Opportunity Information: Apply for 23 521
Strengthening the Cyberinfrastructure Professionals Ecosystem (SCIPE) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity designed to expand and improve the national workforce of Cyberinfrastructure Professionals (CIPs), the people who make advanced research computing and data ecosystems work in practice. The program focuses on democratizing access to NSF-supported advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI) so that more researchers and educators, across more institutions and communities, can fairly and effectively use high-end computing, data, software, platforms, tools, and networks. In practical terms, SCIPE is trying to reduce the gap between communities that already have strong CI support and communities that lack the expertise or staffing needed to fully benefit from modern CI resources.
The solicitation has two central aims. First, it seeks to deepen the integration of CIPs into the broader research enterprise, meaning CIPs are not treated as peripheral technical staff but as core contributors whose expertise is essential to enabling and accelerating science and engineering research and education. Second, it supports innovative and scalable approaches to education, training, professional development, and instructional materials that address current bottlenecks and emerging needs in CIP workforce development. This includes building pathways for recruiting, training, retaining, and recognizing people in CIP roles, especially as CI technologies and research practices evolve quickly.
SCIPE treats the CI landscape as an ecosystem where platforms, tools, methods, software, data, networks, researchers, educators, and skilled CI professionals are interdependent. The program emphasizes that progress in fundamental science and engineering research increasingly depends on reliable, well-supported CI and on professionals who can invent, develop, deploy, and support it. The solicitation explicitly recognizes a broad set of CIP roles, such as CI system administrators, research support staff, research software engineers, data curators, and CI facilitators. It also notes that computational research scientists and engineers who do not follow traditional academic career paths can be part of this workforce. The larger motivation is not only scientific impact, but also strengthening US economic competitiveness and security through a more capable and widely distributed CI talent base.
A major expectation across projects is impact at the community level: proposals should clearly show they address real, essential needs and will produce resources, services, or materials that are widely available and usable by research communities. SCIPE also places strong emphasis on broadening participation, including meaningful strategies to expand opportunities for underrepresented groups and to reach institutions and communities that have historically had less access to advanced CI and expert support. The desired outcome is a scalable, agile, diverse, and sustainable national network of CIPs that increases adoption and effective use of advanced CI resources and services, catalyzes research advances, and strengthens the ability of researchers themselves to help lead the development of new CI.
The program is led by NSF's Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) within the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), with participation from other NSF directorates and divisions. However, participation varies, and some directorates or divisions have specific priorities. Because of that, the solicitation encourages potential applicants to consult with the relevant Cognizant Program Officers (both in CISE/OAC and in any participating directorate/division aligned with the proposal). These conversations are expected to happen at least one month before submission, and the proposal should list which program officers were consulted in the required single-copy documentation. This emphasis on early coordination is meant to ensure proposals fit the program scope, align with participating units' interests, and have budgets and activities that match what SCIPE is intended to fund.
Collaboration is built into the program design. SCIPE is intended to encourage partnerships between CI expertise and science and engineering domain disciplines. If a proposal targets one or more domain divisions, it must include at least one PI or co-PI with expertise in the relevant research discipline to ensure the work is grounded in real domain needs and more likely to be adopted. At the same time, every proposal must include at least one PI or co-PI with expertise relevant to OAC, ensuring that the proposed work is appropriately connected to advanced cyberinfrastructure priorities and practices. For groups whose primary target communities fall within NSF directorates/divisions not participating in SCIPE, the solicitation advises exploring other education and workforce development programs offered by those directorates/divisions instead.
From a funding and administrative standpoint, the opportunity is an NSF discretionary grant program (Funding Opportunity Number 23-521) within NSF's broader science and technology research and development portfolio. It lists an award ceiling of up to $5,000,000. The opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.075, 47.076, 47.084), reflecting its crosscutting nature across NSF areas. The original closing date provided in the notice is January 16, 2025. Overall, SCIPE is best understood as a workforce-and-ecosystem investment: it is not only about building tools or running training programs in isolation, but about strengthening the people, practices, and scalable models that allow advanced CI to be used broadly and effectively to advance US research and education.Apply for 23 521
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening the Cyberinfrastructure Professionals Ecosystem (SCIPE)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.075, 47.076, 47.084.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2022-11-22.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-16. (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 $5,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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SCIPE (NSF 23-521) Grant Opportunity FAQs
What is the SCIPE program?
Strengthening the Cyberinfrastructure Professionals Ecosystem (SCIPE) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity focused on expanding and improving the national workforce of Cyberinfrastructure Professionals (CIPs). The program is designed to strengthen the people, practices, and scalable models that help advanced research computing and data ecosystems work effectively for research and education.
What problem is SCIPE trying to solve?
SCIPE aims to reduce the gap between communities and institutions that already have strong cyberinfrastructure (CI) support and those that lack the expertise or staffing to fully benefit from modern CI resources. A key theme is democratizing access to NSF-supported advanced CI so more researchers and educators can use high-end computing, data, software, platforms, tools, and networks in a fair and effective way.
Who are "Cyberinfrastructure Professionals (CIPs)" in the context of this solicitation?
SCIPE uses "CIPs" as a broad umbrella for people who invent, develop, deploy, and support advanced CI and enable its effective use by research and education communities. The solicitation explicitly recognizes roles such as CI system administrators, research support staff, research software engineers, data curators, and CI facilitators. It also notes that computational research scientists and engineers who do not follow traditional academic career paths can be part of this workforce.
What are the two central aims of the SCIPE solicitation?
The solicitation emphasizes two primary aims: (1) deeper integration of CIPs into the broader research enterprise, treating them as core contributors essential to accelerating science and engineering research and education; and (2) supporting innovative and scalable approaches to education, training, professional development, and instructional materials to address current bottlenecks and emerging needs in CIP workforce development.
Is SCIPE mainly about buying or building technology?
Based on the solicitation description provided, SCIPE is best understood as a workforce-and-ecosystem investment rather than a program focused on tools or training in isolation. Projects are expected to strengthen the people, practices, and scalable models that allow advanced CI to be used broadly and effectively across research and education.
What does SCIPE mean by the "CI ecosystem"?
SCIPE frames the CI landscape as an interdependent ecosystem that includes platforms, tools, methods, software, data, networks, researchers, educators, and skilled CI professionals. The program emphasizes that progress in fundamental science and engineering increasingly depends on reliable, well-supported CI and on professionals who can build and sustain it.
What kinds of project outcomes does SCIPE expect?
A major expectation is community-level impact. Proposals should clearly address real, essential needs and produce resources, services, or materials that are widely available and usable by research communities. The intended outcome is a scalable, agile, diverse, and sustainable national network of CIPs that increases adoption and effective use of advanced CI resources and services.
How does SCIPE define "community-level impact"?
As described, community-level impact means the project is not only beneficial to a single group, but generates resources, services, or materials that can be used broadly by relevant communities. Proposals should show they respond to essential needs and that results will be widely available and usable.
How does SCIPE approach broadening participation?
SCIPE places strong emphasis on broadening participation through meaningful strategies to expand opportunities for underrepresented groups and to reach institutions and communities that historically have had less access to advanced CI and expert support.
Which NSF office leads SCIPE?
SCIPE is led by NSF's Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) within the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), with participation from other NSF directorates and divisions.
Do other NSF directorates and divisions participate in SCIPE?
Yes. The program includes participation from other NSF directorates and divisions, but the level and nature of participation varies and some units have specific priorities. Because participation varies, the solicitation encourages applicants to consult with the relevant Cognizant Program Officers.
Is it recommended to talk with NSF Program Officers before submitting?
Yes. The solicitation encourages potential applicants to consult with relevant Cognizant Program Officers (both in CISE/OAC and in any participating directorate/division aligned with the proposal). These conversations are expected to happen at least one month before submission.
Do proposals need to document which Program Officers were consulted?
Yes. The proposal should list which program officers were consulted in the required single-copy documentation.
Why does SCIPE emphasize early coordination with Program Officers?
The stated purpose is to help ensure proposals fit the program scope, align with participating units' interests, and have budgets and activities that match what SCIPE is intended to fund.
Does SCIPE encourage collaboration between CI experts and domain researchers?
Yes. SCIPE is intended to encourage partnerships between CI expertise and science and engineering domain disciplines, reflecting the program goal of aligning CIP workforce development and CI support with real research needs.
If a proposal targets one or more domain divisions, is domain expertise required on the project team?
Yes. If a proposal targets one or more domain divisions, it must include at least one PI or co-PI with expertise in the relevant research discipline to help ensure the work is grounded in real domain needs and more likely to be adopted.
Is OAC-related expertise required on every SCIPE proposal?
Yes. Every proposal must include at least one PI or co-PI with expertise relevant to NSF OAC, ensuring the work is appropriately connected to advanced cyberinfrastructure priorities and practices.
What if the primary target community falls within NSF units that are not participating in SCIPE?
The solicitation advises that groups whose primary target communities fall within NSF directorates/divisions not participating in SCIPE should explore other education and workforce development programs offered by those directorates/divisions.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for SCIPE?
The Funding Opportunity Number listed is 23-521.
What type of funding mechanism is SCIPE?
SCIPE is described as an NSF discretionary grant program within NSF's broader science and technology research and development portfolio.
What is the maximum (ceiling) award amount indicated for SCIPE?
The opportunity lists an award ceiling of up to $5,000,000.
What CFDA numbers are associated with SCIPE?
The opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA numbers: 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.075, 47.076, and 47.084. This reflects the crosscutting nature of the program across NSF areas.
What was the original closing date listed for this opportunity?
The original closing date provided is January 16, 2025.
What is the larger motivation behind SCIPE beyond research impact?
In addition to scientific and educational impact, the solicitation highlights strengthening US economic competitiveness and security by building a more capable and widely distributed CI talent base.
What does SCIPE mean by integrating CIPs into the research enterprise?
SCIPE emphasizes that CIPs should not be treated as peripheral technical staff. Instead, they are framed as core contributors whose expertise is essential to enabling and accelerating science and engineering research and education.
What kinds of workforce development activities does SCIPE support?
SCIPE supports innovative and scalable approaches to education, training, professional development, and instructional materials. It also emphasizes pathways for recruiting, training, retaining, and recognizing people in CIP roles as CI technologies and research practices evolve.
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