Cyberinfrastructure for Public Access and Open Science
NSF funds early-stage collaborative cyberinfrastructure projects that improve public access and open science for research data ecosystems across disciplines, for eligible applicants that can propose year-round under the program description.
⚑ NSF accepts proposals year-round; no deadline stated · Program emphasizes early-stage collaborative activities and socio-technical partnerships · International collaboration is encouraged but not required
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 90 strong | technical depth: central; funds data infrastructure |
| IPPRA | 51 partial | outside portfolio topics; signature methods: community engaged, policy analysis; social/behavioral work is minor; funds data/survey infrastructure |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
The Cyberinfrastructure for Public Access and Open Science (CI PAOS) program within the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) aims to catalyze new and transformative socio-technical partnerships supporting research data infrastructure ecosystems across d omains through early-stage collaborative activities between cyberinfrastructure researchers, scie ntists , research computing experts, data management experts , research labs , university libraries , and other communities of practice.
The CI PAOS program supports the NSF Public Access Initiative by encouraging innovation across the CI ecosystem t o address accessibility, discoverability, reliability, reproducibility, sustainability, and utility of data products in alignment with NSF and national goals for public access and open science [ See: NSF Public Access Initiative , Office of Science and Technology Policy Memorandum on Ensuring Free, Immediate, and equitable Access to Federally funded Research , and Desirable Characteristics of Data Repositories for Federally Funded Research ] . CI PAOS builds on previous investments including those through Dear Colleague Letters NSF 19-069 , NSF 20 -068 , NSF 23-018 , and the FAIROS R esearch C oordination N etworks ( RCN ) p rogram solicitation ( NSF 22-553 ) .
NSF accepts proposals pursuant to this Program Description year-round. From time to time , NSF may also issue Dear Colleague Letters to encourage proposals on special thema tic interests and opportunities related to this progra m .
GUIDANCE TO POTENTIAL PROPOSERS
A primary feature of successful CI PAOS projects is a robust, synergistic collaborative team comprising skills from across communities of science/engineering, research data science, and information science discipline(s) and expertise in leveraging connections between cyberinfrastructure researchers and providers and data specialists . Leveraging international collaboration to build shared norms and address c hallenges related to developing and implementing PAOS policies and practices is encouraged . Research and education in science and engineering benefit immensely from international cooperation. P roposals with an international component are also welcome [See: International Collaborations Opportunities at NSF ] . Proposers must target one or more of th e following themes/pathways: Competency Building, Capability Building, and /or Community Building.
Competency Building
Open s cience /engineering-driven collaboration . A socio -technical collaborative approach in addressing disciplinary , interdisciplinary , domestic, and international data lifecycle challenges is critical to informing and guiding the development of principles, requirements , and standards of a CI ecosystem that fosters pipelines to good data management and pathways to access. Propos al s should clearly describe the goals, challenges, and rationale for the proposed data science and engineering project and include an explanation of the potential for transformative research and broader impacts on the open science ecosystem [ See: U.S. NSF Broader Impacts ] . Successful proposals will also clearly identify utilization science scenarios and use cases .
C apability Building
Exploratory and pilot activities. <span class="TextRun SCXW92189242 BCX4" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" d
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View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: U.S. National Science Foundation <grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · National Science Foundation conventions SEE AN NSF EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — National Science Foundation's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.