Deep Medhi (NSF): We'll wait for another minute or so and be and then we'll get started.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Okay, I think. We'll get started welcome. Everyone to
Deep Medhi (NSF): Diana's webinar for the so Cerc program we call it circans
Deep Medhi (NSF): short form. It stands for community infrastructure
Deep Medhi (NSF): for researching the size directorate.
Deep Medhi (NSF): This is for the solicitation number 23, das 5, 89, and Circ used to be formerly known as Ccri
Deep Medhi (NSF): there are a number of program directors involved with this program, and of course I'm 1 of them and lead the program. My colleague Mimi Mcclure, who is also in the Cns division like me, Cindy Bathel from Iis Division, Damian Decher from
Deep Medhi (NSF): Ccf. Division, and also Jason Holstrom from the Cns Division.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So I'll start with overview of the start program and go over a few things and there will be time for Q&A at the end.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So the the basic idea is that to create and enhance
Deep Medhi (NSF): world class, community research infrastructure.
Deep Medhi (NSF): We emphasize the word community because that's what this program is. For. It is not for individual researcher or for an institution. This is for shared resources that the community can use it.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So we fund infrastructure for communities of researcher. They want to also has to do focused research agenda
Deep Medhi (NSF): with focus in the size Directory.
Deep Medhi (NSF): If it is beyond size. That's not the primary focus of this program.
Deep Medhi (NSF): There could be secondary or very fair focus of, you know, interest in other directorate, but the primary has to be the size directorate.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Our definition of infrastructure includes equipment.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Tesbeth
Deep Medhi (NSF): software
Deep Medhi (NSF): data repairs your trace.
Deep Medhi (NSF): and the curation are
Deep Medhi (NSF): creation or curation of data
Deep Medhi (NSF): needed for science research.
Deep Medhi (NSF): It could be even benchmark data set
Deep Medhi (NSF): and test. But for verification and measurement purpose.
Deep Medhi (NSF): it includes developing user services and engagement so as to attract and nurture and grow a robust resource community.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So the idea, again, is that
Deep Medhi (NSF): that we assume that with the existing infrastructure that is available to the researcher.
Deep Medhi (NSF): They are not being able. Our community has not been able to do the research. They want to do
Deep Medhi (NSF): so. Intent of this program is to enable advances not possible with existing infrastructure.
Deep Medhi (NSF): There are 4 different project classes for this program. I'm going to
Deep Medhi (NSF): go over them one by one.
Deep Medhi (NSF): before I do that.
Deep Medhi (NSF): What are the expectation? Do you have to provide a compelling new research opportunities for the community
Deep Medhi (NSF): that's beyond the.
Deep Medhi (NSF): As I said, our disorganization enable unique and compelling resource otherwise inaccessible to the community, it must have a vision for a
Deep Medhi (NSF): future long-term community sustainability and operation.
Deep Medhi (NSF): You must define metric relevant to the proposed goal and address measurement, evaluation of the infrastructure
Deep Medhi (NSF): provide robust user services and support to the community.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Compared to the previous solicitation. That was about 2 years ago.
Deep Medhi (NSF): We change the name I already mentioned. That
Deep Medhi (NSF): will. Your pi limit has been increased to 2
Deep Medhi (NSF): from one
Deep Medhi (NSF): new category and sustainable eligibility is clarified.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Grant category now includes request to Internet Mism related resource, infrastructure which was mentioned. It
Deep Medhi (NSF): solicitation 22 desk 5, 1, 9.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Cooperative agreement is a possible type of error type.
Deep Medhi (NSF): We have limited the number of letters of collaboration to 5,
Deep Medhi (NSF): and we have created and added a new track called Explorator Development Track. In short, I'm going to talk it, call it a dev track.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So let me go into the project classes and cover them up.
Deep Medhi (NSF): The grand community is the biggest one.
Deep Medhi (NSF): This is for project that's more than 2 million dollars up to 5 million dollars.
Deep Medhi (NSF): and it can be for 5 years.
Deep Medhi (NSF): You must develop a very significantly new innovative
Deep Medhi (NSF): size, community resource, infrastructure or enhance and sustain an existing one.
Deep Medhi (NSF): develop or enhance test bed and a platform with an integrated set of user services that enable size researchers to conduct research.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Well designed plan
Deep Medhi (NSF): for involving the research community promote bold and emerging research direction.
Deep Medhi (NSF): you know, build the infrastructure that catalyze
Deep Medhi (NSF): size, research and provide leadership. That's not possible. Otherwise.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Of course, diverse research community is very important as well as the training part of it.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So this is the highest class that we have.
Deep Medhi (NSF): The medium category has actually 2 subcategories subtype. Basically it is from
Deep Medhi (NSF): anything above $750,000 to 2 million dollars.
Deep Medhi (NSF): It has a similar theme to the the grand category that we talked about, but it is a bit scaled down, develop new focus, infrastructure and gives associated research community as a part of the
Deep Medhi (NSF): development and testing
Deep Medhi (NSF): enhancement. So support significant enhancement of existing size, resource, infrastructure
Deep Medhi (NSF): that been funded through variety of sources, including the cert program.
Deep Medhi (NSF): program, to take you to the next level.
Deep Medhi (NSF): The 3rd category
Deep Medhi (NSF): is Clara. That category. That's the new one. We added.
Deep Medhi (NSF): The the budget is between 200 and about 250,000 to 7 $50,000. This one is one important thing. It cannot be for more than 2 years long.
