NSF Grants
- Computer and Communications Foundations (CCF). The NSF division that includes “Algorithmic Foundations,” which is the main NSF program that supports “core” TCS research (including Algorithms; Complexity and Cryptography; Computational Geometry; Computational Biology; Machine Learning; Quantum Computing; Numeric, Symbolic, and Algebraic Computing; and Parallel and Distributed Algorithms). Proposal deadlines for 2012: September 30 (medium size); November 30 (large size); December 17 (small size). Deadlines are 5pm proposer’s local time. Note that medium-size proposals with more than one PI (i.e., all of them) and large-size proposals must have a collaboration plan.
- Core Techniques and Technologies for Advancing Big Data Science & Engineering, or Big Data. Deadlines for 2012: June 13 for medium, July 11 for small.
- Interface between Computer Science and Economics & Social Sciences. A program involving algorithmic game theory, mechanism design, social networks, multi-agent systems.
- Presentation by Susanne Hambrusch (Division Director of CCF) at SODA 2011.
- CAREER Award. For junior faculty.
- Trustworthy Computing. (Previously entitled “Cybertrust”.) Supports a number of TCS researchers working in cryptography and other aspects of security and privacy.
- Network Science and Engineering See website “Towards a Theory of Networked Computation” about two workshops and a report on possible research directions by TCS and networking people.
- Expeditions in Computing. Meant for large teams or institutes, funded at a level of $1M-$2M/year. The Center for Computational Intractability is the result of an expeditions grant.
- Social-Computational Systems. Theorists might seek ways of modeling human and machine abilities for computation, communication, and memory/storage, and study algorithms and complexity for human-computer systems.
- Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI). The creation of this program was inspired in part by the workshops on “CS as a Lens on the Sciences” organized by TCS people. (See workshop 1, workshop 2, and final report.)
- Mathematical Sciences: Innovations at the Interface with Computer Sciences (MSPA-MCS).
- There will be a new crosscutting program called Smart Health and Well Being which is in principle willing to support theory (e.g. privacy in the health context, or things like tomography that might be able to use computational geometry or other theory input).
- I2O: Information Innovation Office: a new office at DARPA (merging previous IPTO and TCTO offices) with interests that intersect the TCS community.
- IARPA: Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency.
- Computer Science Study Group (CSSG): a program for junior faculty
- Supports 12 junior computer scientists per year and includes numerous visits/meetings to introduce researcher to DoD challenges.
- “Technologies of interest” include complexity theory/TCS.
- Defense Sciences Office (DSO).
- In general, good to contact program managers directly. (e.g., Todd Hylton and Tony Falcone in DSO). Most offices also have “office-wide” BAA for research that doesn’t fit the specific solicitations. Many also welcome short (2-page) whitepapers on exciting new directions they should be interested in. Generally looking for radically new ideas.
Grants from Other Agencies/Sources
- Google Faculty Research Awards. Across a range of areas with 3 submission dates per year. Should have a contact at Google who knows your work.
- Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program. For junior faculty. FY 10 solicitation (deadline passed). Watch the ONR Broad Agency Announcements for future calls.
- Army Research Office (ARO) program in Information Sciences.
- John Templeton Foundation. TCS work might fit into some of the funding areas (such as Foundational Questions in the Mathematical Sciences, Quantum Physics and the Nature of Reality). Applicants should be aware that there has been some controversy concerning the foundation, described on its wikipedia page.
- Sloan Fellowship. For junior faculty. Requires departmental nomination.
- Packard Fellowship. For junior faculty. Requires university nomination.
- Microsoft New Faculty Fellowship. For junior faculty. Requires university nomination.
- Guggenheim Fellowship.
- Computing Innovation Fellows Postdoctoral Program.
- NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.
- Simons Postdoctoral Fellow Program.
- See also the Center for Computational Intractability TCS jobs website.
Tips for Writing Proposals, Grant Reports, and Highlights
- For all cross-cutting programs at NSF it is wise to give a theory proposal a title that indicates the theoretical nature clearly, so that the program managers can send it to the appropriate panel for review.
- Article by Richard Ladner on the Broader Impact Criterion at NSF
- The last slide of Sanjeev Arora’s FOCS 07 Presentation has tips on writing grant proposals and reports.
- Feb 07 presentation on preparing NSF Highlights.
- Sample theory highlights: Elliptic Curve Cryptography, Adwords and Generalized Online Matching, Guessing Secrets
