Opportunity Information: Apply for 12 576
Apply for 12 576
- 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" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.049 Mathematical and Physical Sciences 47.080 Office of Cyberinfrastructure.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 29, 2012 and posted on Jun 29, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 27, 2012 Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposers local time) August 27, 2012 Full Proposal Deadline(s) September 27, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $4,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 9 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation (SI2), NSF funding opportunity number 12-576, is a National Science Foundation grant solicitation focused on building and sustaining high-impact scientific software as a core part of modern research infrastructure. The program is framed around the idea that software is no longer just a supporting tool for science, but a primary driver of discovery across computation, experiment, and theory. It aligns with NSF's broader Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science and Engineering (CIF21), emphasizing software as essential infrastructure that improves scientific productivity, expands what researchers can do, and opens new pathways to innovation.
This particular solicitation targets international software collaborations that address "grand challenges" in the chemical sciences, specifically through a partnership between NSF in the United States and EPSRC in the United Kingdom. The intent is to support software efforts that enable chemists and related researchers to move faster and more flexibly, including the ability to rapidly prototype and test new algorithms and methods, adapt to and exploit new heterogeneous computing architectures, and explore data-enabled research scenarios that depend on scalable, reliable, and well-engineered code. A central theme is sustainability: proposals are expected to do more than produce a one-off research codebase, and instead create software resources that can be maintained, adopted, extended, and used by broader communities over time as part of the scientific cyberinfrastructure.
The solicitation is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the grant mechanism. NSF anticipated making about 9 awards under this opportunity, with an estimated total funding amount of $4.5 million and an award floor of $1.5 million. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement listed, which generally means proposers are not required to contribute a specific institutional cost share to be eligible, although projects are still expected to be realistic in budgeting and resourcing.
Eligibility includes U.S.-based universities and colleges (including two- and four-year institutions and community colleges) that are accredited and have a campus located in the United States, submitting on behalf of faculty members. It also includes certain non-profit, non-academic U.S. organizations associated with education or research activities, such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar entities. While the work is international in collaboration, the eligible submitting organizations are U.S. institutions within these categories, with the international component reflecting the NSF-EPSRC partnership and the program's explicit encouragement of software collaboration with foreign investigators to increase innovation, capability, support structures, and long-term sustainability.
The timeline for this opportunity required a preliminary proposal, due August 27, 2012 (by 5 p.m. the proposer’s local time), followed by a full proposal deadline of September 27, 2012. The opportunity was posted June 29, 2012, and later archived October 27, 2012. It is associated with CFDA numbers 47.049 (Mathematical and Physical Sciences) and 47.080 (Office of Cyberinfrastructure), reinforcing that it sits at the intersection of domain science (here, chemical sciences) and robust cyberinfrastructure-oriented software development.
In practical terms, the opportunity is aimed at teams that can demonstrate both scientific ambition and strong software engineering planning: creating enabling tools that the chemical sciences community can rely on, that are designed for evolving computing platforms and emerging data-intensive methods, and that have credible plans for ongoing maintenance, community uptake, documentation, and support. The full solicitation is referenced as NSF Publication 12-576, and technical assistance for accessing the announcement was directed to NSF Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF SI2 (NSF 12-576) International Software Collaborations in the Chemical Sciences
What is the Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation (SI2) program?
Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation (SI2) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant solicitation focused on building and sustaining high-impact scientific software as a core component of modern research infrastructure. The program is built around the idea that software is not just a supporting tool, but a primary driver of discovery across computation, experiment, and theory.
What is the specific focus of this SI2 solicitation (NSF 12-576)?
This solicitation targets international software collaborations addressing "grand challenges" in the chemical sciences through a partnership between NSF (United States) and EPSRC (United Kingdom). The emphasis is on software that helps chemists and related researchers move faster and more flexibly, including rapid prototyping of algorithms and methods, adaptation to new heterogeneous computing architectures, and scalable, reliable support for data-enabled research.
How does this opportunity relate to NSF's broader cyberinfrastructure goals?
The solicitation aligns with NSF's Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science and Engineering (CIF21). It emphasizes software as essential infrastructure that improves scientific productivity, expands research capabilities, and creates new pathways to innovation.
What types of software outcomes is the program trying to support?
The program is aimed at enabling software resources that the chemical sciences community can rely on over time. Proposals are expected to go beyond creating a one-off codebase and instead produce software that can be maintained, adopted, extended, and used broadly as part of the scientific cyberinfrastructure.
What does "sustainability" mean in the context of this solicitation?
Sustainability is a central theme and refers to credible plans for long-term maintenance and usability of the software. This includes planning for community uptake, documentation, support, and the ability for the software to evolve as computing platforms and research needs change.
Is this funding intended for research only, or also for software engineering and infrastructure work?
Based on the solicitation description, projects are expected to combine scientific ambition with strong software engineering planning. The opportunity supports software development as infrastructure, including engineering for scalability, reliability, and adaptation to evolving computing architectures and data-intensive approaches.
What scientific domain is this solicitation centered on?
This particular solicitation is centered on the chemical sciences and specifically seeks software collaborations that address grand challenges in that domain, while also supporting related researchers who rely on chemical-science-focused capabilities.
What makes this solicitation "international"?
The solicitation is framed around a partnership between NSF (U.S.) and EPSRC (U.K.) and explicitly targets international software collaborations. While proposals are submitted by eligible U.S. organizations, the collaboration component reflects the NSF-EPSRC partnership and encourages software collaboration with foreign investigators to increase innovation, capability, support structures, and long-term sustainability.
Who is eligible to submit a proposal to NSF under this opportunity?