Deep Medhi (NSF): and we are important to
Deep Medhi (NSF): to kind of keep in mind that that
Deep Medhi (NSF): that
Deep Medhi (NSF): because of the 2 year duration, we expect
Deep Medhi (NSF): that you involve
Deep Medhi (NSF): software developers rather than grad students to
Deep Medhi (NSF): get the death drive going.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So basically, this is really to validate an unproven infrastructure
Deep Medhi (NSF): design and technology does not quite raise an infrastructure. Yet.
Deep Medhi (NSF): secondly, this project may help the foundation for future circ
Deep Medhi (NSF): project, either the new category or the grand category or Mid scale. RI. 1, and RI. 2, which I'm going to talk about. Just to give you a broader picture of what other
Deep Medhi (NSF): research infrastructure programs we have.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So then, the last category is called the class is called a planning
Deep Medhi (NSF): category. This is where you are not even get getting to the level of the the Dev category that you want to do some planning activity. Identify the community. You want to do a few workshops to talk to the community. What do they like?
Deep Medhi (NSF): I didn't, you know, to find out what is the priority of the community. That's really the intent of it.
Deep Medhi (NSF): It is a very small amount of budget. It's only 100 $100,000 for the
Deep Medhi (NSF): planning c category, and up to 2 $50,000 for planning M category.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So what are the difference between these 2 sub classes planning C is that if you are going to plan and activities toward site grant or medium.
Deep Medhi (NSF): not for enhancement, because enhancement been there already existed.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Infrastructure. Secondly, this planning is not worth doing a def category thing that I talked about in the previous slide. This planning is to be able to do the grand or the medium category. That means up to 2 million dollar range or the 5 million dollar
Deep Medhi (NSF): planning M, we created this so that those who wanted to give go beyond the circ
Deep Medhi (NSF): to
Deep Medhi (NSF): compete in the foundation level. 2 program called Mid-scale Resource infrastructure, one and mid-scale Resource infrastructure. 2.
Deep Medhi (NSF): For that they can do have a little bit bigger planning
Deep Medhi (NSF): award. They get to plan for that. It requires lot more activities related to that.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So let me quickly talk a little bit about the mid scale one and mid scale 2 program
Deep Medhi (NSF): this is the most recent mid scale, one solicitation, Miss Scale, one has 2 different track, a design track that can be as low as 400,000
Deep Medhi (NSF): up to 20 million dollars, and the implementation track, which is between 4 million dollars to 20 million dollars.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So the and Nsf definition of Ri is a combination of facilities, equipment, instrumentation.
Deep Medhi (NSF): computation, hardware, software, and necessary human capital in support of the same
Deep Medhi (NSF): May involve new or upgraded research infrastructure, but those are possible.
Deep Medhi (NSF): For example, if you have got something funded under a sart program and the medium category, you may evolve to go to a mid scale. That's another reason why I'm mentioning this program.
Deep Medhi (NSF): And the the
Deep Medhi (NSF): important thing is that to to note about this is that this program requires a broad community buy-in. It's a necessary requirement for it.
Deep Medhi (NSF): There are no limitation from any institution to submit proposal
Deep Medhi (NSF): to this program. And so
Deep Medhi (NSF): keep in mind
Deep Medhi (NSF): mid scale is Nsf definition of the term between 4 to 20, maybe for mid scale one and from 20 to 100 million dollar for mid scale 2.
Deep Medhi (NSF): It's again
Deep Medhi (NSF): based on the budget. You can see it's a much bigger
Deep Medhi (NSF): it doesn't have a design stage. So if you are planning to do a mid scale 2 at future, in the future, you want to do design. You have to submit the design project under mid scale one which allows you to do that.
Deep Medhi (NSF): I want the Circ community to be aware of this to very important program. And in the. We have been fortunate that several projects have been funded under the mid scale, one and 2 to the Sark community over the last 4 years.
Deep Medhi (NSF): in terms of going back to sort. These are the numbers. I'm not going to repeat the numbers. You can see it on the screen.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Try to give you an idea about how many awards that we anticipate. In each of the tracks that we have classes we have.
Deep Medhi (NSF): There's a 24 million dollar budget each year for this project. And obviously, as you can see, that we don't give too many grand awards. Very limited. And
Deep Medhi (NSF): again, Grant doesn't mean all projects are 5 million dollars. There might be a few only, maybe 2.5 million dollars.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So maximum 3 that we typically do it medium about 12. So Dev track is a new track. We're exploring it. Maybe we said 3. Maybe it could be a few more.
Deep Medhi (NSF): One important. Another important thing is, the medium is a 3 year project they have again repeating, in 2 year grand can be up to 5 years.
Deep Medhi (NSF): and the planning is actually shorter. Window up to 1.5 years for planning C and 2 years for planning M.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Categories.
Deep Medhi (NSF): The next deadline is September 13, th which is
Deep Medhi (NSF): less than 2 months away.
Deep Medhi (NSF): I can submit as a pi copi senior person.
Deep Medhi (NSF): 2 dev video more grand proposal per year. It can support one planning proposal per year. There's no
Deep Medhi (NSF): problem with being involved that way.
Deep Medhi (NSF): But multiple proposal as long as you follow that cap
Deep Medhi (NSF): that I just mentioned.
Deep Medhi (NSF): let me go to the review criteria
Deep Medhi (NSF): the basic review for intellectual merit and broader impact that you probably are already familiar with it. This is the National Science Port guideline that was given almost 30 years back.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So I'm gonna hit on a few points here and then talk about in the context of what it means for a research infrastructure program.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So if you know, intellectual merit said, is it going to advance? Knowledge?
Deep Medhi (NSF): Is the proposed activities, not understanding within its own field, or different feel? To what extent did the proposed activ and original
Deep Medhi (NSF): or pretend transformative concept?
Deep Medhi (NSF): So is it well reasoned? Are the team well qualified? Are there educate resources available to the pi.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So having said that, I give couple of example
Deep Medhi (NSF): under the new or enhanced category, what that means. So, since it is resource, infrastructure.
Deep Medhi (NSF): what I said, how important the proposed plan to create and enhance a successful community resource infrastructure.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Second
Deep Medhi (NSF): point is that to what extent will I envision or enhanced
Deep Medhi (NSF): community resource infrastructure enable
Deep Medhi (NSF): innovative research. So, going back to what we talked about in the 3rd bullet here that the infrastructure may not necessarily itself be fully totally innovative, but it allows
Deep Medhi (NSF): you, too.
Deep Medhi (NSF): allows researchers to use it for innovative research so
Deep Medhi (NSF): it could have some innovative component as a part of the infrastructure. But allowing it is the also very important. So I gave 2 example to kind of
Deep Medhi (NSF): connected back to the Nsp guidance for intellectual merit.
Deep Medhi (NSF): the broader impact obviously benefit to the society. As you know, this is a community infrastructure. So benefit to the society, how it will be used, how you are going to train, the students will be able to learn from it. Those are all important, any kind of educational thing you're going to create. Those are all important.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Beyond that each of the categories have some solicitation, specific review criteria.
Deep Medhi (NSF): planning categories. We look at the soundness of the planning process and activity compelling new
Deep Medhi (NSF): opportunities it fits within the size, core discipline, evidence of community need as an impending community involvement for planning M. Will this infrastructure be of national important? And does it address the goal of the mid scale research infrastructure program. So I encourage you to read the mid scale program solicitation
Deep Medhi (NSF): is the project management sound
Deep Medhi (NSF): is there adequate metric. So that's it. Planning. Remember, planning category is for one to do planning activities. So the metric are could be a little bit not as
Deep Medhi (NSF): concrete or precise as you will have for
Deep Medhi (NSF): the other tracks. We have
Deep Medhi (NSF): exploratory dev again, sound as an up design, prototyping, and validation very important the necessity of doing this versus an existing method.
Deep Medhi (NSF): our technologies that will immediately go to the infrastructure.
Deep Medhi (NSF): And are you also doing some engagement of their 11 communities. Does it? Do you think this is going to lead to compelling new research and education law
Deep Medhi (NSF): opportunities
Deep Medhi (NSF): so metric for success? You want to say in the dev category what it is going to be.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Again, I want to emphasize that instead of us dictating the metric.
Deep Medhi (NSF): we are letting the pis provide that.
Deep Medhi (NSF): And then, you know, we look at, and the the panel looks at it and see if it is relevant, because
Deep Medhi (NSF): size community is still pretty broad. So what is a good metric for one particular type of infrastructure may not apply to another one. That's why we do not provide any specific guidance.
Deep Medhi (NSF): But if you have some
Deep Medhi (NSF): question during the Q. And a. I'm happy to do that
Deep Medhi (NSF): solid station specific criteria for mid medium or the new category. This is up to 2 million dollars
Deep Medhi (NSF): is the infrastructure essential for research agenda to move forward
Deep Medhi (NSF): soundness of the plan
Deep Medhi (NSF): it does it fit within the size, core discipline.
Deep Medhi (NSF): How about is it the newness of the infrastructure or differentiation from existing infrastructure?
Deep Medhi (NSF): This is where I want to point out very one important thing. I strongly encourage the pis to see if we have funded any research infrastructure in the area that you are planning to propose.
Deep Medhi (NSF): because we expect you to discuss
Deep Medhi (NSF): that
Deep Medhi (NSF): that how this is different from existing resource, infrastructure that either already exists or we already have funded it.
Deep Medhi (NSF): But it is in the process of being created. As a, you know.
Deep Medhi (NSF): infrastructure. So this is the parallel I draw to is that when you write a paper academic paper you always have a related work section. So it will be similar to saying that related infrastructure section and differentiate it. What it is
Deep Medhi (NSF): we expect the present team to prepare to develop and provide service and support project management is very important. Quality of the community outreach when is important, plan for community involvement is important. You know, the metric is also very, very important.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Going to enhancement category. Is that because it already operated, we expect you to show evidence that
Deep Medhi (NSF): that it has been actually
Deep Medhi (NSF): has a good track record. You have users, you to provide the metrics you talked about.
Deep Medhi (NSF): or that whether you have been able to successfully
Deep Medhi (NSF): being able to show that you have arrived at good one, and so that's sort of what it is. So that's how the the enhancement, grand category, everything without repeating, everything is going to be the on a bigger scale of what it is, what we expect.
Deep Medhi (NSF): One important thing before I go to the next point is that
Deep Medhi (NSF): that we expect
Deep Medhi (NSF): the pi to provide some potential research, use cases in the proposal
Deep Medhi (NSF): and say that these are what what the cases likely case is going to be, and we do not expect you to list any specific researchers who is going to
Deep Medhi (NSF): use it. But you have to say that if it is there, these are the type of research that will be possible with the infrastructure.
