Synopsis
Seeks to stimulate, contribute to, and make available for the research and education communities the very latest in high-performance networking capability in both the national and international arenas. The program seeks to enable the use of novel and advanced research applications across all disciplines of science and engineering; coordinate interactions with networking and other disciplines of science; and promote the analysis, improvement, and evolution of the Internet. The focus has shifted from backbone networks to middleware and network services, networked applications, and networking for new participants. Subprograms within this activity include the following:
Network Centric Middleware Services: Enables those entities who compose the advanced network community, including research universities, government agencies, and industrial units, to collaborate in assembling known and needed pieces of Network Centric Middleware Services. Middleware refers to the software that is common to multiple applications and builds on the network transport services to enable ready development of new applications and network services. By producing a working software distribution, this program will assemble the known pieces and highlight places where new knowledge is needed. Research is also supported on issues relating to this area, to accomplish the above goals. For specific program information, see program announcement NSF 01-63.
High Performance Network Connections for Science and Engineering Research: Seeks to provide high performance network connection support for institutions of higher education that are not currently connected to an advanced network, and encourages additional U.S. institutions to established such a high performance Internet connection when such a connection is required to advance an area of scientific research. For example, researchers at an institution that is not yet connected may wish to collaborate on a research project that requires high performance networking with investigators at other institutions. For specific program information, see program announcement NSF 01-73.
Strategic Technologies for the Internet: Improves the operational or functional capabilities of the Internet and enables related collateral efforts for the benefit of the research and education communities. Areas of support include but are not limited to complex network monitoring, problem detection, and resolution mechanisms; development of automated and advanced network tools, networked applications tools, or network-based middleware; creation of usable and widely deployable networking applications that promote collaborative research and information sharing; and innovative access network technologies. For specific program information, see program announcement NSF 01-90.