Opportunity Information: Apply for 13 525
Apply for 13 525
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation SSE SSI" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041 Engineering Grants 47.049 Mathematical and Physical Sciences 47.050 Geosciences 47.070 Computer and Information Science and Engineering 47.074 Biological Sciences 47.075 Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences 47.076 Education and Human Resources 47.079 Office of International Science and Engineering 47.080 Office of Cyberinfrastructure 47.081 Office of Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 13, 2014 and posted on Dec 19, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Opportunity NSF 13 525 has been archived and replaced by NSF 14 520. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $22,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Organization Limit Proposals may only be submitted by the following Non profit, non academic organizations Independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research activities. Universities and Colleges Universities and two and four year colleges (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations also are referred to as academic institutions. span stylefont size 13px text align justifyFFRDCs may not receive funds directly from NSF under this solicitation./span
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation (SI2) program is a cyberinfrastructure-focused grant opportunity meant to move research software beyond one-off, project-specific code and into durable, widely usable resources that can support entire scientific communities over time. The core idea is that modern discovery in science and engineering increasingly depends on sophisticated software for computation, data handling, modeling, simulation, and the integration of experiments and observations. Through SI2, NSF is trying to build software that is robust, reliable, usable, and maintainable, so it becomes a lasting part of the nation s cyberinfrastructure and directly supports the broader CIF21 (Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science and Engineering) vision.
The solicitation emphasizes sustained innovation across the full software lifecycle, not just initial development. That means proposals are expected to address practical realities like community adoption, documentation, testing, usability, interoperability, governance, and long-term maintenance. NSF frames this as a long-term investment designed to catalyze better paradigms and practices for scientific software, enabling researchers to tackle problems at new scales and levels of complexity by combining computation, data, networking, instruments, and facilities in integrated ways. A major theme is community building: SI2 aims to create and sustain software communities that cut across disciplines and geography, and to encourage partnerships among universities, nonprofit research organizations, government labs, industry, and even international collaborators when appropriate.
This particular opportunity covers two award tracks. Scientific Software Elements (SSE) awards are intended for small teams that will create and deploy a specific, well-defined software element that meets a demonstrated need and advances one or more significant areas of science or engineering. In contrast, Scientific Software Integration (SSI) awards support larger, interdisciplinary teams working on shared software infrastructure intended to solve common research problems and serve broader user communities. SSI projects are expected to produce sustainable community frameworks rather than narrowly tailored tools, with clear evidence that the software will be adopted and used by a diverse set of researchers. Although SI2 also includes a third category, Scientific Software Innovation Institutes (S2I2), this solicitation explicitly excludes institute proposals because those were competed separately under a different NSF call.
NSF also makes it clear that SI2 is multi-directorate and encourages proposals with broad interdisciplinary impact, but participation and preferences vary by directorate and division. Biological Sciences (BIO), for example, is primarily interested in SSI proposals under this solicitation; SSE-scale biology software was directed to a different NSF program (ABI) and deadline path. CISE supports both SSE and SSI when they advance software infrastructure for CISE research and when software engineering research can be adapted to improve sustainability across other disciplines. Engineering (ENG) leans primarily toward SSI. Geosciences (GEO) emphasizes mid-scale SSI efforts with deep engagement from geoscience end users and strong collaboration between domain scientists and cyber or computer scientists, with priority for projects that can serve large and diverse user bases and that build on prior NSF or GEO cyberinfrastructure investments. Within Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS), certain divisions highlight specific topical interests, such as Materials Research interest in software aligned with the Materials Genome Initiative and DMREF, and interest from Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematical Sciences in broadly enabling computational tools; the Chemistry Division noted a temporary pause in participation for one year in the provided text. Across these areas, NSF signals that education and workforce development are not side items: proposals are expected to include integrated education and training activities that help embed cyberinfrastructure into everyday scientific practice and prepare the next generation of researchers and software-capable scientists.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is a discretionary NSF grant program with an estimated total funding level of about 22.5 million dollars and an expected 25 awards. Award sizes in the source information range from a floor of 300,000 to a ceiling of 5,000,000, and there is no cost-sharing requirement listed. Eligible applicants include accredited US universities and colleges (including community colleges) submitting on behalf of faculty, as well as certain US-based nonprofit, non-academic organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies associated with research or education. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) are specifically noted as not being able to receive funds directly from NSF under this solicitation. The solicitation described was NSF 13-525, posted December 19, 2012, with annual deadlines described as the first Monday in February after the listed cycles; it was later archived and replaced by NSF 14-520, which matters mainly for applicants trying to find the currently active version of the program announcement.
A practical takeaway is that SI2 SSE and SSI proposals are judged not only on the novelty of the software or the science it enables, but also on whether the team has a credible plan for long-term sustainability and community uptake. NSF explicitly recommends that prospective principal investigators contact the cognizant program officers aligned with the main disciplinary impact of the work, since directorate participation levels and budget expectations can differ and because program officers can help confirm whether a proposed scope fits best as SSE or SSI (or whether it belongs in a different NSF program entirely).
NSF SI2 (Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation) Program FAQs
1) What is the NSF Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation (SI2) program?
SI2 is a National Science Foundation program focused on improving and sustaining research software as a core part of national cyberinfrastructure. It aims to move software beyond one-off, project-specific code and into durable, widely usable resources that can support entire scientific communities over time.
2) What kinds of software activities does SI2 support?
SI2 supports software that enables modern discovery in science and engineering, including software for computation, data handling, modeling, simulation, and integrating experiments and observations. The emphasis is not only on building new capabilities, but also on making software robust, reliable, usable, interoperable, and maintainable.
