Highly Dependable Computing and Communication Systems Research (HDCCSR)

NSF and NASA will cooperate to fund projects that will promote the ability to design, test, implement, evolve, and certify highly dependable software-based systems. A significant feature of this solicitation is the use of a new NASA test-bed facility that will allow NSF awardees to experimentally evaluate their research products on significant real hardware/software artifacts.

Proposals of up to $160,000 per year for up to 4 years are sought from eligible organizations, as described in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide. Proposal evaluation will be done by a standard NSF merit review process followed by a NASA evaluation for appropriateness and relevance to NASA objectives. (See the full "Program Description" for details on the NASA evaluation and objectives.)

Because the solicitation seeks projects that combine the development of ideas and techniques with the execution of empirical studies and experimental validation using the NASA test-bed facility, funding will be provided through a combination of NSF grants and NASA cooperative agreements. Projects successful in receiving an NSF award will still have to apply for funding for test-bed activities by submitting an additional proposal to NASA during the first year of the NSF award. The primary evaluation criteria for awarding NASA cooperative agreements will be the perceived effectiveness of the planned empirical evaluation using the NASA test-bed facilities and the development of a working collaboration with other researchers on the NASA test-bed facilities.  Please read Sections II. "Program Description" and IV. "Award Information" for details on this funding strategy.

The two agencies intend to fund additional new cycles of awards beginning in each of the following fiscal years, contingent on the availability of funds and the success of the competitions.