In 2016, the National Science Foundation (NSF) unveiled a set of “Big Ideas” – 10 bold, long-term research ideas that identify areas for future investment at the frontiers of science and engineering. Among them, the Harnessing the Data Revolution for 21st Century Science and Engineering (HDR) Big Idea aims to promote engagement of NSF’s research community in the pursuit of fundamental research in data science and engineering; the development of a cohesive, federated, national-scale approach to research data cyberinfrastructure; and the development of a 21st century data-capable workforce.^[1]

In parallel, NSF continues to invest in major facilities and platforms that drive research at national and international scales to catalyze new multi-disciplinary collaborations and discoveries. These investments require a robust, performant, and secure data cyberinfrastructure to address critical needs for the management, integration, delivery and analysis of priority community data to catalyze fundamental discoveries and address complex scientific questions across multiple research domains.

Through this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) encourages submission of proposals to the Cyberinfrastructure for Emerging Science and Engineering Research (CESER) program for scalable data-driven cyberinfrastructure (CI) exemplars that will accelerate discovery for one or more science and engineering research communities, capitalizing on and enhancing existing NSF priority investments. NSF is particularly interested in data CI exemplars that will significantly enhance the scientific utility of data produced by NSF-supported major multi-user research facilities (MMURF). Specific relevance to one or more NSF Big Ideas is highly encouraged.

If you are interesting in applying for this funding opportunity, please contact OSRP. The proposal is due in OSRP at least two business days prior to the deadline of Wednesday, June 20, 2018 which has been set by the sponsor.