Title: Highly Dependable Computing and Communication Systems Research (HDCCSR)
Date: 03/19/03
Replaced: NSF 02-114



Highly Dependable Computing and Communication Systems Research (HDCCSR)

Program Solicitation
NSF 03-557
Replaces Document NSF 02-114

 [NSF Logo]   National Science Foundation
              Directorate for Computer and Information Science and
              Engineering
                    Division of Computer-Communications Research
                    Division of Advanced Networking Infrastructure and
              Research


[NASA logo]   National Aeronautics and Space Administration


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

     June 18, 2003
          In FY2004 and beyond, the deadline will be the fourth Friday of
          February each year.

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

General Information

Program Title:

     Highly Dependable Computing and Communication Systems Research
     (HDCCSR)

Synopsis of Program:

     NSF and NASA will cooperate to fund projects that will promote
     the ability to design, test, implement, evolve, and certify
     highly dependable software-based systems. A significant feature
     of this solicitation is the use of a new NASA test-bed facility
     that will allow NSF awardees to experimentally evaluate their
     research products on significant real hardware/software
     artifacts.

     Proposals of up to $160,000 per year for up to 4 years are sought
     from eligible organizations, as described in the NSF Grant
     Proposal Guide. Proposal evaluation will be done by a standard
     NSF merit review process followed by a NASA evaluation for
     appropriateness and relevance to NASA objectives. (See the full
     "Program Description" for details on the NASA evaluation and
     objectives.)

     Because the solicitation seeks projects that combine the
     development of ideas and techniques with the execution of
     empirical studies and experimental validation using the NASA
     test-bed facility, funding will be provided through a combination
     of NSF grants and NASA cooperative agreements. Projects
     successful in receiving an NSF award will still have to apply for
     funding for test-bed activities by submitting an additional
     proposal to NASA during the first year of the NSF award. The
     primary evaluation criteria for awarding NASA cooperative
     agreements will be the perceived effectiveness of the planned
     empirical evaluation using the NASA test-bed facilities and the
     development of a working collaboration with other researchers on
     the NASA test-bed facilities.  Please read Sections II. "Program
     Description" and IV. "Award Information" for details on this
     funding strategy.

     The two agencies intend to fund additional new cycles of awards
     beginning in each of the following fiscal years, contingent on
     the availability of funds and the success of the competitions.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

   * Frank D. Anger, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, Division of Computer-Communications
     Research, 1145 S, telephone: (703) 292-8912, fax: (703) 292-9059,
     email: fanger@nsf.gov

   * Yuan-Chieh (Randy) Chow, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, Division of Computer-Communications
     Research, 1145 S, telephone: (703) 292-8911, fax: (703) 292-9059,
     email: ychow@nsf.gov

   * D. Helen Gill, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, Division of Computer-Communications
     Research, 1145 S, telephone: (703) 292-8910, fax: (703) 292-9059,
     email: hgill@nsf.gov

   * Sol Greenspan, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, Division of Computer-Communications
     Research, 1145 S, telephone: (703) 292-8912, fax: (703) 292-9059,
     email: sgreensp@nsf.gov

   * Carl Landwehr, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, Division of Computer-Communications
     Research, 1145 S, telephone: (703) 292-8936, fax: (703) 292-9059,
     email: clandweh@nsf.gov

   * Taieb Znati, Senior Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, Division of Advanced Networking
     Infrastructure and Research, 1175 N, telephone: (703) 292-8949, fax:
     (703) 292-9010, email: tznati@nsf.gov

   * Michael Lowry, Technical Area Lead, NASA Ames Research Center, Room
     236, Bldg 269, MS 269-2, Moffett Field, CA, 94035-3389, USA telephone:
     650-604-3369, email: mlowry@mail.arc.nasa.gov

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

   * 47.070 --- Computer and Information Science and Engineering

Eligibility Information

   * Organization Limit: None Specified.
   * PI Eligibility Limit: None Specified.
   * Limit on Number of Proposals: None Specified.

Award Information

   * Anticipated Type of Award: Standard or Continuing Grant
   * Estimated Number of Awards: 5 - in FY 2003, with comparable numbers in
     each future year
   * Anticipated Funding Amount: $1,600,000 for FY 2003, with funding in
     successive years between $1,600,000 and $2,400,000 in new and
     continuing NSF awards, pending the availability of funds

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

   * Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Standard GPG Guidelines apply.

B. Budgetary Information

   * Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required.
   * Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable.
   * Other Budgetary Limitations: Other budgetary limitations apply. Please
     see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

C. Due Dates

   * Full Proposal Deadline Date(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
          June 18, 2003
               In FY2004 and beyond, the deadline will be the fourth Friday
               of February each year.

Proposal Review Information

   * Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria.
     Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full text
     of this solicitation for further information.

Award Administration Information

   * Award Conditions: Additional award conditions apply. Please see the
     full text of this solicitation for further information.
   * Reporting Requirements: Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

     Summary of Program Requirements

  I. Introduction

 II. Program Description

III. Eligibility Information

 IV. Award Information

  V. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
       A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
       B. Budgetary Information
       C. Due Dates
       D. FastLane Requirements

 VI. Proposal Review Information
       A. NSF Proposal Review Process
       B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

VII. Award Administration Information
       A. Notification of the Award
       B. Award Conditions
       C. Reporting Requirements

VIII.Contacts for Additional Information

 IX. Other Programs of Interest

I. INTRODUCTION

The growing need for software-based systems that can be used with
confidence (that the systems will behave as expected and will do no harm)
mandates extraordinary efforts in software and systems research. Several
programs at NSF and NASA already support research and education activities
that address these issues, but none is focused, as is this solicitation,
entirely on the goal of providing the means to create highly dependable
software and networking-based systems. Another unique feature of this
solicitation is the requirement for projects to use a new NASA test-bed
facility to experimentally evaluate research products on significant real
hardware/software artifacts. It is expected that these features will
attract novel and high quality proposals, leading to the funding of
projects that will have a significant and measurable effect on our ability
to build the dependable systems the future requires.

The overall goal of this solicitation is to develop a scientific basis for
measurable and predictable dependability in software-based computing and
communication systems, and a scientific basis - comparable to those in
physics-based engineering disciplines - for technologies or methodologies
to improve dependability in these systems. If this is successful, then it
is anticipated that government agencies as well as US industry will have a
scientific basis for dependably using software-based systems, and for using
technology interventions to achieve a predictable level of dependability.
The key to this scientific feasibility is clearly defined attributes that
can be objectively measured. Dependability attributes should encompass both
aspects relevant to the dependability of deployed computing systems and
attributes that can be measured before deployment: for example the
complexity of interfaces between subsystems or the results of necessarily
limited testing prior to deployment.

A successful scientific demonstration would show that objective,
dependability attributes that are measurable before deployment can be used
to predict measurable, dependability attributes of deployed systems;
similarly, a successful technology or methodology demonstration would show
that a technology or methodology has a measurable impact on the
dependability of deployed systems, and this impact can be predicted before
deployment. It is expected that most successful proposals will have four
elements: fundamental research and associated educational activities,
prototype technology or methodology, dependability metrics, and an
experimental approach.  In addition, all NSF proposals are expected to show
how the project intends to integrate research and educational goals.

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this solicitation is to fund research and associated
educational activities that will lead to a significantly increased ability
to create and field software-based systems of very high dependability at
predictable and reasonable costs commensurate with the size and importance
of the system. Proposals funded under this solicitation must, in addition
to the standard criteria set forth in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide
(http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg), meet four requirements. They must:

       1. address fundamental research and education issues in dependable
          software-based computing and communication systems,

       2. develop research products in the form of prototype tools or
          methodologies,

       3. provide dependability attributes that are suitable for measuring
          the impact of the research products, and

       4. include a plan for the empirical evaluation/validation of the
          proposed research products.

Technologies or methodologies of interest include, but are not limited to,
the following:

        o Verification and validation technologies and development methods
          for complex computing systems and network protocols,
        o Development methodologies that are partially or wholly automated,
        o Development methodologies that provide early validation of
          requirements and design, and that ensure correctness of
          implementation with respect to design specification,
        o Fault-tolerant software and networking protocols,
        o Architectures that ensure robust computing systems,
        o Programming languages that preclude classes of software faults,
          and
        o Development of new tools, methodologies and theory to further our
          basic understanding of computing and network dependability,
          manageability, reliability, and robustness.

NASA will provide test-bed facilities at the Ames Research Park, near
Mountain View, California. Funded projects will access these test-bed
facilities both by visiting the facilities, perhaps for extended durations,
and through secure internet connections. The test-bed facilities include
the following:

        o Software artifacts with associated hardware artifacts of
          significant scale that represent mission-critical systems for
          both NASA and the IT industry. Current artifacts include a rover
          running software in C++ that is expected to serve as the basis
          for a Martian Rover mission within the next decade, and an RT
          Java version of this same software running in simulation.
          Artifacts under consideration include networked distributed
          computing suitable for next-generation air traffic control and a
          next-generation avionics platform for manned space vehicles.

        o The background domain knowledge needed to perform dependability
          experiments on the artifacts. The artifacts will be well
          documented, packaged, and configured in a manner that facilitates
          experimentation. In many cases, software researchers will have
          access to subject domain experts for the software artifacts.

        o Hardware infrastructure (e.g., servers) capable of supporting
          test-bed experimentation at the Ames Research Park and for
          geographically distributed secure access to shared artifacts.

        o Collaboration infrastructure to support information sharing,
          coordination, and awareness amongst different researchers on a
          test bed. This includes CVS or similar configuration management
          and versioning system, as well as other appropriate tools.

        o A core scientific team that includes respected empirical
          investigators and researchers from a number of software
          disciplines. This scientific team will facilitate the use of the
          test-beds by researchers and educators selected under this
          solicitation.

        o Collaborators from NASA and the IT industry who will also be
          using the test-bed facilities for developing dependability
          technology.

Up-to-date information on the NASA test-beds can be found at
http://hdcp.arc.nasa.gov .

Under this solicitation, proposals may be submitted with a duration of 4
years or less, and a total budget of $640,000 or less--about $160,000 per
year. Part of each proposal must set forth plans for use of the NASA test
bed, and part of the pre-award negotiations and post-award monitoring will
be directed at assuring the effectiveness of this collaboration. Because
the solicitation seeks projects that combine the development of ideas and
techniques with the execution of empirical studies and experimental
validation using the NASA test-bed facility, funding will be provided
through a combination of NSF grants and NASA cooperative agreements running
concurrently. PIs are encouraged to submit NSF proposals describing a
complete project with a full budget request for all proposed work for up to
four years; NSF awards, however, will fully pay the first year only, up to
$160,000, and then pay reduced amounts in years two through four. NASA
funding, in the form of a cooperative agreement, would complete the total
of up to $160,000 for each of the years two through four of the project.
This NASA funding will be contingent on favorable evaluation of a separate
proposal for test-bed usage, submitted to NASA after the first three months
of performance on the NSF grant, but no later than the end of the first
year of the NSF award period. The primary evaluation criteria for awarding
NASA cooperative agreements will be the perceived effectiveness of the
planned empirical evaluation using the NASA test-bed facilities, and the
development of a working collaboration with other researchers on the NASA
test-bed facilities. It is expected that the great majority of projects
funded by NSF under this solicitation will receive coordinated NASA
cooperative agreement awards that would run concurrently with years 2
through 4 of the NSF grant.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

The categories of proposers identified in the Grant Proposal Guide are
eligible to submit proposals under this program announcement/solicitation.

