Addressing Systems Challenges through Engineering Teams | 20 511

FAQs: NSF ECCS Addressing Systems Challenges through Engineering Teams (ASCENT)

What is the ASCENT opportunity?

ASCENT (Addressing Systems Challenges through Engineering Teams) is an NSF opportunity offered through the Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) Division to support ambitious, high-impact fundamental engineering research focused on complex systems and networks.

What kind of research does ASCENT aim to support?

ASCENT targets fundamental engineering research that advances complex, interconnected systems and networks, especially work that spans devices and components through larger-scale system integration across areas like power, controls, networking, communications, and cyber systems.

What is the main theme or core idea behind ASCENT?

The core idea is to fund research that goes beyond what a single principal investigator (PI) or a short, isolated project could realistically accomplish, particularly for interconnected challenges that require coordinated progress across multiple technical layers and disciplines.

Does ASCENT emphasize specific engineering scales?

Yes. ECCS explicitly highlights research that is enabling and transformative across nano, micro, and macro scales, with an expectation that the work can ultimately move toward real-world engineering system applications.

How important are real-world applications and societal benefits?

ASCENT is framed as fundamental research with a clear line of sight to real-world engineering system applications and meaningful societal benefits.

What application areas are mentioned as high-impact targets?

The opportunity mentions high-impact application areas such as healthcare, homeland security, disaster mitigation, telecommunications, energy, environmental systems, transportation, manufacturing, and related engineering system domains.

Are there particular technical domains or emerging areas of interest?

Yes. The program signals strong interest in fast-evolving and cross-cutting domains including 5G and beyond wireless technologies, quantum information science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data, especially where these can enable new engineering system capabilities through advanced computation, synthesis, evaluation, and analysis methods.

Is ASCENT intended for single-investigator projects?

No. A defining feature is interdisciplinary, team-based engineering leadership. Proposals must involve at least three collaborating PIs and co-PIs.

What is the minimum team size requirement?

Proposals must include at least three collaborating PIs and co-PIs (as stated in the opportunity description).

How long can an ASCENT project run?

Projects can run for up to four years.

What is the expected budget range for an ASCENT proposal?

The total budget request is expected to be in the range of $1 million to $1.5 million.

How many awards does NSF expect to make under this opportunity?

The opportunity indicates an expected total of about six awards.

Which NSF division and program area sponsors ASCENT?

ASCENT is offered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) Division.

What does ECCS mean by a "connected portfolio" and synergy?

ECCS indicates it wants a connected portfolio of projects that create synergy across its major technical clusters, meaning projects should align with and strengthen ECCS priorities and, where appropriate, integrate across clusters in a meaningful way.

What ECCS clusters are specifically referenced?

ASCENT references three ECCS clusters: Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems (CCSS); Electronics, Photonics and Magnetic Devices (EPMD); and Energy, Power, Control, and Networks (EPCN).

Can a proposal be submitted within just one ECCS cluster?

Yes. The description notes that a proposal can sit within one cluster.

Are cross-cluster proposals preferred?

Projects that span multiple clusters are strongly encouraged, particularly when cross-cluster integration is essential to the technical breakthrough and not simply a superficial add-on.

What makes a proposal competitive under ASCENT?

Competitiveness depends heavily on showing that the research problem is intellectually compelling and truly requires an integrated team approach, with a coherent plan demonstrating why tight collaboration is necessary to achieve the proposed outcomes.

How should teams justify the need for multiple disciplines?

Applicants are expected to clearly explain why the represented disciplines are necessary, how the technical pieces fit together into a coherent research plan, and why the outcomes would be difficult or impossible without close collaboration.

What level of ambition is expected?

The opportunity emphasizes bold, ground-breaking research that can transcend typical disciplinary approaches and lead to disruptive technologies or methods, or otherwise enable major improvements in quality of life.

What project management elements does ASCENT expect to see?

The description expects practical management elements, including a clear research timeline, explicit mechanisms for frequent communication among team members, and a credible plan for assessing progress and keeping the collaboration aligned with the proposed goals.

What type of grant is ASCENT described as?

It is described as a discretionary grant opportunity from NSF in the science and technology research and development category.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity references CFDA 47.041.

When was this opportunity originally posted?

The opportunity was originally posted on November 1, 2019.

What was the original closing date listed?

The original closing date listed is February 19, 2020.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants are listed as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full solicitation text.

Where can applicants find the detailed eligibility rules?

The opportunity notes that additional eligibility details are provided in the full solicitation text.

Does ASCENT focus only on theory, or also on pathways to application?

It is framed as fundamental engineering research with a line of sight to high-impact application areas and eventual real-world engineering system applications, indicating both deep fundamentals and relevance to practical systems challenges.

What kinds of engineering systems are within scope?

The description highlights complex systems and networks that may involve devices, components, and system integration across power, controls, networking, communications, and cyber systems, with relevance to multiple societal application domains.

Is integration across devices, components, and systems emphasized?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly emphasizes interconnected challenges spanning devices and components through larger-scale system integration.

How does the solicitation treat cross-cutting computational approaches?

It signals interest in advanced computation and related methods for synthesis, evaluation, and analysis, especially when paired with areas like AI/ML, big data, 5G and beyond, and quantum information science to enable new engineering system capabilities.