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NSF 22-569: Algorithms for Modern Power Systems (AMPS)

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Program Solicitation NSF 22-569

NSF Logo

U.S. National Science Foundation

Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences

U.S. Dept. of Energy logo

U.S. Dept. of Energy

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time):

     May 11, 2022

     February 13, 2023

     Second Monday in February, Annually Thereafter

Important Information and Revision Notes

Important Information

Innovating and migrating proposal preparation and submission capabilities from FastLane to Research.gov is part of the ongoing NSF information technology modernization efforts, as described in Important Notice No. 147. In support of these efforts, research proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation must be prepared and submitted via Research.gov or via Grants.gov, and may not be prepared or submitted via FastLane.

Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 22-1), which is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after October 4, 2021.

Summary of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title:

Algorithms for Modern Power Systems (AMPS)

Synopsis of Program:

The Algorithms for Modern Power Systems (AMPS) program will support research projects to develop the next generation of mathematical and statistical algorithms for improvement of the security, reliability, and efficiency of the modern power grid. The program is a partnership between the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability (OE) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

NSF Priorities

NSF welcomes submissions from all researchers, particularly those earlier in their careers and those working in research areas aligned with agency and administration priorities. NSF also expects the highest standards of scientific rigor, integrity, and adherence to tenets of Gold Standard Science in proposals, as appropriate for the field of science and research modality.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact.

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

  • 81.049 - Office of Science Financial Assistance Program
  • 47.049 - Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 4 to 10

Anticipated Funding Amount: $2,000,000

Estimated number of awards and funding amounts are subject to the availability of funds.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

  • Letters of Intent: Not required

  • Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not required

  • Full Proposals:

B. Budgetary Information

  • Cost Sharing Requirements:

    Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

  • Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:

    Not Applicable

  • Other Budgetary Limitations:

    Not Applicable

C. Due Dates

  • Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time):

         May 11, 2022

         February 13, 2023

         Second Monday in February, Annually Thereafter

Proposal Review Information Criteria

Merit Review Criteria:

National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review criteria apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Award Administration Information

Award Conditions:

Standard NSF award conditions apply.

Reporting Requirements:

Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.

I. Introduction

The electric power system is often considered to be one of the most complex machines designed by mankind. Its societal, economic, and national-security significance is acknowledged every time there is a major blackout. Insuring the reliable and economical production and delivery of electric power is a critical national objective.

The Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) has a long history of supporting fundamental mathematical and statistical research relevant to the national interest. DMS has formed a partnership with joint proposal review and proposal management with the Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability (OE) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support research projects that aim to develop the next generation of mathematical and statistical algorithms for improvement of the security, reliability, and efficiency of the modern power grid.

II. Program Description

The operational state of the power grid is often assessed through computer simulations using mathematical methods. These simulations, together with the mathematical techniques behind them, are invaluable to mitigating risks in the power grid and insuring the grid's resilience. Unfortunately, even for the traditional power system, current computational and analytical techniques are unable to optimally and efficiently tackle many of the needed tasks. Development of improved techniques to model, simulate, predict, and control power system behavior will be beneficial to the power grid community. Moreover, insight into the fundamental and intrinsic properties of the power system that can expose the underlying mathematical and statistical structures of the grid could prove transformational for the design of improved systems. Such development and insight will be necessary for modeling and analyzing the emergent power system, which is characterized by increased volatility, complexity, and uncertainty, and which presents new computational challenges in an evolving security context.

The AMPS program will support research projects that aim to address these mathematical and statistical challenges. Because the complicated nature of the power grid itself presents a major barrier to its modeling and simulation, the AMPS program aims to catalyze fruitful collaborative research projects to develop mathematical and statistical tools needed to address operational and planning issues for the power grid. The program encourages interdisciplinary efforts, with the involvement of experts in a variety of disciplines such as power system engineering, mathematics, statistics, and financial mathematics.

Research topics could include, but are not limited to: new statistical and uncertainty-analysis-based methods that provide probabilistic or robust performance guarantees accounting for uncertainty and fluctuations in loads, generation, and other components of the system; methods for characterizing and controlling resiliency and reliability; probabilistic approaches to manage risk and uncertainty, uncertainty quantification; model reduction; model validation; anomaly detection; data analytics; risk hedging; network theory; and computational methods that are scalable without sacrificing performance.

III. Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Continuing Grant or Standard Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 4 to 10

Anticipated Funding Amount: $2,000,000

Estimated number of awards and funding amounts are subject to the availability of funds.

IV. Eligibility Information

Who May Submit Proposals:

The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation are identified in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), Chapter I.E. Unaffiliated individuals are not eligible to submit proposals in response to this solicitation.

Who May Serve as PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals Per PI or Co-PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

V. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Research.gov or Grants.gov.

You must prepare your proposal according to Chapter II.D.2 of the PAPPG, unless this solicitation specifies different instructions. Always use the version of the PAPPG in effect on your proposal's due date.

In determining which method to utilize in the electronic preparation and submission of the proposal, please note the following:

Collaborative Proposals. All collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via Research.gov. PAPPG Chapter II.E.3 provides additional information on collaborative proposals.

Proposal budgets should include funds for travel to an annual PI meeting to be held in the Washington, DC area. Proposal titles should begin with the four characters "AMPS:"

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

C. Research.gov/Grants.gov Requirements

You can submit proposals in response to this solicitation through Research.gov or Grants.gov, unless otherwise noted.

Information on how to prepare and submit proposals is available on the Submitting Your Proposal page on NSF.gov.

VI. NSF Proposal Processing and Review Procedures

Information on NSF's proposal processing and review procedures is available on the Overview of the NSF Proposal and Award Process page on NSF.gov.

A. Merit Review Principles and Criteria

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board-approved merit review criteria:

  • Intellectual Merit, which encompasses the potential to advance knowledge.
  • Broader Impacts, which encompass the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

Information on NSF's merit review principles and process can be found on the How We Make Funding Decisions page on NSF.gov.

Additional Solicitation Specific Review Criteria

The overall impact of the proposed scientific activities in the mathematical sciences will be considered.

B. Review and Selection Process

Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by

Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review.

NSF and DOE program officers will jointly oversee the entire process beginning with the selection of reviewers. Relevant information about proposals and reviews of proposals will be shared with DOE as appropriate. After the review process is complete, the proposals will be evaluated jointly by program officers from both agencies for award decisions and funding profiles.

Reviewers will be asked to evaluate proposals using two National Science Board approved merit review criteria and, if applicable, additional program specific criteria. A summary rating and accompanying narrative will generally be completed and submitted by each reviewer and/or panel. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.

Visit the Overview of the NSF Proposal and Award Process page for more information on the proposal review and selection process.

In alignment with Executive Order 14332 (Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking), all else being equal after merit review, NSF may give preference to institutions with lower indirect cost rates.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of an award is made to the submitting organization by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer.

B. Award Conditions

Information on NSF award conditions can be found on the Award Terms and Conditions page on NSF.gov and Chapter VII of the PAPPG.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements:

Information on administrative and national policy requirements can be found on the National Policy Requirements for Recipients of NSF Awards page on NSF.gov.

Consistent with the requirements specified in 2 CFR § 200.332, recipients of NSF awards must adhere to the requirements for pass-through entities in establishing and managing subawards issued ensuring alignment with Administration and NSF policies and priorities.

In alignment with Executive Order 14332 (Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking), proposers should be aware that NSF awards offered under this funding opportunity may include termination for convenience provisions.

C. Reporting Requirements

Unless your award notice says otherwise, NSF requires the principal investigator of every grant to submit annual project reports and a project outcomes report for the general public. For complete reporting requirements, see Chapter VII of the PAPPG.

VIII. Agency Contacts

For questions related to the use of NSF systems contact:

  • Research.gov: NSF IT Service Desk at rgov@nsf.gov or 1-800-381-1532. The Service Desk is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday (except for federal holidays).

For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:

  • Grants.gov: The Grants.gov Contact Center at support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726. (Contact if the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) has not received a confirmation message from Grants.gov within 48 hours of submitting an application.)

IX. Other Information

For information on NSF directorates, programs and funding opportunities, go to NSF.gov.

About the National Science Foundation

The U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency created by the "National Science Foundation Act of 1950." More information about NSF can be found on NSF.gov.

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Privacy Act and Public Burden Statements

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the "National Science Foundation Act of 1950," as amended. More information can be found on the Privacy Act and Public Burden Statements page on NSF.gov.

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