Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation

The Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation (CSSI) program is administered by the U.S. National Science Foundation. It is designed to support the development and sustainability of advanced cyberinfrastructure that enables research and education across multiple fields of science and engineering. The Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC), together with several other NSF directorates and divisions, leads this effort. The program emphasizes innovation, sustainability, and collaboration, aiming to build robust, scalable, and community-driven software and data services that support cutting-edge scientific discovery. The CSSI program offers three classes of awards. Elements awards support small groups in developing and deploying robust, reusable services to advance science and engineering, with budgets up to $600,000 over three years. Framework Implementations awards fund larger interdisciplinary teams to create community-scale cyberinfrastructure frameworks, with budgets ranging from $600,001 to $5,000,000 for three to five years. Transition to Sustainability awards provide up to $1,000,000 over two years to sustain existing cyberinfrastructure with demonstrated community adoption and impact. The program supports proposals that address bottlenecks in research workflows, enable broad adoption, and foster diverse community engagement. Eligibility for the CSSI program is limited to U.S.-based institutions. Eligible applicants include accredited two- and four-year institutions of higher education, including community colleges, as well as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and other nonprofit organizations directly engaged in research or education. NSF-sponsored federally funded research and development centers may also apply if they do not duplicate costs already covered by federal funding. Proposals must designate one Principal Investigator, with up to four co-Principal Investigators, and each individual may participate in only one proposal under this solicitation. Applications must be submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov in accordance with NSF’s Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide. Proposals must clearly identify whether they are submitted under the Elements, Framework Implementations, or Transition to Sustainability category. Required supplementary documents include a Delivery Mechanism and Community Usage Metrics plan and, where applicable, management and coordination plans or professional development plans for cyberinfrastructure professionals. Proposals may also request high-throughput computing resources through the NSF-supported PATh project by including a supplementary HTC request. Submissions are evaluated under NSF’s two merit review criteria: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. Additional solicitation-specific criteria require proposals to demonstrate science-driven outcomes, innovative approaches to cyberinfrastructure development, community engagement, measurable impacts, and sustainability beyond the funding period. The program encourages partnerships across academia, industry, government, and international entities. Special emphasis is placed on broadening participation in STEM by involving underrepresented communities, minority-serving institutions, and institutions with limited research capacity. The program has recurring deadlines, with the next full proposal due on December 1, 2025, and annually thereafter on December 1. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. local time of the applicant’s organization. Awards are expected to begin after NSF’s review process, which generally concludes within six months of the submission deadline. Up to 35 awards are anticipated, totaling approximately $34,000,000 across all categories. Applicants are encouraged to contact cognizant program officers before submission to confirm alignment with division-specific priorities. General inquiries can be directed to CSSIQueries@nsf.gov or to listed program officers, such as Marlon Pierce at (703) 292-7743.