especially the interaction between feedback and uncertainty in systems that contain large numbers of sensors and actuators.

What types of complex systems are explicitly called out?

The description highlights systems involving distributed sensing and actuation, networked or cyber-physical infrastructures, high-dimensional dynamics, uncertain environments, and situations where sensing, communication, and actuation constraints fundamentally shape what performance is achievable.

Does the program address networked, distributed, or cyber-physical control problems?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly includes interest in methods that can cope with distributed sensing/actuation and networked or cyber-physical infrastructures.

How does the program treat uncertainty and constraints?

The program emphasizes approaches that explicitly address the interaction between feedback and uncertainty, and it calls attention to settings where constraints on sensing, communication, and actuation are not side details but key limits on achievable performance.

Are nontraditional inspirations for control research encouraged?

Yes. The program highlights nontraditional inspirations and contexts, including control strategies influenced by nature (for example, biological, ecological, or swarm-like principles) and unconventional applications where standard control assumptions may not hold.

Can proposals focus on unconventional applications where standard control assumptions break down?

Yes. The program specifically points to unconventional applications where traditional assumptions may not hold, indicating interest in new formulations and methods appropriate for those settings.

Does the program fund research related to sensors and actuators, or only control algorithms?

It supports more than just control algorithms and theory. The program explicitly supports new sensor and actuator concepts that tightly integrate feedback with signal processing to accomplish a sensing or actuation objective.

What does it mean to "tightly integrate feedback with signal processing" for sensing/actuation?

In practical terms, it means research where sensing/actuation mechanisms are co-designed together with feedback, estimation, and processing so the overall device or system achieves improved performance, robustness, or capabilities compared with a traditional design that separates sensing, processing, estimation, and control.

Is the program limited to designing controllers for existing hardware?

No. The program description indicates it can fund research where the sensing/actuation mechanism itself is co-designed with feedback, estimation, and processing, rather than assuming the hardware is fixed.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning proposals may be submitted by any type of entity unless additional eligibility clarifications are stated in the full program text.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity states that it did not require cost sharing or matching.

When were proposals due under the original solicitation timeline?

The original timeline listed recurring annual full proposal windows of September 1 to October 1 and January 15 to February 15, with a note indicating these windows occurred "annually thereafter."

Is this specific opportunity still active?

No. This opportunity is archived. It was replaced by PD 10 1632, and the archive date for PD 08 1632 is listed as August 4, 2010.

What opportunity replaced PD 08 1632?

The archived PD 08 1632 opportunity was replaced by PD 10 1632.

What is the CFDA number associated with this program?

The CFDA number listed is 47.041 (Engineering Grants).

What should applicants do if they cannot access the full announcement through Grants.gov?

For access issues related to the full announcement through Grants.gov, NSF listed Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.