Deep Medhi (NSF): And so few examples are very, very important
Deep Medhi (NSF): additional information, supplementary documents.
Deep Medhi (NSF): It's project members, role and responsibilities you need to describe. Describe. Describe it.
Deep Medhi (NSF): If you include included letters of collaboration.
Deep Medhi (NSF): you need to list on a page saying that these are the
Deep Medhi (NSF): folks who you got the letter.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Community outreach documentation
Deep Medhi (NSF): data management plan, of course, letters of collaboration
Deep Medhi (NSF): and a supplement document identifying the budget item for operational expenses.
Deep Medhi (NSF): positive, them related to community outreach, and it must be included especially for a new medium and a grand category proposal
Deep Medhi (NSF): now, but letter of collaboration.
Deep Medhi (NSF): 1st thing is that you don't need letters from your copi. They are already built in.
Deep Medhi (NSF): We don't need it for Copiers Institution. If they're part of your project.
Deep Medhi (NSF): it is not necessary. It is not required for that. So all you need the letter from is to that.
Deep Medhi (NSF): There's some way they are going to collaborate in your project.
Deep Medhi (NSF): We limit the letter to up to 5.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So, for example, I talk up with use cases. If somebody want you want to get a 1 letter, for
Deep Medhi (NSF): they are going to say that this is how they're going to use it. Then then that is okay, but more on the collaboration of the project not being a member of Yeah or copier senior personnel. Exactly what they're going to do. That's important to address
Deep Medhi (NSF): Community Advisory Board must be, include, must include provision in the medium and the grand category. But very important. You do not name potential members in the proposal do not approach potential member during the proposal process either.
Deep Medhi (NSF): But you might want to say, this is going to be the structure there is going to be
Deep Medhi (NSF): lack of a better term, said chair of the Community Advisory Board. They're going to have 5 members in the Community Advisory Board and from diverse community that you are going to from across the country or international date, and you are going to
Deep Medhi (NSF): have and then discuss how you, as the Pi and the Copia. You are going to interact with them.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Are you going to meet every quarter every 6 month? Those sort of information you can provide in your plan.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So I'm at the end of my
Deep Medhi (NSF): presentation. And so I'm happy to take questions. But before I do go to the question. I want to point out that the it's up. The the solicitation has a very specific structure of what are the different sections that is needed in the
Deep Medhi (NSF): in your proposal. Please pay attention to that, and make sure that you address all of the section that is expected in each of the categories. If you are missing any of the sections.
Deep Medhi (NSF): then your proposal, it'll be considered non compliant, and so we may return your proposal without review.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Secondly, although we give those
Deep Medhi (NSF): different sections in the proposal, we are not saying that they need to be in the same exact order.
Deep Medhi (NSF): If for your particular infrastructure, you want to change that up the order of this 4, 4 or 5 things we expect the sections we expect it to have you are you are allowed to do so, and maybe provide a short justification.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Why, that logically makes sense for your infrastructure.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So those are the points I wanted to make about the solicitation. I'm going to
Deep Medhi (NSF): stop sharing the presentation so that I can go to
Deep Medhi (NSF): Q&A part of what what we have.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So I'm going to read the questions and then provide in response. Before I do that, I want to make important
Deep Medhi (NSF): point, also that
Deep Medhi (NSF): the the presentation.
Deep Medhi (NSF): as well as the recording of the this is going to be available from the same web page that
Deep Medhi (NSF): where you have registered to attend the webinar, so keep that in mind.
Deep Medhi (NSF): I may actually get my help from my colleagues here. To to answer some of the question today I have 2 colleagues joining me for the QA. Session. Jason Holstrom and Cindy Bethel.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Thanks for joining. So
Deep Medhi (NSF): if you wish to answer any of the question, I'll read it out. Then, you know.
Deep Medhi (NSF): go from there.
Deep Medhi (NSF): The 1st question is for dev projects. Can you use senior student for the development development part of the infrastructure?
Deep Medhi (NSF): The answer is, yes, you may. But if you look at the solicitation we strongly encourage to have software developer. If you are going to use senior student, you have to be, give a strong justification. Why the project is possible to be completed in 2 years.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Can this program purchase research, equipment and facilities? What are the major difference between this program and MRI.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Very, very good question. Those who are not familiar with MRI MRI sends from major resource instrumentation me, MRI allows up to 4 million dollars in the
Deep Medhi (NSF): funding, and it's a foundation-wide competition.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Amri is, however, as a 2 tracks.
Deep Medhi (NSF): The track one
Deep Medhi (NSF): is only for individual and institution
Deep Medhi (NSF): track to could have a regional or national impact in terms of having community aspect.
Deep Medhi (NSF): That's 1 important part about that.
Deep Medhi (NSF): This program does allow
Deep Medhi (NSF): to purchase equipment
Deep Medhi (NSF): and the for the facilities. But we expect some development effort to be able to make it enable
Deep Medhi (NSF): research to be accessible to the researchers. So that's very, very important. Second part point to it is that
Deep Medhi (NSF): one thing we do not fund in circ is that we do not fund
Deep Medhi (NSF): Hpcs or high performance computing cluster.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Those are allowed by MRI program, but sort doesn't allow it. So that's another important distinction.
Deep Medhi (NSF): The next question, if I plan to develop an online data repository and query the community related to that field of research.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Which type of project would you recommend
Deep Medhi (NSF): Jason or Cindy? Would you like to answer this question. I'm going to put you on the spot.
