Cybersecurity Innovation for Cyberinfrastructure

The Cybersecurity Innovation for Cyberinfrastructure (CICI) program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), aims to enhance scientific discovery and innovation by improving the security and privacy of cyberinfrastructure. The program focuses on advancing cybersecurity measures that safeguard scientific data, computation, collaboration workflows, and infrastructure. Recognizing the complex, distributed, and collaborative nature of modern scientific research, CICI supports initiatives that address the unique cybersecurity needs of diverse scientific disciplines, researchers, and projects. With an estimated total program funding of $12 million and an award ceiling of $1.2 million, the program expects to make approximately 20 awards. CICI invites proposals across four key program areas. The first, Usable and Collaborative Security for Science (UCSS), emphasizes research that integrates security measures into scientific workflows while fostering collaboration and usability across cyberinfrastructure systems. The second area, Reference Scientific Security Datasets (RSSD), focuses on creating reproducible security research datasets derived from scientific workflows and workloads. The third area, Transition to Cyberinfrastructure Resilience (TCR), aims to improve the resilience, robustness, and trustworthiness of cyberinfrastructure through testing, validation, and transitioning novel cybersecurity research into practical applications. Lastly, the Integrity, Provenance, and Authenticity for Artificial Intelligence Ready Data (IPAAI) area seeks to ensure the reliability of scientific datasets used in AI systems, enhancing reproducibility and trust in AI-generated scientific results. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based non-profit, non-academic organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies directly involved in educational or research activities. Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), including accredited two- and four-year colleges and universities, may also apply. Proposals that include funding for international branches of U.S. institutions must justify the necessity of activities taking place abroad and demonstrate the benefits to the overall project. Proposals must address the specific objectives and focus areas outlined by the program, including demonstrating how the project will contribute to improving the cybersecurity landscape of scientific research infrastructure. Applications are expected to include clear methodologies, project goals, and anticipated outcomes aligned with one or more of the four program areas. Submission requirements, application components, and detailed evaluation criteria are provided in the full program solicitation available through the NSF publication link. The application deadline for this funding opportunity is April 2, 2025. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the program guidelines and submit their proposals through the NSF's designated submission platform. For technical assistance or further clarifications, applicants can contact NSF grants.gov support via the provided email address.