Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation | 22 632

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation (CSSI)

1. What is the NSF CSSI program?

Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation (CSSI) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant program that supports shared cyberinfrastructure (CI) services used by researchers to conduct modern science and engineering. CSSI focuses on building, operating, and evolving services that research communities can rely on over time.

2. What does NSF mean by “cyberinfrastructure” in CSSI?

In practical terms, CSSI cyberinfrastructure can include software, data resources, computing capabilities, and integrated services that help research communities work more efficiently and at larger scales. The emphasis is on shared capabilities that others can use, not isolated tools built for a single project.

3. What kinds of outcomes is CSSI trying to fund?

CSSI is aimed at CI efforts that deliver integrated services (not just prototypes), support active research communities, and can adapt as technologies and research needs change. The program highlights the importance of measurable outcomes using quantitative metrics with clear targets, such as usage, performance, reliability, or adoption goals.

4. What is meant by “integrated services” rather than prototypes?

CSSI prioritizes services that can be used by a community in real research workflows. The solicitation emphasizes that the goal is not simply to explore an idea or build a one-off tool, but to provide a service-oriented capability that works reliably and supports research at scale.

5. Why does the solicitation emphasize flexibility and adaptability?

A core idea in CSSI is to avoid locking communities into brittle, one-off solutions. NSF is looking to fund CI services that can evolve as technology shifts and as research communities develop new needs over time.

6. What are the three CSSI award categories?

CSSI anticipates three classes of awards:

• Elements: Smaller-team projects that create and deploy robust CI services where there is a demonstrated need.
• Framework Implementations: Larger, often interdisciplinary efforts that develop and apply CI services to address shared research problems and produce a sustainable community framework.
• Transition to Sustainability: Support for an existing CI capability with demonstrated impact to execute a well-defined plan for long-term sustainability beyond NSF’s time-limited role.

7. What is the CSSI Elements category intended for?

Elements is designed for smaller teams that can create and deploy robust CI services tied to advancing one or more significant areas of science or engineering. Projects are expected to result in something the community can actually use, not merely exploratory work.

8. What is the CSSI Framework Implementations category intended for?

Framework Implementations targets larger and more interdisciplinary teams. These projects focus on developing and applying CI services that solve shared research problems for NSF-funded researchers within one or more scientific or engineering domains. A central deliverable is a sustainable community framework: an organized, service-oriented ecosystem that can serve a broad and diverse user base over time.

9. What is the CSSI Transition to Sustainability category intended for?

Transition to Sustainability is meant for teams that already have an existing CI capability with demonstrated impact and need focused support to implement a plan for long-term sustainability. NSF is looking for credible pathways to durable support structures such as partnerships, subscriptions, consortium models, institutional commitments, or other long-term funding approaches.

10. How long can NSF support a CSSI project?

A key CSSI rule is that NSF support for projects funded through CSSI Elements and Frameworks (and related predecessor programs) is intended to be finite, generally capped at no more than 10 years in total.

11. Can a project receive funding beyond the 10-year limit?

If a project can credibly move from NSF-supported development and deployment into a durable long-term operations model, the team may seek one additional, one-time award through the Transition to Sustainability category. This is structured as a single, additional award intended to help complete the move to long-term sustainability.

12. Why does CSSI place so much focus on sustainability planning?

The CSSI structure is designed to encourage teams to plan early for long-term operations, governance, and funding. Sustainability is framed as a core expectation rather than an afterthought, because NSF’s role is time-limited and the services are meant to persist and remain useful.

13. Does CSSI support building research communities as well as technology?

Yes. The program places strong emphasis on intentionally building and sustaining research communities around the services being provided, alongside delivering integrated and measurable CI services.

14. What kinds of metrics does CSSI expect?

The solicitation emphasizes quantitative metrics with clear targets. Examples mentioned include usage, performance, reliability, and adoption goals. The intent is that projects define measurable success criteria for the services they provide.

15. Is CSSI a single-directorate program or cross-cutting across NSF?

CSSI is described as a multi-directorate activity, meaning it spans multiple parts of NSF and is intended to serve cross-cutting scientific needs.

16. Are interdisciplinary proposals encouraged?

Applicants are encouraged to propose work with broad, interdisciplinary relevance, consistent with CSSI’s multi-directorate nature and its focus on shared services that enable diverse research communities.

17. Why does NSF recommend contacting program officers before submitting?

The solicitation strongly recommends contacting the relevant cognizant program officers to confirm alignment with participating directorates or divisions and to sanity-check whether the proposed scope and budget fit what CSSI is designed to fund. This is important because not all NSF divisions participate equally and division priorities can vary.

18. Who is eligible to submit a CSSI proposal?

Based on the provided solicitation summary, proposals may be submitted by:

• US-based institutions of higher education, including two-year and four-year colleges and universities (such as community colleges), acting on behalf of their faculty
• US-based non-profit, non-academic organizations directly tied to research or education activities (examples include independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies)
• NSF-sponsored federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), with restrictions on requesting costs already covered by other federal funds awarded or expected to be awarded

19. Are community colleges eligible?

Yes. The eligibility description includes US-based two-year and four-year colleges and universities, explicitly noting community colleges as an example.

20. Are non-academic nonprofits eligible?

Yes. Non-profit, non-academic organizations in the United States are eligible if they are directly tied to research or education activities. Examples provided include independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies.

21. Can an NSF-sponsored FFRDC apply?

Yes, NSF-sponsored FFRDCs may apply as long as they do not request costs that are already covered by other federal funds awarded or expected to be awarded.

22. Can CSSI funding support work at an international branch campus of a US institution?

It can be included, but the proposal must explain the specific benefits of doing the work at the international location and justify why the work cannot be performed at the US campus. This requirement applies even if international involvement is through subawards or consultants.

23. What is the funding opportunity number for this CSSI solicitation?

The funding opportunity number provided is 22-632.

24. What is the listed closing date for this opportunity?

The excerpt lists an original closing date of 2024-12-02.

25. Does the provided excerpt state the award ceiling or expected number of awards?

No. The provided solicitation text excerpt does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards. Applicants are expected to consult the full solicitation for track-specific budget guidance and typical award sizes.

26. What CFDA numbers are associated with CSSI in the excerpt?

The opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA numbers reflecting its cross-directorate nature: 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076.

27. What is the overall “best understood as” summary of CSSI?

CSSI is best understood as a program for building and sustaining shared, measurable, community-centered cyberinfrastructure services that directly enable scientific and engineering advances, with a clear expectation that teams plan for long-term viability beyond NSF’s finite funding window.