US Ignite

Grants to USA businesses, agencies, non-profits, individuals, and others for projects that provide network applications with appropriate systems in areas of national importance. This opportunity provides two categories of funding: the first for the development of the applications and the second for the systems needed to use and evaluate these applications.

Specifically, this solicitation seeks to engage the USA academic research and non-profit communities along with local cities, municipalities, and regions in exploring the challenges of developing and applying next-generation networking to problems of significant public interest and benefit. In particular, this solicitation has two tracks: the first encourages the development of applications in national priority areas that explore new uses for networks, giving rise to novel networking and application paradigms; and the second expands and enhances the ecosystems in which these applications will evolve and be evaluated.

Track 1: US Ignite Applications: Moving Novel Gigabit Applications into Practice

In Track 1 of this solicitation, proposals are sought for innovative applications that leverage or enhance advanced networking technologies (i.e., gigabit throughput, software-defined networking, advanced wireless), and that address national priority areas. Thus, a US Ignite project responsive to this track must accomplish each of the following:

* Pursue a public sector application in one or more areas of national priority to include: advanced manufacturing, education and workforce, energy, transportation, healthcare, and public safety/emergency preparedness.

* Leverage or enhance one or more advanced networking technologies such as gigabit throughput, software-defined networks, or advanced wireless. NSF anticipates that the combination of novel applications and advanced networking will inform one or more research questions in the domains of networking, networked systems, or networked applications, which will in turn inform and improve our understanding of how to design, deploy, manage, support, or use advanced networking capabilities. Proposals should link the implementation of the application to the exploration and assessment of any identified research question(s).

* Identify one or more anchor institution(s) (e.g., a school, campus, health care facility, public safety entity, library, museum, or city), and demonstrate, and perform early evaluations of, the application in the context of the chosen anchor institution(s) in order to maximize the ability to transition the application to practice and widespread adoption.

Track 2: Igniting a National Ecosystem: Scaling Up Smart and Connected Cities and Regions

Experience with US Ignite over the last two years has shown that local communities and regions are sources of considerable innovation. Track 2 of this solicitation seeks to continue and expand the involvement of local communities and regions in furthering this innovation.

Specifically, proposals are sought that facilitate the involvement of citizens and community organizations in building and experimenting with multiple advanced networking applications addressing national priorities. Furthermore, proposals are sought that support mechanisms and processes needed to share and scale up innovations by transferring applications that have been shown to be useful in one US Ignite city/region to other US Ignite cities/regions. As part of this effort, interoperability and common solutions in data infrastructure are encouraged.

A key goal of Track 2 is to support mechanisms that will enable cities and regions to develop a smart and connected national ecosystem supporting applications of advanced networking such as those developed in Track 1.