Scientific Software Innovation Institutes (S2I2)
ONLY the S2I2 Conceptualization proposal is a limited submission: S2I2 awards are intended to establish long-term hubs of excellence in software infrastructure and technologies, which will serve a research community of substantial size and disciplinary breadth. S2I2 includes two subclasses of awards: Conceptualization Awards, which are planning awards aimed at organizing an interdisciplinary community and understanding their software requirements and challenges; and Implementation Awards, which will be made to implement community activities that support software infrastructure, for example, such as those developed by the conceptualization awards. Only Conceptualization proposals will be accepted for this solicitation cycle. However, successful Conceptualization proposals must reflect the quality, commitment, and planning that will be needed to lead to full Implementation awards. Conceptualization proposals submitted to NSF in response to this solicitation must exhibit clear relevance to the overall SI2 program and should be responsive to this solicitation and its review criteria. Proposals that are not relevant or not responsive to the solicitation will not be considered for funding and will be returned without review. Conceptualization proposals must also be in areas not covered by current Conceptualization and Implementation awards.
(a) Conceptualization Awards: S2I 2 Conceptualization Awards are planning awards aimed at organizing an interdisciplinary community and understanding its software requirements and challenges. Example activities that may be undertaken as part of a Conceptualization Award include focused workshops, special sessions at professional meetings, sandpits, focus groups, etc. These awards will typically be 1 year in duration. The product of a Conceptualization Award will be a strategic plan for enabling science and education through a sustained software infrastructure that will be freely available to the community, and will address the following elements:
- the science community and the specific grand challenge research questions that the S2I 2 will support;
- specific software elements and frameworks that are relevant to the community, the sustainability challenges that need to be addressed, and why addressing these challenges will be transformative;
- appropriate software architectures and lifecycle processes, development, testing and deployment methodologies, validation and verification processes, end usability and interface considerations, and required infrastructure and technologies;
- the required organizational, personnel and management structures and operational processes;
- the requirements and necessary mechanisms for human resource development, including integration of education and training, mentoring of students, postdoctoral fellows as well as software professionals, and proactively addressing diversity and broadening participation;
- potential approaches for long-term sustainability of the software institute as well as the software; and
potential risks including risks associated with establishment and execution, necessary infrastructure and associated technologies, community engagement, and long-term sustainability.