The Quilt, Internet2 and U.S. Ignite hosted a webinar on the NSF Smart & Connected Communities Program Solicitation 16-610 on Monday, Oct. 31.
As cities and communities in the U.S. and around the world enter a new era of change, they are increasingly connected by smart technologies, which lead to new opportunities for innovation, improved services and enhanced quality of life.
The goal of this Smart & Connected Communities (S&CC) solicitation is to support interdisciplinary, integrative research and research capacity-building activities that will improve the understanding of smart and connected communities leading to discoveries that enable sustainable change to enhance community functioning.
The exciting aspect of this solicitation is that it crosses the multidisciplinary programs within the NSF by leveraging the opportunities between Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Education and Human Resources, Engineering, Geosciences, Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences all to support, foster, and accelerate fundamental research and education that addresses challenges in enabling Smart and Connected Communities.
It also aligns with the National Smart Cities Initiative and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology report on Technology and the Future of Cities.
Successful proposals will reflect integrative, multidisciplinary research, tangible research capacity-building, and meaningful community engagement, the nature of which will vary by the proposal category.
The number of awards in each category will depend on the overall mix of proposals and the degree to which they meet the solicitation goals as well as Merit Review Criteria and Solicitation Specific Review Criteria.
The estimated number and type of Awards is approximately 18 to 29 Standard Grants or Continuing Grants with the funding amount anticipated at $18.5 million (subject to the quality of proposals received and availability of funds).
This is the direct link to Monday’s webinar.
FAQs for NSF 16-610, S&CC are available here.