Sensors and Sensing Systems

The Sensors and Sensing System (SSS) program funds fundamental research on sensors and sensing systems.  Such fundamental research includes the discovery and characterization of new sensing modalities, fundamental theories for aggregation and analysis of sensed data, fundamentally new approaches for data transmission, and approaches for addressing uncertain and/or partial sensor data.  Innovative research in nonlinear prediction, filtering and estimation in the context of sensing systems is also considered in this program.



The program does not fund developmental projects, such as sensor development or applications studies.  Proposals offering fundamental research topics that are enabled by sensor development or sensor system development should be submitted to the relevant CMMI program in which the fundamental research contribution is being made. In such a case, the SSS program should be listed as a secondary program. Proposals that do not address CMMI relevant research should be submitted to programs in the appropriate division within NSF. Depending on the research objective of the work proposed, PIs submitting proposals in the areas of biosensing and biomedical sensors should consider sending their proposals to the Biosensing, Biophotonics or Biomedical Engineering program in the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET), and also for areas of biosensing, sensors and actuators they should consider the Electronics, Photonics, and Magnetic Devices (EPMD) or the Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-systems (CCSS) program of the division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS).