Addressing Systems Challenges through Engineering Teams

The ASCENT (Addressing Systems Challenges through Engineering Teams) program from the National Science Foundation (NSF) aims to support engineering research addressing significant challenges in complex systems and networks. It encourages interdisciplinary collaborations that span at least two of the three clusters within the Electrical, Communications, and Cyber Systems (ECCS) division: Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems (CCSS); Electronics, Photonics, and Magnetic Devices (EPMD); and Energy, Power, Control, and Networks (EPCN). The program focuses on foundational research that can lead to disruptive technologies addressing areas like healthcare, energy, telecommunications, and smart infrastructure. For FY 2025, proposals related to wafer-scale or panel-scale heterogeneous integration in semiconductor systems are especially encouraged, including topics in advanced packaging, modular architectures, and multi-technology systems【69†source】. The ASCENT program anticipates supporting six to nine multi-year projects, with each award ranging from $1 million to $1.5 million over four years. The NSF emphasizes convergence and integration across disciplines, requiring a team approach with at least three collaborating principal investigators (PIs), each contributing specialized expertise to the proposed research. Proposals should demonstrate both technical innovation and societal impact, with a clear integration plan for disciplines involved. Specific project themes should be framed around new approaches to heterogeneous integration, potentially exploring areas like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, resilient power systems, and advanced communications, ensuring that systems-level challenges are addressed comprehensively【69†source】. Eligible applicants are U.S.-based institutions of higher education, including both two- and four-year colleges. Each proposal must designate one PI or co-PI per institution, who should hold a full-time paid appointment at the institution. Collaborations with industry, particularly with companies like Intel, are encouraged but must align with NSF’s guidelines for the Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI). Importantly, only one ASCENT proposal is allowed per individual PI in each review cycle, and applicants are advised to carefully manage roles and responsibilities across teams to maximize their interdisciplinary impact【69†source】. Applications are due by January 22, 2025, at 5 p.m. local time of the submitting organization. Proposals can be submitted via NSF’s Research.gov or Grants.gov portals, adhering to the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). Proposals must include a Research Integration Plan and a timeline for research activities, detailing communication strategies and team coordination to achieve project goals. A biennial grantees' meeting is mandatory, with funds included in the budget for at least one PI and a graduate student to attend. Additionally, applicants should include a travel plan for virtual or in-person annual meetings and site-specific workshops as part of their project budgets【69†source】. The evaluation criteria for ASCENT proposals include NSF’s standard intellectual merit and broader impacts but also focus specifically on the integration and synergy between ECCS clusters, the depth of the Research Integration Plan, and the alignment with the program’s priorities in semiconductor and heterogeneous integration. Selected projects will also be reviewed for their potential to advance NSF’s goal of increasing diversity in STEM fields, with particular encouragement for minority-serving institutions to apply. Intel, as a funding partner, may provide post-award resources and engage directly with recipients to support project goals; however, no prior arrangement with Intel is required for submission【69†source】. Awardees are responsible for maintaining compliance with NSF’s Build America, Buy America requirements, which mandate the use of domestically sourced materials in funded infrastructure projects. Following the award, PIs are required to submit annual project reports, including a final project report summarizing the outcomes and impact of the project. Awardees will also grant NSF and Intel a non-exclusive license to inventions created under the program, though specific rights to Intel are limited to use within the scope of the funded research【69†source】.