Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE): Core Programs | 24 589

Opportunity Information: Apply for 24 589

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE): Core Programs opportunity (Funding Opportunity No. 24-589, CFDA 47.070) supports a broad range of research and education projects that advance fundamental knowledge across computing, communications, and information science and engineering, along with the cyberinfrastructure needed to enable cutting-edge research. This is a discretionary grant program in the science and technology research and development category, and it is positioned as a central entry point for many core areas of NSF-funded computing research. The solicitation emphasizes foundational advances as well as systems and intelligent information technologies, reflecting NSF CISEs role in supporting both theory and practice in the computing ecosystem.

The program is organized around multiple core research areas housed in several CISE units. Within the Division of Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF), proposals may fit into Algorithmic Foundations (AF), Communications and Information Foundations (CIF), Foundations of Emerging Technologies (FET), and Software and Hardware Foundations (SHF). These programs generally cover fundamental questions such as algorithms, computational complexity, information theory, security and privacy foundations, hardware-software co-design foundations, and emerging computing paradigms. Within the Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS), proposers can target Computer Systems Research (CSR) and Networking Technology and Systems (NeTS), which typically include operating systems, distributed and cloud systems, dependable and secure systems, wireless and wired networking, network measurement, and new network architectures. Within the Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS), proposals can be aligned with Human-Centered Computing (HCC), Information Integration and Informatics (III), and Robust Intelligence (RI), spanning topics like human-AI interaction, accessibility, social computing, data integration and management, knowledge representation, machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and AI robustness. Separately, the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) supports OAC Core Research (OAC Core), focused on advancing the capabilities, usability, and performance of cyberinfrastructure, including software frameworks, data infrastructure, computing platforms, workflows, and services that make research at scale possible.

NSF invites submissions across specific project classes with defined budget and duration limits, and the allowable destinations depend on the class. Small Projects may request up to $600,000 total budget for projects lasting up to three years, and these may be submitted only to CCF, CNS, and IIS (not to OAC). Medium Projects may request $600,001 to $1,200,000 total budget for durations up to four years, and these also may be submitted only to CCF, CNS, and IIS. For OAC, the solicitation specifies OAC Core Projects, which may request up to $600,000 total budget for durations up to three years and must be submitted to OAC only. The solicitation notes that additional detail on these classes is provided in the program description section of the full document, which typically clarifies expectations around scope, deliverables, and how NSF views the difference between smaller and more expansive efforts.

Eligibility to submit is limited to certain U.S.-based organizations. Proposals may be submitted by U.S. Institutions of Higher Education (two- or four-year institutions, including community colleges) that are accredited and have a campus located in the United States, acting on behalf of their faculty. In addition, certain non-profit, non-academic organizations may apply, including independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar U.S.-located organizations that are directly associated with education or research activities. This structure is meant to ensure that awards support work grounded in recognized research or educational environments and that the submitting organization can provide the appropriate administrative and research support.

The solicitation also sets clear rules about who may serve as Principal Investigator (PI), co-PI, or other senior/key personnel. By the relevant deadline (or, for Small Projects, by the date of submission), senior personnel must hold either a tenured or tenure-track position, or a primary, full-time, paid appointment in a research or teaching role, at a U.S.-based campus of an eligible submitting organization. The solicitation allows exceptions for family or medical leave as determined by the submitting organization, which is intended to accommodate common career interruptions without excluding otherwise eligible researchers. At the same time, it explicitly excludes individuals whose primary appointment is at a for-profit non-academic organization or at an overseas branch campus of a U.S. institution, reinforcing that the primary institutional base must be an eligible U.S. campus or qualifying non-profit research/education organization.

From an administrative snapshot, the opportunity lists an original closing date of 2024-10-23 and indicates an award ceiling field of $12,000,000, along with an expected volume of awards (600). While the project class limits described in the solicitation (up to $1.2M for Medium Projects and up to $600k for Small and OAC Core Projects) are the practical budgeting frame most applicants will follow, the presence of a larger ceiling in the opportunity metadata can reflect broader NSF system-level fields rather than the typical core-program award size for this specific solicitation. Applicants generally should treat the solicitation-defined project class limits as the controlling guidance for budget and duration planning.

Overall, CISE: Core Programs is designed to fund a wide spectrum of computing research, from deep theoretical foundations and novel hardware/software abstractions to advanced networking and systems, to human-centered and robust AI and data-intensive intelligent systems, plus core cyberinfrastructure research through OAC. The solicitation is best suited for investigators seeking NSF support for core, discipline-advancing work in computing and information science, structured into a small or medium research effort (for CCF/CNS/IIS) or an OAC-focused cyberinfrastructure research project (for OAC), with eligibility tied to U.S.-based accredited higher education institutions and qualifying non-profit research/education organizations.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE): Core Programs" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.070.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $12,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 600 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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