Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0000264
Apply for DE FOA 0000264
- The Chicago Service Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "High Capacity Optical Networking and Deeply Integrated Middleware Services for Distributed Petascale Science" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049 Office of Science Financial Assistance Program.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 16, 2010 and posted on Feb 16, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 23, 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $3,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $750,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
- All types of domestic entities are eligible to apply as the lead institution, except other Federal agencies, Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) Contractors, and nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, through the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR), issued this funding opportunity to push U.S. research networking into the terabits-per-second era. The core aim is to support R and D that tackles the full end-to-end problem of moving massive scientific data sets across wide-area optical networks built on emerging 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100 GigE) technologies. The opportunity is framed around the idea that 100 GigE is not just a faster link speed, but a turning point that makes aggregate backbone capacities in the terabits per second range realistic. DOE is looking for innovations that help networks, hosts, and the software layers in between operate efficiently and reliably at those speeds, because the existing ecosystem was largely designed around much lower throughput and may not scale cleanly.
A central theme is that simply upgrading fiber links is not enough; the bottlenecks move into protocols, end systems, and operational tooling. The announcement highlights a wide range of technical areas where scaling problems are expected, including host networking stacks, network interface cards, transport and data transfer protocols, provisioning and traffic engineering approaches, protection and recovery mechanisms, and cybersecurity systems suitable for very high throughput science workflows. In practical terms, DOE is signaling interest in deeply integrated solutions that consider the whole path from the application and middleware services, through the host and transport layers, and into the optical backbone, rather than isolated point improvements. The mention of "deeply integrated middleware services for distributed petascale science" points to a focus on the software and services that sit above the network and make it usable for large, distributed scientific facilities and collaborations, where performance, automation, and reliability directly affect scientific productivity.
Administratively, this was a discretionary research and development opportunity under the DOE Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049), offered as grants and cooperative agreements. The DOE anticipated making about 10 awards, with an estimated total program funding level of $3.5 million. Individual awards were expected to fall between $175,000 and $750,000, and there was no cost sharing or matching requirement, which lowers the barrier for academic and nonprofit applicants and emphasizes DOE support for exploratory and foundational work.
Eligibility was broadly open to domestic entities, with key exclusions that commonly appear in DOE funding: other federal agencies could not apply as the lead, FFRDC contractors were excluded as leads, and certain 501(c)(4) organizations engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 were also ineligible. The solicitation was posted February 16, 2010, with an application deadline of April 23, 2010, and it was later archived July 30, 2010. Program and administrative contacts were provided through the Chicago Service Center, including a grants analyst and a program manager, and the full announcement was distributed via FedConnect.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted push to make terabit-scale optical networking practical for DOE science by funding work that addresses scaling limits across the entire data path, especially the middleware and operational capabilities that allow distributed petascale applications to move, manage, and protect data at extremely high rates without collapsing under complexity, inefficiency, or security constraints.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What agency and office issued this funding opportunity?
This opportunity was issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, through the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR).
What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The core purpose is to push U.S. research networking into the terabits-per-second era by supporting research and development (R&D) that addresses the end-to-end challenge of moving very large scientific data sets across wide-area optical networks built on emerging 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100 GigE) technologies.
Why does the opportunity emphasize 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100 GigE)?
The announcement frames 100 GigE as more than a simple speed increase. It is presented as a turning point that makes aggregate backbone capacities in the terabits-per-second range realistic, which in turn exposes new scaling and reliability issues throughout the full networking ecosystem.
Is upgrading fiber links alone considered sufficient to meet the program goals?
No. A central theme is that simply upgrading fiber links is not enough. As link speeds increase, bottlenecks shift into protocols, end systems (hosts), and operational tooling that were largely designed for much lower throughput and may not scale cleanly.
What does DOE mean by addressing the "full end-to-end problem"?
It means DOE is looking for innovations that consider the whole data path, including applications and middleware services, host and transport layers, and the optical backbone. The intent is to improve efficiency and reliability at very high speeds across the entire system, not just one isolated component.
What kinds of technical areas does the announcement highlight as likely scaling bottlenecks?
The opportunity highlights a broad range of areas where scaling problems are expected, including host networking stacks, network interface cards (NICs), transport and data transfer protocols, provisioning and traffic engineering approaches, protection and recovery mechanisms, and cybersecurity systems appropriate for very high-throughput science workflows.
What is meant by "deeply integrated solutions" in this solicitation?
DOE signals interest in solutions that are integrated across layers and components, rather than point improvements. The emphasis is on coordinated advances spanning software, hosts, protocols, operational capabilities, and optical networking so that the overall system can operate efficiently and reliably at terabit-scale capacities.
How does middleware fit into the program's focus?
The solicitation explicitly mentions "deeply integrated middleware services for distributed petascale science," pointing to interest in the software and services above the network that make high-performance data movement usable for large, distributed scientific facilities and collaborations, where performance, automation, and reliability directly affect scientific productivity.
What types of award instruments were planned?
This was offered under the DOE Office of Science Financial Assistance Program as grants and cooperative agreements.
What program listing (CFDA) is associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity was issued under CFDA 81.049.
How many awards did DOE expect to make?
DOE anticipated making about 10 awards.
What was the estimated total funding level for the program?
The estimated total program funding level was $3.5 million.
What was the expected range for individual award amounts?
Individual awards were expected to range from $175,000 to $750,000.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Who was eligible to apply as a lead applicant?
Eligibility was broadly open to domestic entities, with specific exclusions described in the announcement.
Which entities were explicitly excluded from applying as the lead?
The exclusions included other federal agencies (not allowed to apply as the lead), FFRDC contractors (excluded as leads), and certain 501(c)(4) organizations that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995.
When was the solicitation posted, and what was the application deadline?
The solicitation was posted on February 16, 2010, and the application deadline was April 23, 2010.
When was this funding opportunity archived?
It was later archived on July 30, 2010.
Where was the full announcement distributed?
The full announcement was distributed via FedConnect.
Were program and administrative contacts provided?
Yes. Program and administrative contacts were provided through the DOE Chicago Service Center, including a grants analyst and a program manager.
How should applicants interpret the program's overall intent?
The opportunity is best understood as a targeted push to make terabit-scale optical networking practical for DOE science by funding R&D that addresses scaling limits across the entire data path, with particular emphasis on middleware and operational capabilities that enable distributed petascale applications to move, manage, and protect data at extremely high rates.
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