Addressing Systems Challenges through Engineering Teams | 20 511

Opportunity Information: Apply for 20 511

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) Division, is offering the Addressing Systems Challenges through Engineering Teams (ASCENT) opportunity to support ambitious, high-impact fundamental engineering research that advances complex systems and networks. The core idea is to fund work that goes beyond what a single principal investigator or a short, isolated project could realistically achieve, especially when tackling interconnected challenges that span devices, components, and larger-scale system integration across power, controls, networking, communications, and cyber systems. ECCS is explicitly looking for research that is enabling and transformative across nano, micro, and macro scales, and that can ultimately move into real-world engineering system applications with meaningful societal benefits.

ASCENT is positioned for projects that combine deep fundamental questions with a clear line of sight to high-impact application areas such as healthcare, homeland security, disaster mitigation, telecommunications, energy, environmental systems, transportation, and manufacturing. The program also signals strong interest in fast-evolving and cross-cutting technical domains, including 5G and beyond wireless technologies, quantum information science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data, particularly where these areas can empower new capabilities in engineering systems through advanced computation, synthesis, evaluation, and analysis methods.

A defining feature of this opportunity is its emphasis on interdisciplinary, team-based engineering leadership. Proposals must involve at least three collaborating PIs and co-PIs, run for up to four years, and request a total budget in the range of $1 million to $1.5 million. ECCS wants a connected portfolio of projects that create synergy across its three major clusters: Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems (CCSS); Electronics, Photonics and Magnetic Devices (EPMD); and Energy, Power, Control, and Networks (EPCN). While a proposal can sit within one cluster, projects that span multiple clusters are strongly encouraged, especially when that cross-cluster integration is essential to the technical breakthrough rather than just a superficial add-on.

Competitiveness under ASCENT depends heavily on demonstrating that the research problem is both intellectually compelling and truly requires an integrated team approach. Applicants are expected to make a strong case for why the disciplines represented are necessary, how the pieces fit together into a coherent research plan, and why the outcomes would be difficult or impossible without tight collaboration. Proposals should be bold and ground-breaking, aiming to transcend typical disciplinary approaches and lead to disruptive technologies or methods, or otherwise enable major improvements in quality of life. The solicitation also expects practical project management elements: a clear timeline for research activities, explicit mechanisms for frequent communication among team members, and a credible plan for assessing progress and keeping the collaboration aligned with the proposed goals.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity from NSF in the science and technology research and development category (CFDA 47.041), originally posted November 1, 2019, with an original closing date of February 19, 2020, and an expected total of about six awards. Eligible applicants are listed as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full solicitation text.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Addressing Systems Challenges through Engineering Teams" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 01, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 19, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 20 511

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