Advanced Computing Systems & Services: Adapting to the Rapid Evolution of Science and Engineering Research

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Description

This NSF solicitation seeks proposals from organizations willing to serve as resource providers within the Advanced Computing Systems and Services (ACSS) program. The goal is to provide advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI) resources and services in production to support the full spectrum of computational- and data-intensive research across all science and engineering (S&E) disciplines. The program emphasizes democratized and equitable access to these resources.

The solicitation complements prior NSF investments by provisioning resources in two categories:

• Category I: Capacity Resources
  Production computational resources designed to maximize capacity and throughput for a broad range of S&E research needs, including support for small- to mid-scale jobs and emerging application classes such as AI/ML/DL. Proposals should demonstrate how the resource meets current and future demand, supports underrepresented communities, and integrates with campus and national cyberinfrastructure ecosystems.

• Category II: Innovative Prototypes/Testbeds
  Forward-looking prototypes or testbeds deploying novel technologies, architectures, or usage modes to enable new methods and paradigms for S&E discoveries. These may include emerging computing paradigms (e.g., non-von Neumann architectures, quantum computing), domain-specific architectures, or innovative power infrastructure models. Proposals must include plans for transitioning to production services and engaging a national user community.

Resource providers will be incorporated into NSF’s ACSS portfolio, which complements leadership-class computing investments and supports a federation of nationally available HPC resources. At least 90% of provisioned resources must be accessible to the S&E community through an open peer-reviewed national allocation process, with user support coordinated via the NSF-funded ACCESS program or an approved alternative.

The program strongly encourages proposals that:

• Broaden participation by underrepresented groups and institutions new to nationally allocatable cyberinfrastructure.
• Address the growing scale and diversity of the S&E community.
• Leverage emerging technologies, including network edge capabilities and commercial cloud services.
• Consider the full lifecycle environmental impact of the proposed resources.

Proposals must demonstrate high reliability and usability, with at least 96% of submitted applications completing without resubmission due to system failure, and resource availability of at least 95% over a month.

Due Dates

• October 29, 2024 — Category I (Capacity Resources)
• October 28, 2025 — Category II (Innovative Prototypes/Testbeds)

(Note: Earlier deadlines in 2023 have passed; these are the upcoming relevant deadlines.)

Funding Amount

• Category I awards: Up to $10,000,000 total for up to 5 years.
• Category II awards: Up to $5,000,000 total for up to 5 years.

User support and operating costs are funded separately as supplements, expected to be up to 20% of acquisition costs annually, with a possible additional 5% upon strong justification.

Eligibility

• Who May Submit:

  • U.S.-based Institutions of Higher Education (two- and four-year, including community colleges) accredited and with a U.S. campus.
  • Non-profit, non-academic organizations such as museums, observatories, research labs, and professional societies in the U.S.
  • NSF-sponsored federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), excluding costs already federally funded.

• PI Eligibility: No restrictions on who may serve as PI.

• Proposal Limits:

  • One proposal per organization as lead institution (may be subawardee on others).
  • One proposal per individual as PI or co-PI.
  • Collaborative proposals must be submitted as a single proposal with subawards.

Application Process

• Proposals must be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov (FastLane is not accepted).
• No letters of intent or preliminary proposals required.
• Proposal title must begin with “Category I:” or “Category II:” depending on the submission.
• Project Description limited to 30 pages and must include sections on resource specification, S&E application performance, reliability and usability, project management and risk mitigation, data infrastructure, security, operations plan, and broader impacts.
• Detailed budget justification required; user support and operating costs must be detailed separately in supplementary documents (not in the main budget).
• Proposals must include performance benchmarks, projected operating costs, list of participating institutions, user support plans, and letters of collaboration (not endorsements).
• Proprietary information must be clearly marked.

Additional Information

• Awards are cooperative agreements with performance requirements and metrics.
• Proposals must include a risk mitigation plan addressing technical and management risks.
• Emphasis on broadening participation, including women, underrepresented minorities, individuals with disabilities, and institutions new to national cyberinfrastructure.
• Proposals should consider integration with other NSF-funded CI projects and national initiatives such as the National Strategic Computing Reserve and National AI Research Resource.
• Environmental sustainability considerations are encouraged but core sustainability research should be proposed through other NSF programs.
• Annual and final reporting requirements apply, including project outcomes reports for the public.

External Links

• Program Solicitation and Details (NSF 23-518)
• Latest Version of Solicitation (NSF 24-583)
• NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
• ACCESS Program
• Partnership to Advanced Throughput Computing (PATh)
• National Strategic Computing Reserve Blueprint
• National AI Research Resource Interim Report
• The Missing Millions Report
• National Science Board Vision 2030 Report

Contact Information

For Grants.gov technical support:

• Phone: 1-800-518-4726
• Email: support@grants.gov

For Research.gov technical support:

• Phone: 1-800-673-6188
• Email: rgov@nsf.gov