Training-based Workforce Development for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (CyberTraining) | 23 520

Opportunity Information: Apply for 23 520

The National Science Foundation (NSF) CyberTraining opportunity, formally titled Training-based Workforce Development for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure, funds projects that strengthen the United States research workforce in the practical creation, effective use, and long-term support of advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI). The overall purpose is to expand the pool of people who can do cutting-edge, CI-enabled science and engineering research and education, while also improving the Nation's competitiveness and security. In this program, "advanced CI" is interpreted broadly and includes advanced computing resources, large-scale data management and analytics, and the networking and security capabilities needed to operate and use large-scale systems. The emphasis is not on CI for its own sake, but on workforce development that helps researchers and professionals use these capabilities to enable or even transform fundamental science and engineering outcomes.

The solicitation centers on two main goals, and proposals can address either one or both. The first goal is to drive broad adoption of CI tools, methods, and resources across the research community, which NSF views as a way to remove bottlenecks and accelerate major research advances. This includes helping researchers become more capable not only of using existing CI, but also of leading the development of next-generation CI approaches when needed. The second goal is to embed core CI literacy plus discipline-appropriate advanced computational and data-driven skills directly into undergraduate and graduate education through curriculum and instructional materials. In other words, the program is looking for training and educational efforts that move beyond one-off workshops and start making advanced computing and data skills a normal, expected part of how students are trained in their fields.

NSF is looking for innovative and scalable training, education, and curriculum products that address emerging needs and persistent gaps in workforce preparation. The target audiences can span a wide range, from postsecondary learners to active researchers to CI professionals who support research communities. Projects are expected to serve multidisciplinary or targeted communities and to create changes that matter both in the near term (more people trained, more effective use of CI) and in the long term (durable training models, widely adopted materials, and improved readiness of the research workforce to use advanced CI routinely). A key expectation is that project outputs should be broadly usable by the research community, not limited to a single lab, campus, or narrow group.

Broadening participation is a prominent requirement rather than a secondary benefit. The program explicitly seeks to expand CI access and adoption by bringing advanced computational and data-driven methods into a wider range of science and engineering disciplines and institutions, including those that have historically had less access to advanced CI. It also prioritizes efforts that effectively engage individuals from underrepresented groups, with encouragement for proposals that come from, or are built in partnership with, these communities. Successful proposals should clearly explain who they intend to reach, what barriers exist now, and how the training model will reach new populations in a practical, measurable way.

NSF offers multiple project sizes and timelines under this solicitation. Pilot Projects are intended for smaller, exploratory, or proof-of-concept efforts, with budgets up to $300,000 total and durations up to two years. Implementation Projects support more mature and broader efforts and come in two sizes: Small Implementation Projects (up to $500,000 total) and Medium Implementation Projects (up to $1,000,000 total), each with durations up to four years. The larger project classes are suited to building and sustaining training programs, producing robust curriculum packages, and delivering training at scale across institutions or communities.

From an organizational standpoint, the program is led by NSF's Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) within the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), with participation from other NSF directorates and divisions. Because participation and priorities can vary across directorates, applicants are encouraged to communicate early with the appropriate Cognizant Program Officers to confirm fit, scope, and budget. NSF specifically recommends that these consultations happen at least one month before the submission deadline, and proposers are expected to list the program officers consulted in a required single-copy document.

Collaboration between CI experts and domain science and engineering experts is built into the rules of the solicitation. Any proposal that targets one or more domain divisions must include at least one PI or co-PI with expertise in the relevant research discipline to ensure the training is grounded in real community needs and more likely to be adopted. Separately, all proposals must include at least one PI or co-PI with expertise relevant to OAC, reflecting the program's expectation that funded projects genuinely address advanced CI methods and practice. If a proposed effort primarily serves communities aligned with NSF units that are not participating in this solicitation, NSF advises applicants to look instead to the education and workforce development programs in those directorates or divisions.

Administratively, this is a discretionary NSF grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 23-520) with an award ceiling of $1,000,000. It falls under Science and Technology and other Research and Development, with CFDA numbers listed as 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.075, and 47.076. The posted closing date in the provided listing is 2025-01-16. Overall, the core idea is to fund training and educational efforts that remove real workforce bottlenecks around advanced computing, data, and secure large-scale systems, while ensuring the resulting materials and models spread broadly across disciplines, institutions, and communities that have not historically benefited equally from advanced cyberinfrastructure.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Training-based Workforce Development for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (CyberTraining)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.075, 47.076.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-11-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-16. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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