Strategic Technologies for Cyberinfrastructure (STCI)

The primary purpose of the Strategic Technologies for Cyberinfrastructure Program (STCI) is to support work leading to the development and/or demonstration of innovative cyberinfrastructure services for science and engineering research and education that fill gaps left by more targeted funding opportunities.  In addition, it will consider highly innovative cyberinfrastructure education, outreach and training proposals that lie outside the scope of targeted solicitations.

The National Science Foundation provides a number of targeted funding opportunities for the development of cyberinfrastructure, for the provision of cyberinfrastructure services, and for related education, outreach and training.  However, cyberinfrastructure technology and training are broad continua.  It is anticipated that, at any given time, there will be ideas that do not map neatly onto the extant portfolio of cyberinfrastructure solicitations yet have a high potential impact on research and education.  Accordingly, the Strategic Technologies for Cyberinfrastructure program will accept proposals for cyberinfrastructure development, demonstration, education, outreach and training activities that are not aligned with the specific goals of other existing cyberinfrastructure funding opportunities and which have the potential to transform multiple areas of research or education.

Projects appropriate for this program should:

• Be activities that include a demonstration of the potential impact on science or engineering research or education;
• Generate outcomes not currently under development elsewhere;
• Meet a clearly described cyberinfrastructure need not met elsewhere;         
• Generate outcomes that will be of interest to a range of science and engineering communities.

Investigators interested in submitting proposals with large budgets (roughly $500,000 per year or larger) are encouraged to develop strong support from within the science and engineering community prior to submitting a proposal and to document this support within the proposal; for example, in the form of references to workshop reports, reports from the National Academies of Science or  Engineering, or other reports based on broad community input, on the topic proposed.

Proposals should include a clear and compelling description of why the proposed work has the potential to significantly advance research or education capabilities in multiple areas of science and engineering.  Proposals should also provide a convincing explanation of why the project is not suitable for other NSF programs or solicitations.

Before developing a proposal intended for this Program, investigators are encouraged to discuss their ideas with program officers associated with the Program to check that there is no targeted solicitation in development for which the project would be a better fit.

Proposals for workshops, symposia and Small Grants for Exploratory Research clearly related to the scope of the Program described above, may be submitted.  For general information about how to submit such proposals, please see the Grant Proposal Guide.