The Advanced Computing Systems & Services: Adapting to the Rapid Evolution of Science and Engineering Research 2.0 (ACSS 2.0) program, managed by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC), supports the provision of advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI) resources and services to enhance computational, data-analytic, and AI research capabilities across the science and engineering (S&E) community. This program seeks to address growing demands for computational power, enable transformative scientific discoveries, and promote equitable and democratized access to CI resources. The program encompasses two distinct funding categories: Category I – Capacity Resources, which focuses on maximizing computational and data analysis capacity for broad S&E research needs, and Category II – Innovative Prototypes/Testbeds, which supports experimental deployments of forward-looking technologies, architectures, and paradigms to enable next-generation research applications.

Category I – Capacity Resources prioritizes scalable production deployments of computational and data-analysis systems designed to meet national research demands. Proposals must outline plans for resource provisioning, including integration with federated CI resources, user accessibility, and innovative usage paradigms. Key requirements include a risk-mitigated deployment plan ensuring operational readiness within 12 months, metrics for system performance and reliability, energy efficiency considerations, and strategies to support underrepresented research communities. Category II – Innovative Prototypes/Testbeds supports experimental deployments of emerging technologies with potential to transition into high-availability production services by the end of the award period. These proposals must emphasize transformative capabilities, engagement with S&E research communities, detailed performance benchmarks, and plans for evolving prototypes into widely accessible national resources.

The ACSS 2.0 program emphasizes broadening participation by encouraging proposals from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), EPSCoR jurisdictions, and organizations historically underrepresented in national CI resource provision. Proposals are expected to align with FAIR data principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability) and demonstrate societal benefits through Broader Impacts activities, including outreach, workforce development, and environmental sustainability considerations. Proposers must address cybersecurity measures, detailed operational plans, and resource allocation policies to ensure effective and secure deployment and management of funded resources.

The program anticipates funding 1-3 awards in Category I, with budgets ranging between $10 million and $20 million over a maximum project duration of five years. For Category II, the program expects to fund 1-4 awards, with individual budgets capped at $5 million and durations of up to five years. User support and annual operating costs must not exceed 15 percent of the resource acquisition cost per year, and any projected costs exceeding this threshold require prior approval from NSF program officers. Proposals must also include a detailed analysis of annual operating costs and a plan for long-term resource sustainability.

Eligible proposers include Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), nonprofit non-academic organizations, and select Federal Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) with prior approval. An organization may submit only one proposal per competition but can be included as a subawardee in other proposals. Principal investigators (PIs) and co-PIs are limited to one proposal per competition. Collaborative projects must be submitted as a single proposal with subawards managed by the lead institution.

Proposals will be evaluated based on intellectual merit, broader impacts, and solicitation-specific criteria, including resource specification, S&E application performance, resource reliability and usability, project management and risk mitigation, security, concept of operations, and broader impacts. Successful proposals will demonstrate strong alignment with NSF’s goals of advancing scientific knowledge, supporting diverse research communities, and enabling transformative discoveries through innovative cyberinfrastructure solutions. The submission deadlines are October 29, 2024, and June 24, 2025, depending on the designated category for each cycle.