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Strategic Technologies for Cyberinfrastructure (STCI) - FAQs

What is the Strategic Technologies for Cyberinfrastructure (STCI) program?

STCI is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity that funds innovative cyberinfrastructure work that does not fit neatly into NSF's more targeted cyberinfrastructure solicitations. The program is intended to support development and/or demonstration of new cyberinfrastructure services that can significantly strengthen science and engineering research and education.

Why does NSF offer STCI instead of only using targeted solicitations?

Cyberinfrastructure is broad and fast-moving, and promising ideas may not align with current targeted solicitations even if they could have major impact. STCI functions as a gap-filler in NSF's cyberinfrastructure portfolio by supporting proposals that address unmet needs and produce outcomes not already being pursued elsewhere.

What kinds of projects are a strong match for STCI?

Projects that clearly demonstrate potential impact on science or engineering research or education and that respond to a well-articulated cyberinfrastructure need that is not being met through other channels are considered strong matches. NSF emphasizes broad usefulness, meaning outcomes should matter to more than one research or educational community.

What does STCI mean by "cyberinfrastructure services"?

Based on the program description, STCI focuses on developing and/or demonstrating new cyberinfrastructure services that strengthen research and education. The emphasis is on services, capabilities, or approaches that can be used across multiple communities rather than one-off solutions for a single project.

Does STCI support education, outreach, or training projects?

Yes. In addition to technology and service development, STCI is willing to consider unusually innovative education, outreach, and training efforts in cyberinfrastructure, especially when those ideas fall outside the boundaries of existing, narrowly defined NSF programs.

How important is cross-disciplinary or multi-community impact?

It is a recurring theme of the program. STCI expects funded work to be compelling across multiple research or educational communities, with relevance across a range of disciplines and use cases. This suggests an emphasis on transferable tools, services, platforms, methods, or training models.

What are the key arguments a competitive STCI proposal needs to make?

Proposals are expected to make two arguments particularly well: (1) a clear and compelling case that the work could substantially advance research or education capabilities across multiple areas of science and engineering, and (2) an explanation of why the project does not belong in another NSF program or solicitation.

How does NSF distinguish STCI proposals from projects that belong in other programs?

STCI is designed for ideas that do not align with existing targeted solicitations. Applicants are expected to explain why their project does not belong in another NSF program or solicitation and why STCI is the appropriate fit.

Should applicants contact NSF program officers before submitting?

Yes. NSF recommends that applicants talk with relevant program officers before investing heavily in proposal development, primarily to confirm there is not a more appropriate targeted solicitation available (or forthcoming) that would be a better fit.

What does STCI expect in terms of showing project impact?

STCI is looking for proposals that demonstrate potential impact on science or engineering research or education, rather than only presenting an abstract idea. The program framing emphasizes convincing, clearly articulated impact and outcomes.

What does STCI mean by addressing an "unmet need"?

The program is intended to support proposals that respond to a clearly articulated cyberinfrastructure need that is not being met through other channels. In other words, the proposal should explain what need exists, why it matters, and why current efforts are not already addressing it.

What does STCI look for in proposals requesting larger budgets?

For larger-budget proposals, the program encourages applicants to show strong community buy-in before submitting. As a rule of thumb, this applies when budgets are around $500,000 per year or more.

How can applicants document community buy-in for larger-budget proposals?

Applicants are encouraged to document broad support using credible community-based evidence, such as references to workshop reports, National Academies reports, or other widely informed planning documents.

Is community buy-in required for all STCI proposals?

The program description highlights community buy-in most explicitly for larger-budget proposals (around $500,000 per year or more, as a rule of thumb). For smaller requests, the provided information does not state the same explicit expectation, though broad usefulness and relevance across communities remains a central theme.

What types of submissions are allowed under STCI besides standard R&D proposals?

STCI allows submissions for workshops, symposia, and Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER), as long as they clearly relate to the program scope.

What NSF guidance applies to proposal preparation and submission?

Applicants are directed to follow NSF's standard processes, using the NSF Grant Proposal Guide for general instructions.

Which NSF office administers the STCI program?

From the opportunity record, the program is administered by NSF's Office of Cyberinfrastructure.

What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?

The opportunity record lists CFDA 47.080.

What type of funding instrument is used?

The funding instrument is a grant.

What is the activity category for this opportunity?

The activity category is listed as science and technology and other research and development.

Is cost sharing required?

No. The opportunity record states that cost sharing is not required.

Who is eligible to apply?

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

What is the estimated total funding listed for the program?

The opportunity record lists an estimated total funding amount of $2,000,000.

When are proposals typically due?

Historically, the solicitation used target dates on the second Thursday in February and August each year.

What target or closing date is shown in the archived listing?

The specific archived listing includes an August 13, 2009 target/closing date.

What is the archive date shown for this opportunity record?

The opportunity record shows an archive date of March 5, 2010.

Where should applicants go for support with access issues related to submission?

Contact support for access issues was routed through NSF's grants.gov support channel.

Does STCI fund niche, single-community systems?

The program emphasizes broad usefulness and expects results that matter to more than one research or educational community. This suggests that one-off systems built for a single project are less aligned than transferable tools, services, platforms, methods, or training models with multi-community relevance.

How does STCI avoid duplicating work already underway elsewhere?

A stated expectation is that proposals aim to generate outcomes that are not already under development in other efforts and address needs not being met through other channels. Applicants are expected to make the case that their proposed outcomes are not already being pursued elsewhere.