Eligible submitting organizations include U.S.-based universities and colleges (including two- and four-year institutions and community colleges) that are accredited and have a campus located in the United States, submitting on behalf of faculty members. Certain non-profit, non-academic U.S. organizations associated with education or research activities are also eligible, such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar entities.
Can non-U.S. organizations submit the proposal directly?
Based on the information provided, the eligible submitting organizations are U.S. institutions within the listed categories. The international aspect is reflected through collaboration, but submission eligibility is described in terms of U.S.-based organizations.
What funding mechanism does NSF use for this opportunity?
The solicitation is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the grant mechanism.
How many awards did NSF expect to make under this solicitation?
NSF anticipated making about 9 awards under this opportunity.
What was the estimated total funding amount available?
The estimated total funding amount for the solicitation was $4.5 million.
What was the award floor for this opportunity?
The award floor listed for this opportunity was $1.5 million.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost-sharing or matching requirement is listed. That generally means proposers are not required to provide a specific institutional cost share to be eligible, though projects are still expected to be realistic in their budgeting and resourcing.
What were the key submission dates for this solicitation?
The timeline required a preliminary proposal due August 27, 2012 (by 5 p.m. the proposer’s local time), followed by a full proposal deadline of September 27, 2012.
When was the solicitation posted and when was it archived?
The opportunity was posted on June 29, 2012, and was later archived on October 27, 2012.
What does it mean that the solicitation is archived?
Based on the provided information, the solicitation being archived indicates it is no longer an active, open opportunity under the listed dates and has been placed in NSF's archived status.
Which CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity, and what do they indicate?
The solicitation is associated with CFDA numbers 47.049 (Mathematical and Physical Sciences) and 47.080 (Office of Cyberinfrastructure). This reflects that the opportunity sits at the intersection of domain science (chemical sciences within mathematical and physical sciences) and cyberinfrastructure-oriented software development.
What kinds of project capabilities and plans were emphasized as important?
The solicitation emphasizes teams that can deliver enabling tools designed for evolving computing platforms and emerging data-intensive methods, with scalable, reliable, and well-engineered code. It also highlights the importance of credible plans for maintenance, documentation, community adoption, and support.
What kinds of computing trends does the solicitation highlight?
The solicitation highlights the need to adapt to and exploit new heterogeneous computing architectures and to support data-enabled research scenarios that require scalable and reliable software.
What is the official reference for the full solicitation?
The full solicitation is referenced as NSF Publication 12-576 (NSF funding opportunity number 12-576).
Where was technical assistance directed for accessing the announcement?
Technical assistance for accessing the announcement was directed to NSF Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.
What research communities are expected to benefit from the funded software?
The primary target community is chemical sciences, along with related researchers who depend on chemical-science-relevant software capabilities. The solicitation also emphasizes broader community use over time through adoption, extension, and sustained maintenance.
What distinguishes this solicitation from typical "research code" development?
The solicitation stresses that proposals should not simply produce a one-off research codebase. Instead, they should create software resources treated as infrastructure: engineered, scalable, reliable, maintainable, and positioned for broad adoption and long-term use as part of the scientific cyberinfrastructure.
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|---|
| International Collaborations in Organismal Biology Between US and Israeli Investigators Apply for 12 577 Funding Number: 12 577 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $230,000 |
| Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) Apply for DARPA BAA 12 52 Funding Number: DARPA BAA 12 52 Agency: DARPA Defense Sciences Office Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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| Partnerships for Innovation Building Innovation Capacity Apply for 12 578 Funding Number: 12 578 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $600,000 |
| DoD FY 2013 DEFENSE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION PROGRAM (DURIP) For Proposal Submission to the Air Force Apply for PA AFOSR 2012 0004 Funding Number: PA AFOSR 2012 0004 Agency: Air Force Office of Scientific Research Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT For Extramural Biomedical Research and Development Apply for W81XWH USSOCOMBAA 12 1 Funding Number: W81XWH USSOCOMBAA 12 1 Agency: Dept. of the Army USAMRAA Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| San Marcos National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center Apply for F12AS00258 Funding Number: F12AS00258 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $12,500 |
| San Marcos National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center Apply for F12AS00287 Funding Number: F12AS00287 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $12,500 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Gulf Coast CESU Apply for G12AS20072 Funding Number: G12AS20072 Agency: Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) Core Programs Apply for 12 580 Funding Number: 12 580 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Nitrogen Improving on Nature Apply for 12 579 Funding Number: 12 579 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF) Core Programs Apply for 12 581 Funding Number: 12 581 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Computer and Network Systems (CNS) Core Programs Apply for 12 582 Funding Number: 12 582 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Earthscope SAFOD Management Office (SMO) Apply for 12 574 Funding Number: 12 574 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Engineering and Systems Design Apply for PD 12 1464 Funding Number: PD 12 1464 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Systems Science Apply for PD 12 8085 Funding Number: PD 12 8085 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Catalyzing New International Collaborations Apply for 12 573 Funding Number: 12 573 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| General Age Related Disabilities Engineering (GARDE) Apply for PD 13 5342 Funding Number: PD 13 5342 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| FY13 Coral Reef Conservation Program Domestic Coral Reef Conservation Grants Apply for NOAA NOS OCRM 2013 2003459 Funding Number: NOAA NOS OCRM 2013 2003459 Agency: Department of Commerce Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| Special Program Announcement for Office of Naval Research DARPA/ONR Field Reversible Thermal Connector (RevCon) Challenge II Apply for 12 SN 0015 Funding Number: 12 SN 0015 Agency: Office of Naval Research Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $7,500 |
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