Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are engineered systems that are built from and depend upon the synergy of computational and physical components. Emerging CPS will be coordinated, distributed, and connected, and must be robust and responsive. The CPS of tomorrow will need to far exceed the systems of today in capability, adaptability, resiliency, safety, security, and usability. Examples of the many CPS application areas include the smart electric grid, smart transportation, smart buildings, smart medical technologies, next-generation air traffic management, and advanced manufacturing. CPS will transform the way people interact with engineered systems, just as the Internet transformed the way people interact with information. However, these goals cannot be achieved without rigorous systems engineering.
The December 2010 report of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Designing a Digital Future: Federally Funded Research and Development in Networking and Information Technology calls for continued investment in CPS research because of its scientific and technological importance as well as its potential impact on grand challenges in a number of sectors critical to U.S. security and competitiveness, including aerospace, automotive, chemical production, civil infrastructure, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, materials and transportation.
We do not yet have a mature science to support systems engineering of high confidence CPS, and the consequences are profound. Traditional analysis tools are unable to cope with the full complexity of CPS or adequately predict system behavior. The present electric power grid, an ad hoc system, experiences blackouts over large regions, tripped by minor events that escalate with surprising speed into widespread power failures. This illustrates the limitations of the current science and technology, which do not enable us to conceptualize and design for the deep interdependencies among engineered systems and the natural world. At the same time, pressure to develop technologies such as renewable energy, wireless health, advanced manufacturing, smart materials, and electrified ground and air vehicles creates an unprecedented opportunity to rethink many important classes of systems.
The goal of the CPS program is to develop the core system science needed to engineer complex cyber-physical systems upon which people can depend with high confidence. The program aims to foster a research community committed to advancing research and education in CPS and to transitioning CPS science and technology into engineering practice. By abstracting from the particulars of specific systems and application domains, the CPS program aims to reveal cross-cutting fundamental scientific and engineering principles that underpin the integration of cyber and physical elements across all application sectors. To expedite and accelerate the realization of cyber-physical systems in a wide range of applications, the CPS program also supports the development of methods, tools, and hardware and software components based upon these cross-cutting principles, along with validation of the principles via prototypes and test beds.
Three types of research and education projects will be considered, which differ in scope and goals:
- Breakthrough projects must offer a significant advance in fundamental CPS science, engineering and/or technology that has the potential to change the field. Funding for Breakthrough projects may be requested for a total of up to $750,000 for a period of up to 3 years.
- Synergy projects must demonstrate innovation at the intersection of multiple disciplines, to accomplish a clear goal that requires an integrated perspective spanning the disciplines. Funding for Synergy projects may be requested for a total of $750,001 to $2,000,000 for a period of 3 to 4 years.
- Frontiers projects must address clearly identified critical CPS challenges that cannot be achieved by a set of smaller projects. Funding may be requested for a total of $1,200,000 to $10,000,000 for a period of 4 to 5 years. Note that, due to the difference in goals and scope, the range for Frontiers projects overlaps with the range for Synergy projects.
The CPS program is cooperating with other government agencies to support cyber-physical systems research that is relevant to their missions. Dear Colleague Letters will announce these opportunities as they arise.
A more complete description of the CPS program is provided in Section II, Program Description, of this solicitation.
CONTACTS
| Name | Phone | Room | |
| Helen Gill | hgill@nsf.gov | (703) 292-7834 | 1175 |
| Theodore P. Baker | tbaker@nsf.gov | (703) 292-8608 | 1175 |
| Ralph Wachter | rwachter@nsf.gov | (703) 292-8950 | 1175 |
| Radhakisan Baheti | rbaheti@nsf.gov | (703) 292-8339 | 525 |
| Bruce Kramer | bkramer@nsf.gov | (703) 292-5348 | 545S |
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
Solicitation 12-520
DUE DATES
Full Proposal Window: February 15, 2012 - March 15, 2012
Full Proposal Window: December 17, 2012 - January 22, 2013
Proposals will be accepted only within these windows.
THIS PROGRAM IS PART OF
Additional Funding Opportunities for the CCF Community
Additional Funding Opportunities for the CNS Community
Additional Funding Opportunities for the IIS Community
What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)
Cybersecurity Funding Opportunity
The US National Science Foundation's Federal Cyber Service (SFS) program has expanded funding for cybersecurity-related projects this year from $15M to $45M. We are actively seeking good proposals which address curriculum, faculty development and/or applied research in cybersecurity, information assurance, digital forensics and computer security.
The proposal submission deadline is April 17, 2012. For more information read about the Capacity Building Track at http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5228 or contact Sue Fitzgerald (scfitzge@nsf.gov) or Guy-Alain Amoussou (gamousso@nsf.gov).
Capacity Building Track: This track is open to all institutions of higher education. The intent is to increase the production of high quality information assurance and cybersecurity professionals by providing support for efforts within the higher education system, as well as outreach to K-12 students with related interests. These efforts may take many forms, but must be designed to address one or more of the following:
- increase national capacity for the high-quality education of information technology professionals in cybersecurity-related disciplines,
- increase the number of IT professionals in cybersecurity-related disciplines,
- increase interest in information assurance and/or cybersecurity careers,
- accelerate the integration of information assurance, computer security, or cybersecurity knowledge in curricula across the STEM disciplines,
- promote the integration of research and education in information assurance, computer security, or cybersecurity,
- strengthen partnerships between institutions of higher education, government, and relevant employment sectors leading to improved educational opportunities in cybersecurity-related studies, or
- increase the diversity of the cybersecurity workforce.