3) How is SI2 connected to NSF cyberinfrastructure goals?
SI2 is intended to advance NSF's CIF21 (Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science and Engineering) vision by strengthening the software layer of cyberinfrastructure and enabling researchers to tackle problems at larger scales and higher complexity by combining computation, data, networking, instruments, and facilities.
4) What does NSF mean by "sustained innovation" in this solicitation?
"Sustained innovation" means proposals are expected to address the full software lifecycle, not just initial development. This includes plans for community adoption, documentation, testing, usability, interoperability, governance, and long-term maintenance so the software remains useful over time.
5) What are the award tracks available under this SI2 opportunity?
This opportunity describes two award tracks: Scientific Software Elements (SSE) and Scientific Software Integration (SSI).
6) What is a Scientific Software Elements (SSE) award?
SSE awards are intended for small teams to create and deploy a specific, well-defined software element. The software element must meet a demonstrated need and advance one or more significant areas of science or engineering.
7) What is a Scientific Software Integration (SSI) award?
SSI awards support larger, interdisciplinary teams developing shared software infrastructure meant to solve common research problems and serve broader user communities. SSI projects are expected to deliver sustainable community frameworks rather than narrowly tailored tools, with evidence the software will be adopted and used by diverse researchers.
8) Are Scientific Software Innovation Institutes (S2I2) included in this solicitation?
No. While SI2 includes a third category called Scientific Software Innovation Institutes (S2I2), this solicitation explicitly excludes institute proposals because those were competed separately under a different NSF call.
9) Is SI2 limited to one discipline or NSF directorate?
No. SI2 is described as multi-directorate and encourages proposals with broad, interdisciplinary impact. However, participation and preferences can vary by directorate and division.
10) What does NSF say about community building and partnerships?
A major SI2 theme is community building. The program aims to create and sustain software communities that cut across disciplines and geography, and it encourages partnerships among universities, nonprofit research organizations, government labs, industry, and international collaborators when appropriate.
11) What are directorate-specific preferences mentioned in the provided information?
- BIO (Biological Sciences): primarily interested in SSI proposals under this solicitation; SSE-scale biology software was directed to a different NSF program (ABI) and deadline path.
- CISE: supports both SSE and SSI when they advance software infrastructure for CISE research and when software engineering research can be adapted to improve sustainability across other disciplines.
- ENG (Engineering): leans primarily toward SSI.
- GEO (Geosciences): emphasizes mid-scale SSI with deep engagement from geoscience end users, strong domain/cyber collaboration, priority for projects serving large and diverse user bases, and preference for efforts building on prior NSF or GEO cyberinfrastructure investments.
- MPS (Mathematics and Physical Sciences): includes division-specific topical interests (for example, Materials Research interest in software aligned with the Materials Genome Initiative and DMREF; Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematical Sciences interest in broadly enabling computational tools). The Chemistry Division noted a temporary pause in participation for one year in the provided text.
12) How important are education and workforce development activities in SI2 proposals?
They are treated as integral. The solicitation signals that education and workforce development should be integrated into the project to help embed cyberinfrastructure into everyday scientific practice and prepare the next generation of researchers and software-capable scientists.
13) How much funding is available through this opportunity?
The estimated total funding level is about $22.5 million, with an expected 25 awards.
14) What is the typical award size range?
The award sizes in the provided information range from a minimum of $300,000 to a maximum of $5,000,000.
15) Is cost sharing required?
No cost-sharing requirement is listed in the provided information.
16) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include accredited U.S. universities and colleges (including community colleges) submitting on behalf of faculty, and certain U.S.-based nonprofit, non-academic organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies associated with research or education.
17) Can Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) apply directly for funding under this solicitation?
No. FFRDCs are specifically noted as not being able to receive funds directly from NSF under this solicitation.
18) What kinds of proposal qualities are emphasized in review beyond novelty?
Proposals are judged not only on the novelty of the software or the science it enables, but also on whether the team has a credible plan for long-term sustainability and community uptake. Practical elements such as documentation, testing, usability, interoperability, governance, adoption, and maintenance are emphasized.
19) Should applicants contact NSF program officers before submitting?
Yes. NSF explicitly recommends that prospective principal investigators contact the cognizant program officers aligned with the main disciplinary impact of the work. Directorate participation levels and budget expectations can differ, and program officers can help confirm whether the scope fits best as SSE or SSI (or whether it belongs in a different NSF program).
20) What is the solicitation number and when was it posted?
The solicitation described is NSF 13-525, posted December 19, 2012.
21) What were the deadlines described for this solicitation?
The provided text describes annual deadlines as the first Monday in February after the listed cycles.
22) Is this solicitation still current?
The provided information notes that NSF 13-525 was later archived and replaced by NSF 14-520. This matters for applicants trying to locate the currently active version of the program announcement.
23) How should a team decide between SSE and SSI?
Based on the provided description, SSE is designed for a well-defined software element developed by a small team, while SSI is designed for larger interdisciplinary efforts building shared infrastructure and sustainable community frameworks with broad adoption. NSF also recommends discussing fit with the appropriate program officers.
24) What does SI2 mean by "software as cyberinfrastructure"?
In this context, software is treated as an essential, shared enabling resource for research communities. SI2 seeks software that is durable and widely usable, so it becomes a lasting part of the nation's cyberinfrastructure rather than remaining a short-lived, project-specific artifact.
25) What is a key practical takeaway for applicants?
A key takeaway is that SI2 expects credible, detailed sustainability and adoption plans. Strong proposals should show how the software will be maintained, governed, documented, tested, and used by a community over time, not just built.
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