May 17, 2022

Dear Colleagues:

Many projects funded by various CISE programs face data- and computationally-intensive challenges that may benefit from accessing cloud computing resources, which provide robust, agile, reliable, and scalable infrastructure.

This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) describes opportunities available to CISE awardees to support the use of such resources. NSF's Cloud Access Program has established partnerships with commercial cloud service providers to provide awardees with cost-effective, flexible access to cloud-based resources with benefits such as no indirect cost for cloud computing resources resulting in significant savings, and automated updates on cloud credit use. This DCL aims to provide cloud computing resources to NSF-funded projects just-in-time as opposed to requiring PIs to budget for resources at the time of proposal submission, in the hopes of maximizing on the elasticity of the cloud and providing users with computing cycles when they need them.

CLOUD COMPUTING RESOURCES FOR NSF-FUNDED CISE GRANTEES

CISE Principal Investigators (PIs) may request cloud computing resources to use public clouds such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and IBM Cloud. Cloud computing resources may be obtained through CloudBank. CloudBank is an external cloud access entity supported by NSF's Cloud Access program, with features and benefits as described on the CloudBank.org website.

ELIGIBILITY

This opportunity is open to PIs of active NSF-funded CISE awards, who may apply for cloud computing resources via CloudBank. Besides the CISE Core program {and its predecessors such as Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF) Core, Computer and Network Systems (CNS) Core, Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) Core, and Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) Core)}, the following programs are also eligible: CISE Community Research Infrastructure (CCRI), Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering (CDS&E), Cybersecurity Innovation for Cyberinfrastructure (CICI), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), CISE Research Initiation Initiative (CRII), Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation (CSSI), Foundational Research in Robotics (FRR), Mathematical and Scientific Foundations of Deep Learning and Related Areas (MODL), Internet Measurement Research (IMR), Resilient & Intelligent NextG Systems (RINGS), Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC), Smart & Connected Communities (S&CC), and Smart and Connected Health (SCH). Any CAREER award funded through the CISE Directorate is also eligible. PIs may contact one of the CISE program officers listed in this letter to find out whether a particular CISE program not listed here is also eligible.

HOW TO APPLY

PIs should use the link https://www.cloudbank.org/request to submit their cloud computing request. PIs may submit their requests at anytime of the year. The request should provide information in the application form accessed through the link where the PI is expected to include the following: (1) the title of the active award, the NSF award number, PI’s name, PI’s institution, and the contact email of the PI, followed by a technical description of, and justification for, the requested cloud computing resources in relation to the current funded project; and (2) the anticipated annual and total costs for accessing the desired cloud computing resources, based on pricing currently available from the public cloud computing providers. PIs may refer to the CloudBank website for information on estimating the budget for cloud computing resources.

Cloud computing requests will be reviewed by CloudBank in consultation with NSF.

For any questions, PIs may contact one of the following NSF/CISE program directors:

• Deep Medhi, Program Director, CISE/CNS, email: dmedhi@nsf.gov
• Almadena Chtchelkanova, Program Director, CISE/CCF, email: achtchel@nsf.gov
• Seung-Jong "Jay" Park, Program Director, CISE/OAC, email: spark@nsf.gov
• Kenneth Whang, Program Director, CISE/IIS, email: kwhang@nsf.gov

The PIs may also contact CloudBank at help@cloudbank.org if they have questions on estimating cloud computing resources.

Sincerely,

Margaret Martonosi, Assistant Director
Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE)