Integrated Data Systems & Services | 25 544

Opportunity Information: Apply for 25 544

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC), is offering the Integrated Data Systems and Services (IDSS) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 25-544) to support national-scale, operations-level data cyberinfrastructure. The central purpose is to build, run, and sustain integrated data systems and services that make it easier for researchers and educators to do open, data-intensive, and AI-driven science and engineering. In practical terms, NSF is looking for shared, production-quality infrastructure that many different research communities can rely on, rather than tools or platforms designed mainly for one specific field, project, or application.

The solicitation is organized into three project categories. Category I focuses on the development, deployment, and operation of new national-scale integrated data systems and services; proposals in this category can also interface with or leverage existing platforms when that strengthens the overall solution. Category II is aimed at efforts that take a smaller-scale system (regional, pilot, prototype, or otherwise limited in scope) and transition it into a national-scale, operational, production-quality service; this category also includes proposals to enhance or expand existing national-scale operational data services. Category III provides planning grants intended to help teams prepare for a future Category I or Category II effort, for example by refining the technical approach, governance and sustainability model, stakeholder commitments, or transition plan needed for a full-scale national deployment.

NSF frames IDSS as part of a longer arc of investments that have supported cyberinfrastructure at campus, regional, and community scales, including programs like Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation (CSSI) and Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC). The difference here is the emphasis on foundational, national-scale data infrastructure with broad reach across disciplines. IDSS prioritizes transdisciplinary and clearly multi-disciplinary projects that can demonstrate broad impact across the science and engineering research and education ecosystem. Proposals that primarily serve one discipline, domain, or narrow user base are explicitly described as a poor fit for this program.

A notable expectation in the solicitation is early communication with NSF. Prospective principal investigators are encouraged to contact the cognizant program officers to discuss whether a concept aligns with IDSS priorities and whether the proposed scope and budget make sense under the program. This is presented not as a formality but as a recommended step to ensure the project is positioned as a national-scale, broadly enabling service rather than a domain-specific platform.

Eligibility is limited to specific applicant types. Proposals may be submitted by U.S.-based institutions of higher education (two-year and four-year colleges and universities, including community colleges) that are accredited and have a U.S. campus, acting on behalf of their faculty. Non-profit, non-academic organizations may apply as well, including independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies in the U.S. that are directly connected to research or educational activities. Other federal agencies and federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) can also be eligible, but they must follow NSF’s Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) rules on eligibility limitations for those entities. If a proposal plans to route funds or activities to an international branch campus of a U.S. institution (including via subawards or consultants), the proposal must clearly explain why that work needs to occur at the international branch and what benefits it provides, and it must justify why the same work cannot be performed at the U.S. campus.

From the published opportunity data, this is a discretionary grant in the science and technology R&D category (CFDA 47.070). NSF lists an award ceiling of up to $30,000,000, with an expected number of approximately 9 awards. The original closing date is December 4, 2025. Taken together, these details signal that IDSS is positioned for large, high-impact, service-oriented infrastructure efforts where operational maturity, broad community value, and national-scale usability are central to the review and funding rationale.

• The U.S. National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Integrated Data Systems & Services" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.070.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-08-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-12-04. (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 $30,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 9 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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