The following is a letter to the community from James Kurose, Assistant Director, and Erwin Gianchandani, Deputy Assistant Director, of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate of Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE).
Dear Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Community,
We want to pass along a quick update on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Congressional Appropriations for the NSF and the President’s FY 2020 Budget Request for NSF, as well as an update on the NSF Convergence Accelerator.
FY 2019 Congressional Appropriations
As you’ve probably read in the media, following the lapse in appropriations earlier this year, Congress passed a spending bill for FY 2019 – the current fiscal year, ending on September 30, 2019. NSF’s funding will grow by approximately 4% as compared to FY 2018, to approximately $8.075 billion. Within this budget, NSF’s “Research and Related Activities (R&RA)” account, which includes the budget for CISE and five other NSF directorates (only the Education and Human Resources directorate has its funding separated out), will grow by 3%. The individual directorate budgets for FY 2019 are still being determined.
FY 2020 President’s Budget Request
Last week, the President presented the FY 2020 Budget Request, proposing $7.066 billion for NSF in FY 2020 – a 12% decrease with respect to the FY 2019 Congressional Appropriations for NSF. A statement about that request, by NSF Director Dr. France Córdova, is available here: https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=298028&org=NSF&from=news. Recall that the President’s Budget Request is just that – a request. It will again be up to Congress to pass the actual spending bill for FY 2020, which must then be signed by the President, just as we saw earlier this year for FY 2019.
The NSF Convergence Accelerator
Our last email, on 3/12/19, outlined a number of new funding opportunities for the CISE research and education community; we also encouraged you to “stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.” To that end, we wanted to note the new Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) that NSF issued last week, piloting an NSF Convergence Accelerator (C-Accel). The C-Accel aims to fund approximately 50 Phase 1 projects at up to $1 million each, with proposals due later this spring and projects to start no later than this fall. In 2020, Phase 1 projects will be eligible to apply for Phase 2 C-Accel support, for up to $5 million per project.
The NSF C-Accel pilot seeks to accelerate use-inspired convergence research in areas of national importance by facilitating convergent team-building capacity around exploratory, potentially high-risk proposals. The initiative reflects NSF’s commitment to be at the cutting edge, supporting fundamental research while encouraging rapid advances through partnerships between academic and non-academic stakeholders. It will begin with three convergence tracks that align with two of NSF’s 10 Big Idea themes: (1) Harnessing the Data Revolution for 21st-Century Science and Engineering (HDR) and (2) the Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (FW-HTF).
These three tracks are:
- An Open Knowledge Network (as part of HDR);
- AI and Future Jobs (as part of FW-HTF); and
- A National Talent Ecosystem (as part of FW-HTF).
The DCL provides more detailed information about participating in the pilot Convergence Accelerator efforts. The first step in participation, submission of a Research Concept Outline, is due April 15, with full proposals due by June 3.
A webinar to answer questions about the submission process or about the NSF C-Accel broadly will be held on April 3, 2019, at 2 PM EDT.
April 3, 2019, 2 PM EDT, webinar:
URL: https://nsf2.webex.com/nsf2/onstage/g.php?MTID=e04d3fd93478e4f349d47b0dc6db31fb0
Meeting ID/Event number: 902 798 511 Event Password: Ca2019!
Audio Conference:
To receive a call back, provide your phone number when you join the event, or call the number below and enter the access code.
USA Toll +1-510-210-8882 (Show all global call-in numbers)
Access code: 902 798 511
CONTINUING TO ADVANCE THE FRONTIERS OF CISE
Your efforts in CISE research, education, and research infrastructure have had tremendous impact. As a community, we play a critical role in realizing NSF’s mission “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense…,” and in turn, deliver incredibly important value to the Nation. Sustained investment in computer and information science and engineering in the future is based on this value. We invite you to continue to work with us in developing the discoveries and discoverers that will transform our society in the decades ahead.
Best,
Jim and Erwin
Jim Kurose, Assistant Director (AD) of NSF for CISE
Erwin Gianchandani, Deputy AD of NSF for CISE