Capacity building projects may vary in size. A typical small scale project will request a total of $200,000 to $300,000 over a two to three year period. Large scale projects may not exceed a total of $900,000 and typically will extend over three to four years.
Projects which address the following topics are of particular interest in this competition:
- development, deployment, and evaluation of information assurance, cybersecurity, and/or digital forensics curriculum guidelines leading to wide adoption nationally,
- integration of information assurance and/or cybersecurity topics into computer science, information technology, engineering and other existing degree programs with plans for pervasive adoption,
- development and extensive adoption of coordinated plans for pathways between two-year, four-year and/or graduate programs or development of accelerated ("fast track") programs which combine the bachelor's and master's degree in information assurance, cybersecurity, or digital forensics,
- development of accelerated information assurance or cybersecurity degree or certificate programs for veterans, career changers, and non-traditional students,
- models for the integration of applied research experiences into information assurance, cybersecurity, or digital forensic degree programs,
- development of faculty expertise in information assurance, cybersecurity, or digital forensics with an emphasis on having a broad impact on faculty who lack training in these arenas,
- evaluation of the effectiveness of cybersecurity competitions, games, and other outreach and retention activities, or
- other innovative and creative projects which lead to an increase in the ability of the United States higher education enterprise to produce information assurance and cybersecurity professionals.
Although projects may vary considerably in the approaches they take, the number of academic institutions involved, the number of faculty and students that participate, and in their stage of development, all promising projects share certain characteristics.
Quality, Relevance, and Impact: Projects should address a recognized need or opportunity, clearly indicate how they will meet this need, and be innovative in their production and use of new materials, processes, and ideas, or in their implementation of tested ones.
Submitted by Mario Berges on February 20th, 2012
NIST is soliciting proposals for financial assistance for FY 2012 under the following nine programs: (1) Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) Grant Program; (2) Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) Grant Program; (3) Engineering Laboratory (EL) Grant Program; (4) Fire Research Grant Program; (5) Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) Grant Program; (6) NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) Grant Program; (7) Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) Grant Program; (8) Standards Services Group (SSG) Grant Program; and (9) Office of Special Programs (OSP) Grant Program. Details of each program can be found in the Full Announcement for 2012-NIST-MSE-01.
Eligible Applicants
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Additional Information on Eligibility:
- Institutions of higher education; hospitals; non-profit organizations; commercial organizations; state, local, and Indian tribal governments; foreign governments; organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign governments; and international organizations.
Agency Name
- National Institute of Standards and Technology
Link to Full Announcement
If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:
- Christopher Hunton
Grants Technical Assistant
Phone 301-975-5718 Agency Contact
| Document Type: | Grants Notice |
| Funding Opportunity Number: | 2012-NIST-MSE-01 |
| Opportunity Category: | Discretionary |
| Posted Date: | Dec 07, 2011 |
| Creation Date: | Dec 07, 2011 |
| Original Closing Date for Applications: | For all programs listed in this FFO, proposals will be considered on a continuing/rolling basis. For all programs except the Fire Research Grant Program, proposals received after 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 1, 2012 may be processed and considered for funding under this FFO in the current fiscal year or in the next fiscal year until a new FFO is posted on the Grants.gov Web site (www.grants.gov), subject to the availability of funds. For the Fire Research Grant Program, proposals received after 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 30, 2012 may be processed and considered for funding under this FFO in the current fiscal year or in the next fiscal year until a new FFO is posted on Grants.gov, subject to the availability of funds. Proposers should allow up to 90 days processing time. |
| Current Closing Date for Applications: | For all programs listed in this FFO, proposals will be considered on a continuing/rolling basis. For all programs except the Fire Research Grant Program, proposals received after 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 1, 2012 may be processed and considered for funding under this FFO in the current fiscal year or in the next fiscal year until a new FFO is posted on the Grants.gov Web site (www.grants.gov), subject to the availability of funds. For the Fire Research Grant Program, proposals received after 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 30, 2012 may be processed and considered for funding under this FFO in the current fiscal year or in the next fiscal year until a new FFO is posted on Grants.gov, subject to the availability of funds. Proposers should allow up to 90 days processing time. |
| Archive Date: | |
| Funding Instrument Type: | Cooperative Agreement Grant |
| Category of Funding Activity: | Science and Technology and other Research and Development |
| Category Explanation: | |
| Expected Number of Awards: | |
| Estimated Total Program Funding: | |
| Award Ceiling: | |
| Award Floor: | |
| CFDA Number(s): | 11.609 -- Measurement and Engineering Research and Standards |
| Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: | No |
| Synopsis Modification History: | There are currently no modifications for this opportunity. |
Any inconsistency between the original printed document and the disk or electronic document shall be resolved by giving precedence to the printed document.
Submitted by Katie Dey on January 26th, 2012