Jason Hallstrom: Sure deep. I'm happy to to take a shot at it. So I the short answer is that it's going to depend where you are in the development of that data repository.
Jason Hallstrom: If you are in the early stages of designing that repository and you're going to be soliciting community needs, you're going to be trying to understand what the repository ought to include. That would be a planning proposal.
Jason Hallstrom: If you are actually at the stage where you understood that there was an existing community of users for this data repository, and you're at the point where you're ready to begin constructing it. That would likely be a circ new application.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Very good.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Thank you. That's good. Next question is that
Deep Medhi (NSF): what is the base limit for proposals?
Deep Medhi (NSF): The regular page limit is, I think 15, and planning CI believe, is 10 pages. The shorter proposal.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Do the copies need to provide the one page collaboration letter with details? No, copies are not required to provide any letters at all.
Deep Medhi (NSF): That's why we limited to the 5. For those
Deep Medhi (NSF): there are some collaborators. Maybe it is an equipment vendor. They are going to do something with you a certain way. They can provide a letter, but they are not Opi's.
Deep Medhi (NSF): The next question is that is it possible to request cloud computing support through this program?
Deep Medhi (NSF): Jason? What do you think.
Jason Hallstrom: So it it would be appropriate to request cloud computing support if it was essential to the operation of the infrastructure that you're building
Jason Hallstrom: it. It would not be appropriate to put in a proposal that was exclusively in support of cloud of of cloud computing that would effectively bypass the HPC Requirement.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Exactly so. Very good. Thank you very much.
Deep Medhi (NSF): also, could you give some successful examples of
Deep Medhi (NSF): community outreach for data repositories?
Deep Medhi (NSF): That's a very good question.
Deep Medhi (NSF): one of the sort pro project that was funded is
Deep Medhi (NSF): Call R. Factory up the that you can search.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Secondly,
Deep Medhi (NSF): I'm I'm gonna give you a very interesting clue to how to find out what the existing awards are being funded. If you go to Nsa. Public Award database search is actually cool thing.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Even as a staff at the program director, I use that very often, because it's easier than certain things to find. So what do you enter? Want to enter? Is the enter the code for the program element that is running this program. That code.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Hope you have got pencil and paper is 7, 3, 5, 9. So what do you want to do? Is that on the search? Just enter 7, 3, 5, 9. It's going to list all of your all of the sort project that is funded. So then you can filter through that to see which one looks like related to data repositories, and then look at the public abstract, and then, if you want to contact the pi, you, you may do so.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So Jason or Cindy, would you like to add anything more to that.
Jason Hallstrom: Nothing on this side deep. I I think that's a great way to understand what folks are doing is to take a look at existing repository projects that were funded in the last cycle.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Exactly.
Cindy Bethel: I would agree with that. I think.
Cindy Bethel: that would be the best resource.
Deep Medhi (NSF): I can. I
Deep Medhi (NSF): can a project focus on the applied research, including
Deep Medhi (NSF): there's back.
Deep Medhi (NSF): There's been resources needed by the community
Deep Medhi (NSF): colleges, four-year institution.
Deep Medhi (NSF): That's a very interesting question, because, the the thing is that
Deep Medhi (NSF): this is really for research infrastructure. Obviously, training is important. But we also have a different program called campus cyber infrastructure program that is run by the office of advanced cyber infrastructure. And you know that one
Deep Medhi (NSF): to to do some test better community connecting community colleges and 4 year institutions are allowed by their subtracts within that program that might be more fitting than the the sort program
Deep Medhi (NSF): does the planning program, allow funding outreach events, such as regional workshop. Yes, we do. That's prime one of the primary focus of a planning project. So do you want to say. Maybe you want to hold 2 or 3 regional workshop, whether in person or online. It's up to you.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Please budget it for that, and said, what this is going to be?
Deep Medhi (NSF): Next question for medium, enhance or sustain is the nomenclature intended to mean that those 2 term are used
Deep Medhi (NSF): interchangeably?
Deep Medhi (NSF): Or is it 2 different things with different requirement and expectation
Deep Medhi (NSF): also, Grant seems to allow to enhance. Yes, it is not just a nomenclature. Enhancing means something different.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Grand also allows enhancement.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So, but we
Deep Medhi (NSF): explicitly mentioned it in the case of new, because it gets confusing medium category, I mean gets confusing. Why we actually list it separate
Deep Medhi (NSF): anything from Jason or Cindy on that.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Okay. Great
Deep Medhi (NSF): for medium. Do you also expect software engineers? We don't expect. But if it helps your project, we'll strongly encourage you to consider it.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So it's totally up to you.
Deep Medhi (NSF): This is where the your budget.
Deep Medhi (NSF): I would say the budget justification.
Deep Medhi (NSF): And the budget plan
Deep Medhi (NSF): is in some sense more interest important for the circ
Deep Medhi (NSF): projects. Then, probably when your standard and as a research project.
Deep Medhi (NSF): because we really want to see exactly why you need those staff
Deep Medhi (NSF): to create the make the infrastructure ready when the funding is over. Basically. So
Deep Medhi (NSF): all right.
Cindy Bethel: One of the things I would add on that is is that
Cindy Bethel: these awards are not meant to be research awards, that are projects that you're bringing in a lot of grad students on like you would a traditional project. So this one is a shorter timeframe. I think we've said this before you need to get up and running quickly. So you need to be well justified in what you are allocating your budget to.
