Expeditions in Computing | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), created the Expeditions in Computing program to support large, ambitious research efforts aimed at shaping the future of computing and information science. The program is built around the idea that computing has already produced enormous societal and economic benefits, but that the biggest breakthroughs are still ahead. Expeditions is meant to give the research and education community the space, scale, and time horizon to pursue fundamental questions and transformative agendas that would be difficult to tackle through smaller, single-investigator awards. The emphasis is on bold, potentially disruptive ideas that can drive lasting innovation across the field for many years.

A central theme of the opportunity is team-based, interdisciplinary collaboration. NSF encourages investigators to organize within a single department, across departments, or across multiple institutions to combine expertise and develop compelling research visions. CISE explicitly recognizes that major advances in computing often require progress in multiple subfields at once (for example, advances that blend systems, theory, AI, human-centered computing, security, hardware, networking, or data science). Because of that, the program is structured and funded to promote formation of sizable research teams capable of sustained, coordinated work rather than isolated projects.

In terms of funding scale, Expeditions represents one of CISEs largest individual investments. Awards can be funded at levels up to 2,000,000 dollars per year for five years, which implies total project sizes up to about 10,000,000 dollars. The opportunity lists an award floor of 10,000,000 dollars, consistent with the expectation that these are large, long-term center-like projects rather than typical grants. NSF anticipated running the competition annually and making about three awards per competition. Over time, this schedule was intended to build toward a steady state portfolio of roughly fifteen active projects supported across a five-year rolling window. CISE positions Expeditions, together with its Science and Technology Centers, as a centerpiece of the directorates broader awards portfolio, complementing other CISE programs that focus on narrower disciplines or specific topic areas.

Eligibility is primarily targeted to U.S. academic institutions that offer undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs in computer and information science and engineering fields. Those institutions may apply as lead organizations or as part of collaborative proposals. The program also allows subawardees such as two- and four-year colleges and certain U.S. nonprofit, non-academic organizations (for example museums, institutes, observatories, professional societies, and similar entities) when they are directly tied to education or research activity in computing and information. Other entities, including national laboratories, for-profit organizations, and organizations outside the United States, may participate in project activities, but they must bring their own independent funding because NSF will not support them financially under this solicitation.

Administratively, this is a discretionary NSF grant opportunity in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category, associated with CFDA number 47.070 (Computer and Information Science and Engineering). The solicitation indicated no cost sharing or matching requirement. The process uses a required preliminary proposal step followed by an invited or full proposal stage on an annual cycle, with preliminary proposals due September 10 (by 5 p.m. local time) and full proposals due February 10 in subsequent cycles. The opportunity expected three awards and listed estimated total funding of 30,000,000 dollars for the competition referenced in the posting. The original solicitation is identified as NSF Publication 08-568 (Funding Opportunity Number 08-568), with later notes indicating an updated opportunity number (10-564) for subsequent cycles.

Overall, Expeditions in Computing is designed for research groups with a high-risk, high-reward vision that is both fundamental and transformative, backed by a plan that justifies sustained investment at a scale large enough to integrate multiple lines of inquiry, train researchers, and produce outcomes capable of redefining what computing and information disciplines can do over the next decade and beyond.

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