IV. AWARD INFORMATION

NSF anticipates spending $1,600,000 of combined NSF and NASA funds in FY
2003 for Standard and Continuing Grants up to a maximum of four years,
pending the availability of funds. This money covers new awards and
continuations of previous awards under HDCCSR. Similarly, in years FY 2004
and beyond, NSF anticipates spending between $1,600,000 and $2,400,000 each
year of combined NSF and NASA funds on new and continued awards.  This will
result in about 5 new awards per year.  All grants will be structured under
the assumption that the projects funded will also receive coordinated
awards in the form of cooperative agreements from NASA. These NASA awards
would begin in the second year of the NSF award (FY 2004 for NSF awards
made in FY 2003) and continue for the remaining duration of the NSF award,
usually FY 2004 through FY 2006 for NSF awards made in FY 2003. The
combined total of the NSF grant and the NASA cooperative agreement awarded
to a project will not exceed $160,000 per year for up to 4 years. Estimated
program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are
subject to the availability of funds.

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Instructions:

Proposals submitted in response to this program announcement/solicitation
should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines
contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the
GPG is available electronically on the NSF Website at:
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be
obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722
or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

Proposers are reminded to identify the program announcement/solicitation
number (03-557) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the NSF
Cover Sheet For Proposal to the National Science Foundation. Compliance
with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal
processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay
processing.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

Cost sharing is not required in proposals submitted under this Program
Solicitation.

Other Budgetary Limitations:
Budgets are limited to a total of $160,000 per year for a maximum of 4
years in combined NSF and NASA awards.

C. Due Dates

Proposals must be submitted by the following date(s):

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

     June 18, 2003
          In FY2004 and beyond, the deadline will be the fourth Friday of
          February each year.

D. FastLane Requirements

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this
announcement/solicitation through the FastLane system. Detailed
instructions for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are
available at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user
support, call the FastLane Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail
fastlane@nsf.gov. The FastLane Help Desk answers general technical
questions related to the use of the FastLane system. Specific questions
related to this program announcement/solicitation should be referred to the
NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this
announcement/solicitation.

Submission of Electronically Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized
Organizational Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the proposal
Cover Sheet to submit the required proposal certifications (see Chapter II,
Section C of the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing of the certifications).
The AOR must provide the required electronic certifications within five
working days following the electronic submission of the proposal. Proposers
are no longer required to provide a paper copy of the signed Proposal Cover
Sheet to NSF. Further instructions regarding this process are available on
the FastLane Website at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov

VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A. NSF Proposal Review Process

Reviews of proposals submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with
expertise in the substantive area of the proposed research or education
project. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the
oversight of the review process. NSF invites the proposer to suggest, at
the time of submission, the names of appropriate or inappropriate
reviewers. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with
the proposer. Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from
non-academic institutions, minority-serving institutions, or adjacent
disciplines to that principally addressed in the proposal.

The National Science Board approved revised criteria for evaluating
proposals at its meeting on March 28, 1997 (NSB 97-72). All NSF proposals
are evaluated through use of the two merit review criteria. In some
instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to
highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.

On July 8, 2002, the NSF Director issued Important Notice 127,
Implementation of new Grant Proposal Guide Requirements Related to the
Broader Impacts Criterion. This Important Notice reinforces the importance
of addressing both criteria in the preparation and review of all proposals
submitted to NSF. NSF continues to strengthen its internal processes to
ensure that both of the merit review criteria are addressed when making
funding decisions.

In an effort to increase compliance with these requirements, the January
2002 issuance of the GPG incorporated revised proposal preparation
guidelines relating to the development of the Project Summary and Project
Description. Chapter II of the GPG specifies that Principal Investigators
(PIs) must address both merit review criteria in separate statements within
the one-page Project Summary. This chapter also reiterates that broader
impacts resulting from the proposed project must be addressed in the
Project Description and described as an integral part of the narrative.

Effective October 1, 2002, NSF will return without review proposals that do
not separately address both merit review criteria within the Project
Summary. It is believed that these changes to NSF proposal preparation and
processing guidelines will more clearly articulate the importance of
broader impacts to NSF-funded projects.

The two National Science Board approved merit review criteria are listed
below (see the Grant Proposal Guide Chapter III.A for further information).
The criteria include considerations that help define them. These
considerations are suggestions and not all will apply to any given
proposal. While proposers must address both merit review criteria,
reviewers will be asked to address only those considerations that are
relevant to the proposal being considered and for which he/she is qualified
to make judgments.

