Cyberinfrastructure Training, Education, Advancement, and Mentoring for Our 21st Century Workforce (CI TEAM) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Cyberinfrastructure Training, Education, Advancement, and Mentoring for Our 21st Century Workforce (CI TEAM) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 10-532) focuses on building and sustaining a strong, broadly inclusive U.S. workforce that can create, use, and support modern cyberinfrastructure. NSF defines cyberinfrastructure in practical terms as the interconnected computing, data, networking, software, and services that now underpin research and education across science and engineering. The premise of the program is that new information, communication, and computational technologies have reshaped how discovery and learning happen, expanding who can participate and what is possible, but that this progress depends on long-term investments in people who can design and deploy these systems as well as adopt and apply them effectively in real research and educational settings.

At its core, CI TEAM supports projects that integrate research and education activities around cyberinfrastructure systems, tools, and services, with the explicit goal of preparing both current and future generations of scientists, engineers, and educators. The program is not limited to traditional classroom instruction; it emphasizes opportunities across formal and informal education, training, and professional development, recognizing that cyberinfrastructure skills are developed through many pathways. A key objective is to ensure these opportunities are broadly accessible, reaching individuals and communities who want to engage with cyberinfrastructure at different career stages and in different institutional contexts.

A major priority of CI TEAM is broadening participation and strengthening diversity in cyberinfrastructure-related science and engineering. The solicitation places particular emphasis on including individuals and organizations that have been historically underrepresented, and it specifically highlights Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Importantly, the program frames these communities not only as beneficiaries or trainees, but as both creators and users of cyberinfrastructure, meaning projects are encouraged to involve participants in meaningful design, development, deployment, and application work rather than limiting them to passive exposure.

The solicitation invites three distinct project types, all aimed at developing a “cyberinfrastructure-savvy” workforce, but differing in maturity, scale, and intended reach. Demonstration Projects are exploratory and can be narrower in scope or scale, designed to test promising approaches that could later be expanded or replicated; NSF positions them as potential exemplars for larger efforts. Implementation Projects are generally larger and are expected to build on prior experience, evidence, or established team capability, translating proven ideas into more robust programs. Diffusion Projects are designed for broad national impact, focusing on spreading research results, models, resources, and/or technologies to wide audiences. Implementation and Diffusion Projects, in particular, are expected to produce sustainable learning and workforce development activities that complement NSF’s broader cyberinfrastructure investments rather than duplicating them.

CI TEAM places strong emphasis on collaboration and partnerships, reflecting the reality that workforce development in cyberinfrastructure spans disciplines and sectors. Competitive projects are expected to bring together expertise from multiple fields and to build partnerships that support integrated research and learning across diverse organizations. Depending on the project goals, partnerships may involve universities and colleges, K-12 schools, government entities, industry, professional societies, nonprofit organizations, and even international partners. The solicitation also signals several practical features that NSF considers important: leveraging existing or in-development cyberinfrastructure efforts, using open software standards where appropriate, incorporating open educational resources, and providing thoughtful implementation details including management structures and evaluation plans that can demonstrate outcomes and guide improvement.

In terms of funding and scale, NSF anticipated a portfolio of roughly 12 awards supported by an estimated total program funding level of $5,000,000. Specifically, NSF expected to fund approximately 6 to 7 Demonstration Projects with budgets up to $250,000 total each, and approximately 3 to 6 Implementation or Diffusion Projects with budgets up to $1,000,000 total each. The award floor and ceiling in the opportunity reflect these tracks, with $250,000 as the lower bound and $1,000,000 as the upper bound. The funding instrument is a grant, and the solicitation states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

Eligibility is described broadly (with additional details referenced in the full solicitation text), but one notable condition is that principal investigators, co-principal investigators, or other senior personnel who were involved in certain earlier CI TEAM Demonstration Projects funded in fiscal years 2005, 2006, or 2007-2008 are eligible to submit to this competition in any of the project categories. At the same time, NSF makes clear that having a prior CI TEAM grant is not a prerequisite to apply, meaning new teams and institutions may compete as well.

Administratively, this was a discretionary NSF research and development funding opportunity spanning multiple NSF program areas, as reflected in the CFDA listings that include engineering; mathematical and physical sciences; geosciences; computer and information science and engineering; biological sciences; social, behavioral, and economic sciences; education and human resources; polar programs; international science and engineering; and the Office of Cyberinfrastructure. The opportunity was posted January 27, 2010, with a full proposal deadline of April 27, 2010, and it was later archived (and noted as replaced by another solicitation). For applicants, the primary takeaway is that CI TEAM was structured to fund well-partnered, well-managed projects that expand cyberinfrastructure skills and career pathways, demonstrate measurable training and education outcomes, and broaden participation at institutional and national levels through open, sustainable, and transferable approaches.

Browse more: Education Grants, Education Loans, Pell Grants

Browse more business programs for Infrastructure Services, Training Services, Cyberinfrastructure Services

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: National Science Foundation

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development

Next opportunity: Building the Capacity of Regional Health Management Team to Coordinate, Manage, and Support HIV/AIDS Clinical Services in the United Republic of Tanzania under the President s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)

Previous opportunity: Ocean Acidification

USGrants.org Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for 10 532

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (10 532) also looked into and applied for these:

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Subscribe to Leads

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "10 532", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.