Dynamics, Control and Systems Diagnostics

The Dynamics, Control and Systems Diagnostics (DCSD) program is a funding opportunity managed by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under its Directorate for Engineering, specifically within the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (ENG/CMMI). As a major arm of the U.S. federal research ecosystem, NSF supports foundational and transformative research across scientific and engineering disciplines, and the DCSD program is a key element within NSF’s strategy to advance knowledge related to dynamic systems. This program is focused on supporting fundamental research—whether theoretical, computational, or experimental—into the behavior, diagnostics, and control of dynamic systems. These systems, characterized by variables that evolve over time, are relevant in numerous scientific and engineering domains. The DCSD program is particularly interested in proposals that contribute to one or more of four core focus areas: modeling, which involves creating mathematical structures for understanding and predicting system behavior; analysis, involving both theoretical and computational techniques to extract meaningful insights from system behaviors; diagnostics, where investigators link causes to observed behaviors; and control, which includes strategies to shape system behavior towards desired outcomes or mitigate undesired effects. Principal Investigators (PIs) are strongly encouraged to ensure their research proposals clearly demonstrate a contribution to at least one of these domains. Furthermore, PIs may submit a one-page project summary to the program's email address ([email protected]) to receive preliminary feedback on alignment with the DCSD program’s scope. Proposals should be submitted in compliance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and, depending on the submission platform, must follow either the Research.gov or Grants.gov guidelines. Notably, the DCSD program accepts full proposals at any time—there is no fixed deadline—which reflects NSF’s broader transition to more flexible funding mechanisms for some programs. The funding can support a wide range of research expenses necessary to conduct the proposed studies, and investigators are encouraged to request budget amounts that match the scale of their proposed work, justifying these costs within the proposal narrative. However, no specific award ceiling or floor is stated, and no explicit cost-sharing or matching funds are required. Eligible applicants are broadly defined, including institutions of higher education and research organizations within the United States. Applications are evaluated based on their intellectual merit and broader impacts, which are core NSF review criteria. PIs should take care to articulate how their work will advance knowledge, contribute to educational or societal goals, and possibly inform practices in applied or industrial settings. There is no mention of pre-application requirements, LOIs, or concept paper gating for standard proposals, although proposals under specific NSF programs like EAGER or RAPID do require prior contact with a program director. The program does not operate under a recurring cycle with hard deadlines, but instead uses a rolling submission model, and all proposals are welcome year-round. As such, there is no scheduled award or notification timeline provided. For direct inquiries, the program is staffed by multiple program directors, including Marcello Canova, Alena Talkachova, Yue Wang, and Jordan M. Berg, who can be contacted through the shared email ([email protected]) or via phone using the listed numbers on the official DCSD program page. The flexibility of submission timing, coupled with the open scope within key dynamic systems domains, makes this program especially suitable for cutting-edge or exploratory projects in engineering and related fields.