Geoinformatics

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Directorate for Geosciences and Division of Earth Sciences, offers the Geoinformatics (GI) funding opportunity under solicitation NSF 23-594. The program is aimed at supporting the development, deployment, and sustainment of cyberinfrastructure (CI) resources critical to Earth Sciences research and education. The NSF was established in 1950 and remains one of the leading federal agencies funding research and education in all fields of science and engineering in the United States. This solicitation supersedes NSF 21-583 and introduces updated funding tracks and budget guidelines to align with new strategic goals and community needs. The purpose of the GI program is to facilitate transparent, reproducible, and scalable research in the Earth Sciences through CI capabilities such as data curation, modeling tools, and computational resources. The program emphasizes FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics), and TRUST (Transparency, Responsibility, User focus, Sustainability, and Technology) principles to support equitable access to scientific data and tools. GI will support two funding tracks: Innovative Resources for early-stage development and community-building of CI resources, and Sustained Resources for ongoing operations of mature CI services. Eligibility is limited to U.S.-based institutions of higher education and non-profit, non-academic organizations such as independent research labs and observatories. There are no restrictions on the number of proposals submitted per organization or individual. For the Sustained Resources track, submission of a Concept Outline at least three months prior to the full proposal deadline is mandatory. Proposals must comply with current NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and may be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov. Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. Applications are evaluated based on intellectual merit, broader impacts, and two additional solicitation-specific criteria: Metrics and Assessment, and Sustainable Management. Proposals must include sections addressing these essential elements and are encouraged to support broad community engagement. For Innovative Resources, the funding limit is $200,000 per year for up to three years. Budgets for Sustained Resources vary according to the scope of work. An estimated six to eight awards will be made per year, with a total annual program budget of approximately $5.6 million. The next submission deadlines are December 6, 2024 (Sustained Resources) and December 5, 2025 (Innovative Resources), with prior Concept Outline submissions required at least three months earlier for the Sustained Resources track. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the program officers in advance for guidance. Key contacts include Raleigh L. Martin, Nicole Gasparini, and Luciana Astiz at geoinformatics@nsf.gov or by phone. Additional support is available through NSF's Research.gov and Grants.gov help desks.