     What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
     How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and
     understanding within its own field or across different fields? How
     well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the
     project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of
     the prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and
     explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and
     organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to
     resources?

     What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
     How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while
     promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed
     activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g.,
     gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will
     it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as
     facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the
     results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and
     technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed
     activity to society?

NSF staff will give careful consideration to the following in making
funding decisions:

     Integration of Research and Education
     One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster
     integration of research and education through the programs, projects,
     and activities it supports at academic and research institutions.
     These institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals
     may concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators,
     and students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse
     education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through
     the diversity of learning perspectives. Integrating Diversity into NSF
     Programs, Projects, and Activities
     Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all
     citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons
     with disabilities -- is essential to the health and vitality of
     science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of
     diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and
     activities it considers and supports.

     Additional Review Criteria

     In addition to the standard NSF review criteria, proposals will be
     judged by how well they:

       1. address fundamental research and education issues in dependable
          software-based computing and communication systems,

       2. develop research products in the form of prototype tools or
          methodologies,

       3. provide dependability attributes that are suitable for measuring
          the impact of the research products, and

       4. plan for the empirical evaluation/validation of the proposed
          research products utilizing the NASA Ames test-bed facility.

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons
outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the
proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation
will be reviewed by Ad Hoc and/or panel review.

Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or
decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the
proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate
a recommendation.

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted
by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential
documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the
reviewers, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the
Program Director. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of
the decision to award or decline funding.

NSF is striving to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have
been declined or recommended for funding within six months. The time
interval begins on the date of receipt. The interval ends when the Division
Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.

In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals
recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and
Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and
the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are
cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments,
obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of
funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical
or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal
Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments
in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants
and Agreements Officer does so at their own risk.

VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a
Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations
whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the
cognizant NSF Program Division administering the program. Verbatim copies
of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided
automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See section VI.A. for
additional information on the review process.)

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special
provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2)
the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which
NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals
or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in
the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant
General Conditions (NSF-GC-1); * or Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP)
Terms and Conditions * and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that
may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreement
awards also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement
Terms and Conditions (CA-1). Electronic mail notification is the preferred
way to transmit NSF awards to organizations that have electronic mail
capabilities and have requested such notification from the Division of
Grants and Agreements.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at
http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/grants_gac.htm. Paper copies may be obtained
from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by
e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions is contained in the
NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Chapter II, available electronically on the
NSF Website at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpm. The GPM is also for
sale through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office
(GPO), Washington, DC 20402. The telephone number at GPO for subscription
information is (202) 512-1800. The GPM may be ordered through the GPO
Website at http://www.gpo.gov.

Special Award Conditions:

Standard NSF award conditions apply to the NSF awards under this
solicitation; however, if a project also receives a coordinated award from
NASA, the NASA award will be governed by cooperative agreements with NASA
following NASA guidelines found in the Grants and Cooperative Agreement
Handbook NPG 5800.1. (The online handbook is available at
http://ec.msfc.nasa.gov/hq/grcover.htm). In this case, the NSF and NASA
awards support a single research effort, but investigators must understand
that the budgets and their accounts are separate and must be managed and
accounted for separately.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants),
the PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program
Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period.

Within 90 days after the expiration of an award, the PI also is required to
submit a final project report. Failure to provide final technical reports
delays NSF review and processing of pending proposals for the PI and all
Co-PIs. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance
to assure availability of required data.

PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project reporting system,
available through FastLane, for preparation and submission of annual and
final project reports. This system permits electronic submission and
updating of project reports, including information on project participants
(individual and organizational), activities and findings, publications, and
other specific products and contributions. PIs will not be required to
re-enter information previously provided, either with a proposal or in
earlier updates using the electronic system.