Cindy Bethel: And you need to
Cindy Bethel: get expertise at the level that can produce results quickly, so that you can form the foundation of this.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Thank you, Cindy. Th, those are good points.
Deep Medhi (NSF): How much value and emphasis do you put on
Deep Medhi (NSF): generalizability
Deep Medhi (NSF): for a wide range of researchers beyond the 5 letters of collaboration
Deep Medhi (NSF): general accessibility.
Deep Medhi (NSF): we are very open
Deep Medhi (NSF): because we want you to say what it is, what your definition of community. It is
Deep Medhi (NSF): because some things could be used by. I don't know thousands of users. You may have some. You may have 5,200, but that may. That may be the appropriate thing to
Deep Medhi (NSF): have for that particular infrastructure. That's why do not say that.
Deep Medhi (NSF): How generalizable usable what it is. But the training part is important, because if you are going to do the infrastructure and it's going to be used for specific purpose.
Deep Medhi (NSF): you must have the ability to train the the the community for that.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So with that I want to add one more important point to it.
Deep Medhi (NSF): there are sometimes infrastructures. We fund. It's a community infrastructure. But for those hands-on experience is very, very important.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So then, what you might, did you want to budget on your project, saying that we are going to have couple of training workshop where we're going to fly in grad students or faculty to attend the training on our site, so they learn how to use it, but once they learn it, they are going to be back at their institution, can remotely log into
Deep Medhi (NSF): submit their project. So that's very, very important. If your project is of that type, please say so, and properly budgeted for that purpose.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Does a new application have to be cross cutting across all divisions of size or can target one division such as Cns. No, it doesn't have to be all division. It has to be just
Deep Medhi (NSF): what your target community that it is for
Deep Medhi (NSF): so so far those are the questions we saw, and that we try to answer it.
Deep Medhi (NSF): I'll hand it off to Jason and Cindy if you wanted to share anything from running panels that the you know attendees might benefit by hearing about it. So.
Jason Hallstrom: So, Cindy, I'll I'll turn it to you first.st
Cindy Bethel: I think, having something having your proposal well described, and having sufficient detail of how you're going to not only create it, but how you're going to access resources.
Cindy Bethel: Providing enough detail. And I know I'm 15 pages or 10 pages in the planning, Grant. That may be hard, and I think every panel brings up that they want more details.
Cindy Bethel: But trying to be is
Cindy Bethel: succinct and detailed as you can be. Is important. And then, also looking at your, you know.
Cindy Bethel: how are you gonna measure success in this? And what communities are you going to reach out to, I think, is a really critical aspect. As Deep said earlier, making sure you're placing your work in the right context with what's been done before. So what gaps are you filling with this infrastructure? Why is this needed? That's, I think, a critical aspect to it that sometimes doesn't get enough
Cindy Bethel: emphasis.
Cindy Bethel: that doesn't mean we want to see 8 pages of related work, and then you're going to tell us into what you're doing, or whatever, however many you have left. So. But you do need to frame it in a good way, so that
Cindy Bethel: the panel will know what it is you're trying to do and what gap you're trying to fill with this infrastructure. And I think that needs to be well articulated. And then the metrics for success. How are you gonna tell if this is working. How are you measuring the impact?
Cindy Bethel: Who will be impacted by it? Generalizabilities
Cindy Bethel: important. It's not the most important thing. But I think, having something that can have the widest impact possible is going to be beneficial.
Cindy Bethel: That's the main things I can think of on from the panels that I ran this this time around.
Jason Hallstrom: So I'll I'll just add that.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Jason! Go ahead!
Jason Hallstrom: Sorry. So I'll just add that on the and one of the things that panelists spend quite a bit of time talking about thinking about, and we spend time thinking about
Jason Hallstrom: is how well defined is the community that will be served by the infrastructure being developed
Jason Hallstrom: when you're putting in a new application or an enhanced sustain. We are looking to see a very clear explanation of the community that will be served that can be demonstrated in different ways. Certainly the letters of collaboration can help. But there are other mechanisms you can point to. If you're looking at enhanced sustain.
Jason Hallstrom: you can point to evidence of use, evidence of outcomes that were generated using the infrastructure and so on. But if you're looking a little bit earlier in the development of the infrastructure at kind of the planning stage.
Jason Hallstrom: and we expect to see a very clear plan for how you're going to reach the community, how you're going to onboard the community. How you plan to to to really assess community buy in in shaping your infrastructure plan, moving forward so would encourage proposers to to think about that carefully, and to to articulate
Jason Hallstrom: the need for the infrastructure, the community that will be served, and your specific plans for engaging the community in the case of planning during the planning process, and in the case of a new proposal throughout the lifetime of that infrastructure, how will they be supported and engaged?
Jason Hallstrom: Great yeah.
Cindy Bethel: I would agree with that very strongly. I think that is often kind of not articulated well is.
Cindy Bethel: how will? What is the community. And how will you engage with them? I see that a lot actually, in the planning grants. I was kind of surprised because that's the big, the big focus of the planning. Grant is bringing the communities together, and they talk a lot about what the I, the infrastructure, is going to be. But they don't tell how they're going to engage the community. And I think that's a common
Cindy Bethel: challenge that think carefully about how you're going to do that, and what what effort you're going to put into that, and then make sure you budget for that because we had situations this time where people had all these big plans, but then they didn't have any money in the budget to actually implement them or carry them out. And I was like, Wait a minute, great ideas. But how are you? Gonna what are you gonna use to do? It.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Exactly great, great point. I want to add. One more thing about the proposal is that that I have heard in the panel? I said, they said, wait a second. This looks like there's a lot of R, and this still needs to be done, you know, to get the infrastructure ready.
