The intent of this solicitation is to request proposals from organizations who are willing to serve as resource providers within the NSF Advanced Computing Systems and Services (ACSS) program. Resource providers would (1) provide advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI) resources in production operations to support the full range of computation, data-analysis, and AI research across all of science and engineering (S&E), and (2) enable democratized and equitable access to the proposed resources. The current solicitation will support projects in:

• Category II, Innovative Prototypes/Testbeds: innovative forward-looking capabilities deploying novel technologies, architectures, usage modes, etc., and exploring new target applications, methods, and paradigms.

Proposers must clearly define the target classes of S&E applications that will be enabled, as well as a clear plan for ensuring the widespread adoptions by these classes of applications on the proposed capabilities and/or services.

Resource Providers supported via this solicitation will be incorporated into NSF’s ACSS 2.0 program portfolio. This program complements investments in leadership-class computing and funds a federation of nationally available advanced computing resources that are technically diverse and intended to enable discoveries at a computational scale beyond the research of individual or regional academic institutions.  

NSF Full Proposal Deadline, Category II proposals only: 06/24/2025
Link to FOA Here

PI Eligibility:  Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as a Principal Investigator (PI) are invited to work with their organizations to develop an application. Individuals from underrepresented groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply.  The PI must hold a terminal degree in a STEM discipline, Education, STEM Education, or a related field.

Institutional Limit: An eligible institution may submit no more than one proposal in response to this solicitation.

Application Information:  White papers may be up to 3 pages (1-inch margins, 10 point Arial) and must include the following sections: 

1. Resource Specification;  
2. Science and Engineering (S&E) Application Performance;   
3. Resource Reliability and Usability;             
4. Project Management and Risk Mitigation;              
5. Security;             
6. Concept of Operations; and             
7. Broader Impacts

PIs must also submit a Biosketch and Current & Pending. Applications not adhering to this requirement will be returned without review.

Merit Review Criteria: Summaries will be reviewed based on the criteria detailed in the solicitation.