VIII. CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

   * Frank D. Anger, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, Division of Computer-Communications
     Research, 1145 S, telephone: (703) 292-8912, fax: (703) 292-9059,
     email: fanger@nsf.gov

   * Yuan-Chieh (Randy) Chow, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, Division of Computer-Communications
     Research, 1145 S, telephone: (703) 292-8911, fax: (703) 292-9059,
     email: ychow@nsf.gov

   * D. Helen Gill, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, Division of Computer-Communications
     Research, 1145 S, telephone: (703) 292-8910, fax: (703) 292-9059,
     email: hgill@nsf.gov

   * Sol Greenspan, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, Division of Computer-Communications
     Research, 1145 S, telephone: (703) 292-8912, fax: (703) 292-9059,
     email: sgreensp@nsf.gov

   * Carl Landwehr, Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, Division of Computer-Communications
     Research, 1145 S, telephone: (703) 292-8936, fax: (703) 292-9059,
     email: clandweh@nsf.gov

   * Taieb Znati, Senior Program Director, Directorate for Computer &
     Information Science & Engineering, Division of Advanced Networking
     Infrastructure and Research, 1175 N, telephone: (703) 292-8949, fax:
     (703) 292-9010, email: tznati@nsf.gov

   * Michael Lowry, Technical Area Lead, NASA Ames Research Center, Room
     236, Bldg 269, MS 269-2, Moffett Field, CA, 94035-3389, USA telephone:
     650-604-3369, email: mlowry@mail.arc.nasa.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

   * Sharon Glivens, Program & Technology Specialist, Directorate for
     Computer & Information Science & Engineering, Division of
     Computer-Communications Research, 1145 S, telephone: (703) 292-8910,
     fax: (703) 292-9059, email: sglivens@nsf.gov

IX. OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and
education in science, mathematics, and engineering. The NSF Guide to
Programs is available electronically at
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gp. General descriptions of NSF programs,
research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are
provided in each chapter.

Many NSF programs offer announcements or solicitations concerning specific
proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these
requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices. Any changes in
NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide to
Programs will be announced in the NSF E-Bulletin, which is updated daily on
the NSF Website at http://www.nsf.gov/home/ebulletin, and in individual
program announcements/solicitations. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's
Custom News Service (http://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm) to be notified
of new funding opportunities that become available.

Related Programs:

There are a number of other programs in NSF that support closely related
work on dependable software-based systems. Some of the most related, and
the division in which they are located, are:

       1. Advanced Networking Research (ANIR)
       2. Embedded and Hybrid Systems (C-CR)
       3. Next Generation Software (EIA)
       4. Distributed Systems and Compilers (C-CR)
       5. Software Engineering and Languages (C-CR)
       6. Trusted Computing (C-CR)

For more information, visit the respective divisions on the CISE homepage:
http://www.nsf.gov/home/cise .

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most
fields of science and engineering. Awardees are wholly responsible for
conducting their project activities and preparing the results for
publication. Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such
findings or their interpretation.

NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and
educators. The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities and persons
with disabilities to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with
Federal statutes, regulations and NSF policies, no person on grounds of
race, color, age, sex, national origin or disability shall be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance
from NSF, although some programs may have special requirements that limit
eligibility.

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED)
provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with
disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research
assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects. See the GPG Chapter II,
Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of
proposals.

 The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific
 progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and
 cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences,
 mathematics, and engineering.

 To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download
 copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the
 NSF Website at http://www.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. The information on proposal forms will be used in
connection with the selection of qualified proposals; project reports
submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting
within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may
be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the
proposal review process; to applicant institutions/grantees to provide or
obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the
administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers
and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to
other government agencies needing information as part of the review process
or in order to coordinate programs; and to another Federal agency, court or
party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is
a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the
Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer
reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50,
"Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal
Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and
Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998). Submission
of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete
information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to an information collection unless it displays a valid OMB control
number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058. Public
reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average
120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send
comments regarding this burden estimate and any other aspect of this
collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden,
to: Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, Division of Administrative
Services, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230.

OMB control number: 3145-0058.


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