Deep Medhi (NSF): That's not a good sign. If it is, we don't have a percentage per se. A little bit of R&D is okay, that okay? But there's a more focus to that. This is what is going to be. We need to just do this part. But if it looks like there are too much R. And D. Too much uncertainty, is there? Then it is not an infrastructure project. Then you need to submit to our size core program as a research proposal there rather than to this program. So
Deep Medhi (NSF): that's another comment. Common comment we hear
Deep Medhi (NSF): at the panel. Secondly, although we have a wide range within each category. So let me pick the medium category.
Deep Medhi (NSF): 7 $50,000 up to 2 million dollars. You don't have to. It's not like a research proposal. You don't have to fill up 2 million dollars. It's okay to have $800,000 resource infrastructure because we have funded it. It's not because we cut their budget, because that's what the Pi requested, and that's what it is, and we can give right guidance to the panel, saying that, look, it's in a media proposal, but the budget is 800,000, and
Deep Medhi (NSF): accordingly we need to calibrate your rating. Don't compare it to what is somebody's requesting a 2 million dollar range so or 5 million dollar range. So we give proper guidance to the panel to be able to sort of
Deep Medhi (NSF): you know, to to see that. So do what is right for the budget. Don't just try to fill it up. You may have a grand category of 2.5 million. That's okay. You know it doesn't. You know you can do it that way.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Sometimes I get a comment. Well, we cannot fit everything to 2 million in the new, I said, go to Grand. Do 2.5 in your budget, you know you don't have to. You are not limited that way, so you can go there. I. In the meantime I saw a couple of more questions they want to check about, and hence is different from sustain.
Deep Medhi (NSF): The answer is. Yes, we do not fund sustain there could variety of reasons for it. 1 1 of the reason is that we are in the technology field.
Deep Medhi (NSF): You know everything changes. Your hardware changes in 2 to 3 years, you know, reigns even your laptop probably update every 3 years. So if you said that I'm going to run with something 10, you know, 5, 6 years old.
Deep Medhi (NSF): The community may not be interested in using that at all. So that's what where the we, our view of the
Deep Medhi (NSF): sustainability falls within the enhancement topic that you're going to continue to provide the functionality to the community. But you're going to announce to a new equipment, or whatever new services that you are going to use it, so that the community can benefit from
Deep Medhi (NSF): our collaborator color. Very important for planning proposal. Now.
Deep Medhi (NSF): you do not actually need any collaborate letters of collaboration for planning proposal. Good question. Very good. Very good question. Yes.
Deep Medhi (NSF): So that's all we have so far. we'll hang around for maybe another couple of minutes in case new questions come up, that then we can actually go from there.
Deep Medhi (NSF): In the meantime I saw one more question. If the support for research related to the engagement with the community, and
Deep Medhi (NSF): how the how to facilitate
Deep Medhi (NSF): the change of data knowledge.
Deep Medhi (NSF): because it's important. Can that be included in the proposal.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Jason? How would you answer that question?
Jason Hallstrom: So deep. I'm not sure that I that I'm following the question. So let me let me try to see if I can understand. So
Jason Hallstrom: if the support for the research relates to the engagement with the community.
Jason Hallstrom: and how to facilitate exchange of information.
Jason Hallstrom: can that be included in the proposal? I'm I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't quite understand the question, and if the question is asking.
Jason Hallstrom: I'm afraid I don't know what the question is asking. I'm afraid I can't answer it.
Deep Medhi (NSF): That's where I was also struggling a little bit. Because
Deep Medhi (NSF): is it exchange of data or knowledge? Because.
Deep Medhi (NSF): wow.
Jason Hallstrom: So it it preferred, perhaps.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Data by itself is not an infrastructure in a repository is our infrastructure. As I said before.
Deep Medhi (NSF): so I'm not quite sure.
Deep Medhi (NSF): exactly the intent of that question so.
Cindy Bethel: I'm not, either. But I'm wondering if the support for the research.
Cindy Bethel: This is really not about the research. So that's part. I think that's partly confusing as well. But if you're engaging the community, you can.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Will put into your.
Cindy Bethel: Into your budget.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Explanation from sorry Cindy. Explanation from the same person on the the question. If you read the last part.
Cindy Bethel: Would be around how the community better use the infrastructure.
Deep Medhi (NSF): That would be part of your community engagement. I think it is not anything different.
Deep Medhi (NSF): you know. So that's why.
Cindy Bethel: It could be that you are, you know, putting money in for a conference or a workshop, that you are bringing these communities together to determine what the needs are, and maybe exchanging and sharing information as part of that
Cindy Bethel: could be a way that you could do that.
Cindy Bethel: That's so.
Jason Hallstrom: Maybe I'll just add, if if this was part of a of a new, of a new or an enhanced proposal
Jason Hallstrom: we we would expect that throughout the lifetime of that infrastructure as Deep said as part of your community engagement, that you would be continuously assessing how effectively the community is able to access and use your infrastructure.
Jason Hallstrom: and using that to inform continuous improvement to the design of the infrastructure over time, so that kind of activity would, would certainly be allowed. But we would view that as assessment and improvement rather than research into how the community might better use infrastructure at large.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Great. Thank you.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Could you expand on the suggestion for the core program instead of this?
