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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF Sensors and Sensing Systems (SSS) Program (PD 12-1639)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This is the National Science Foundation (NSF) Sensors and Sensing Systems (SSS) program, Funding Opportunity Number PD 12-1639. It is a discretionary grant opportunity in the Engineering Grants area (CFDA 47.041) and uses the grant funding instrument.

2) What does the SSS program primarily fund?

SSS primarily supports science and technology research and development focused on the fundamentals of sensing. The emphasis is on foundational, theory-driven advances that change what sensing systems can do or how they can be understood, rather than building a particular device or demonstrating a specific end-use application.

3) What is the central emphasis or “best fit” for SSS proposals?

SSS is a strong fit for investigators pursuing core scientific, mathematical, or conceptual breakthroughs that could broadly impact sensing and sensor-networked systems across many domains. The program is positioned as a home for deep theoretical or foundational contributions about sensing systems.

4) What research directions are explicitly within scope?

NSF describes several representative directions that fit the program’s fundamental scope, including:

• Discovering and characterizing new sensing modalities (new ways to measure, infer, or observe physical phenomena).
• Developing fundamental theories for aggregating and analyzing sensed data (principled methods for data fusion, inference, and decision-making).
• Creating fundamentally new approaches to data transmission within sensing systems (including novel communication or information-theoretic ideas tailored to sensing constraints).
• Developing rigorous methods for dealing with uncertain, incomplete, or partially observed sensor data.

5) Does the program support work on nonlinear prediction, filtering, and estimation?

Yes. The program highlights innovative research in nonlinear prediction, filtering, and estimation in the context of sensing systems, signaling interest in advances to core methods that underpin tracking, state estimation, and inference under noisy, nonlinear, time-varying, or otherwise challenging conditions.

6) What kinds of projects are not a good match for SSS?

SSS is not intended for developmental work such as building and iterating on specific sensors, engineering prototypes, or conducting application or field studies that primarily validate performance in a particular use case. The program focus is fundamental research rather than device development and application demonstrations.

7) If my work includes building a sensor or sensing system, can it still fit SSS?

It may, but only if the main intellectual contribution is a fundamental research result aligned with SSS’s theory-driven emphasis. NSF also notes that if the main intellectual contribution belongs in another program within NSF Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI), proposers should submit to that most relevant CMMI program and list SSS as a secondary program.

8) What if my proposal does not align with CMMI-relevant research?

NSF guidance indicates that proposals not aligned with CMMI-relevant research should be routed to the appropriate NSF division instead of SSS.

9) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. This opportunity states that there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

10) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any clarifications that may appear in the full announcement text.

11) What are the recurring annual due date cycles mentioned for this program?

The program operated with recurring annual due dates in two cycles, with proposal windows due by 5 p.m. local time: January 7 and February 7, and September 7 and October 7.

12) What were the specific proposal windows listed in the provided record?

For the cycle shown in the provided data, there was a full proposal window from September 1, 2012 to October 1, 2012, and another from January 15, 2013 to February 15, 2013.

13) What was the “current closing date” recorded in the provided record?

The record shows the current closing date at that time as February 15, 2013.

14) What time are proposals due?

Proposal windows are due by 5 p.m. local time (as stated for the recurring annual due date cycles).

15) When was this opportunity posted, created, and archived (per the provided record)?

• Posting date: May 29, 2012
• Creation date: July 16, 2012
• Archive date: November 1, 2016

16) The listing shows “ExpectedAwards: 0” and “EstimatedTotalFunding: 0.” Does that mean there was no funding?

Not necessarily. The provided information indicates that these values typically reflect that award counts and total funding amounts were not specified in the record, rather than implying the program made no awards.

17) Where should applicants go for authoritative program goals, fit guidance, and proposal requirements?

The opportunity references an additional information link to the NSF program description (12-1639), where applicants would normally find the authoritative program goals, fit guidance, and proposal preparation requirements.

18) Who do I contact if I cannot access the announcement through Grants.gov?

NSF notes that issues accessing the announcement through Grants.gov should be directed to Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

19) What is the key “fit” message NSF is communicating about SSS?

SSS is positioned for fundamental, theory-driven contributions about sensing systems (new modalities, foundational inference/data-fusion theory, sensing-tailored data transmission concepts, and rigorous treatment of uncertainty and partial observability). It is not meant as a catch-all for sensor technology development, prototypes, or field validation centered on a specific application.