Funder: National Science Foundation
Due Dates: June 17, 2024 (Emerging Ideas) | September 17, 2025 (Discovery) | September 17, 2026 (Discovery)
Funding Amounts: Track I: up to $500,000 (18–24 months) | Track II: up to $3,000,000 total ($750,000/year, up to 4 years)
Summary: Supports interdisciplinary research that accelerates scientific discovery through computing, fostering collaborations between computing and other scientific or engineering disciplines.
Key Information: Proposals must include both computing and another NSF-supported science/engineering discipline; strict PI/co-PI proposal limits apply.
Description
This opportunity from the National Science Foundation (NSF) aims to catalyze advances at the intersection of computing and scientific discovery. The program supports interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers in computing (as defined by NSF's Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) core programs) and those in other scientific or engineering disciplines (specifically, Biological Sciences, Engineering, or Mathematical and Physical Sciences).
The program is structured in two tracks:
- Track I: Emerging Ideas — For speculative, multidisciplinary projects exploring bold new research directions, with the goal of obtaining preliminary results and refining research plans.
- Track II: Discovery — For transformative, interdisciplinary research with demonstrated potential to significantly advance both computing and the targeted scientific discipline(s).
Projects must address both the development of novel computational technologies and their application to advance scientific discovery, with an emphasis on reciprocal innovation that benefits both fields.
Due Dates
- Track I: Emerging Ideas Proposals: June 17, 2024
- Track II: Discovery Proposals: September 17, 2025 and September 17, 2026
All deadlines are at 5:00 p.m. local time of the submitting organization.
Funding Amount
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Track I: Emerging Ideas
- Up to $500,000 total
- Duration: up to 18–24 months
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Track II: Discovery
- Up to $750,000 per year
- Duration: up to 4 years (maximum $3,000,000 total)
Approximately 30 Track I awards and 12 Track II awards are anticipated, subject to availability of funds and proposal quality.
Eligibility
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Eligible Institutions:
- U.S.-based accredited two- and four-year institutions of higher education (including community colleges)
- U.S.-based non-profit, non-academic organizations (e.g., independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies) directly associated with educational or research activities
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Principal Investigator (PI) Requirements:
- Interdisciplinary teams must include at least one researcher from a CISE discipline and one from another eligible NSF discipline (Biological Sciences, Engineering, or Mathematical and Physical Sciences)
- By the submission deadline, any PI or co-PI must hold:
- A tenured or tenure-track position, or
- A primary, full-time, paid research or teaching appointment at an eligible U.S. institution
- Individuals with primary appointments at for-profit non-academic organizations or at overseas branch campuses of U.S. IHEs are not eligible
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Proposal Limits:
- An individual may participate as PI or co-PI in no more than one proposal per deadline (strictly enforced)
Application Process
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Submission Platforms: Proposals may be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov
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Letters of Intent/Preliminary Proposals: Not required
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Full Proposal Requirements:
- Must follow the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
- Must include a section titled "Contributions to Computing and Scientific Discovery" describing the novel contributions to both fields and potential for generalization
- Must include a detailed Collaboration Plan (max 2 pages) as a supplementary document; proposals lacking this will be returned without review
- Proposal titles must begin with "ACED:"
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Budgetary Notes:
- No cost sharing required or allowed
- Indirect costs follow standard NSF policy
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Review Criteria:
- Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts (NSF standard)
- Additional criteria: importance and novelty in both domains, strength of reciprocal innovation, effectiveness of collaboration mechanisms, and (for Track II) quality of field demonstration and evaluation plan
Additional Information
- PI Meeting: All funded PIs are expected to attend an in-person PI meeting in fall 2025 in Alexandria, VA; travel should be budgeted.
- Broadening Participation: NSF encourages proposals from and partnerships with institutions and individuals underrepresented in STEM.
- Award Types: Standard or continuing grants
External Links
Contact Information
For the most current contacts and updates, see the NSF ACED program page.