Deep Medhi (NSF): So I think what I was saying is that if it's a lot of R&D,
Deep Medhi (NSF): that's not an infrastructure creating an infrastructure. That's a
Deep Medhi (NSF): program that nor size regular core program which allows research and development itself, but to go submit it to instead of submitted to infrastructure.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Sometimes in the mind of the Api that line is blurry.
Deep Medhi (NSF): and if that's the case. You are welcome to contact one of us to have a conversation first, st so to see what
Deep Medhi (NSF): what it is where does it fit in. And so we are happy to help you there
Deep Medhi (NSF): again. I want to point out that we also created the new exploratory development track, the Dev track. So maybe it fits there.
Deep Medhi (NSF): or what do you have in mind? So keep that in mind as well. So that's something to you know. Think about
Cindy Bethel: I think it's a good idea to just
Cindy Bethel: when you are coming up with your ideas put together a 1 page, white paper or summary that you can send to each of us or to one of us, and then we can pass it on to the others.
Cindy Bethel: Of what your ideas are, and we can give you a pretty quick feedback on whether this is a fit for the program or not.
Cindy Bethel: I think that we are here as a resource for you, and you know we're happy to to give you that kind of feedback, and I think that saves everybody in the long run a lot of time and effort by just sending us a 1 pager, and let us, you know.
Cindy Bethel: talk about whether this seems like you're trying to advance the research project, or you're trying to set up an infrastructure that you may use. But others will definitely the community would use.
Cindy Bethel: That's the primary difference between the core program and the circ program is that we're looking to establish an infrastructure that's used by many.
Cindy Bethel: Hopefully, many versus. The core program is looking to advance a specific research topic area kind of aspect of it. And so we can answer those questions pretty easily and quickly, just by giving us a summary of what it is you're trying to accomplish.
Jason Hallstrom: And that's the outbreak.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Go ahead, Jason!
Jason Hallstrom: I was just going to add that maybe another way to look at it is that when you are going to begin a new infrastructure project.
Jason Hallstrom: If there are many unknowns
Jason Hallstrom: that is probably not an infrastructure project.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Correct. That's that's a great way to saying Jason's summarizing it. You know. Too many unknowns is not
Deep Medhi (NSF): and not a good. The other important thing. I want to point out that we actually kind of
Deep Medhi (NSF): bank on each other, the core program and the
Deep Medhi (NSF): the the start program in the sense that, philosophically, what we are thinking within the directorate is that there are certain resources not possible as a single pi to have your own whole infrastructure and stuff to do the kind of work you want to do. This is where the start program is very important cause, then we create something that enabled us to do
Deep Medhi (NSF): new research that you are not able to actually
Deep Medhi (NSF): do it. So in your start. Pro sorry in your core pro proposal, you might say that this is my research. By the way, there is this infrastructure that sarc funded that will enable me to do the the new re results that we are going to be able to find it sort of that interesting connection you can draw there.
Deep Medhi (NSF): In the meantime, I saw one other could do current active award. For example, size, core cancel, Diaz. Elicit eligibility for
Deep Medhi (NSF): sorry. No, these are 2 separate program. We don't. We don't mix it up in terms of the eligibility from one program to another one. So that's where it is
Deep Medhi (NSF): the last. I'm a 19 year old computer science student with experimental software. And I'm currently working on a startup that aims to
Deep Medhi (NSF): revolution as the healthcare sector by leveraging AI and machine learning to improve healthcare system. Is that a good infrastructure part.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Is it worth?
Deep Medhi (NSF): Well, I mean the there are a couple of aspects about it. Healthcare is, of course, important.
Deep Medhi (NSF): But
Deep Medhi (NSF): an important point about National Science Foundation is that
Deep Medhi (NSF): it is it doesn't handle any clinical side of it that belongs to Nih National Institute of Health.
Deep Medhi (NSF): We only handle non clinical science and engineering. That's the charter of Nsm, so within that if there is something that
Deep Medhi (NSF): you know that is proposed that can be considered within the program. I want to clarify that
Deep Medhi (NSF): that the project can be only sub submitted by somebody who has a
Deep Medhi (NSF): primary appointment as a as a research faculty or a tenure track faculty
Deep Medhi (NSF): at an institution. So that's important to note. So hopefully, you can, you know, collaborate with somebody to be able to submit something, or what you have in mind. Again going back to what Cindy said. If you put one page or summary, we can look at it and give you feedback. Whether this is a
Deep Medhi (NSF): you know, right fit for what you have
Deep Medhi (NSF): is the right fit for this program?
Deep Medhi (NSF): Very good. We're almost at the end of the hour.
Deep Medhi (NSF): If there are no other questions, I think we'll close it here. Thank you again for joining, and again, if you have any question, shoot us an email. By go, you know, our email are there? And
Deep Medhi (NSF): one of us would address because we handle different aspect from a topical area. So we circulate it. And very important thing.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Do not send the same email separately to each of us. That's no, no, please, if you want to copy all of us. We're fine, but if you send it to each of them, we didn't send exchange to each other. And they say what happened. I got the same email, too, that comes up often. Please don't do that. Just send it to one of us, or send it to copy to all of us. Then we'll respond and thank you very much.
Deep Medhi (NSF): Okay, alright.
Deep Medhi (NSF): bye-bye.