Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR): Data Science Corps | 19 518

Opportunity Information: Apply for 19 518

The National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity titled "Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR): Data Science Corps" is part of NSF's wider HDR "Big Idea," one of ten long-range priority areas NSF introduced in 2016 to push the frontiers of science and engineering through convergence research. The HDR initiative is meant to accelerate data-driven discovery across disciplines by strengthening the core foundations of data science (theory, algorithms, and systems), expanding advanced cyberinfrastructure, and building education and workforce pathways. Even though proposals under this solicitation are submitted through NSF's Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) within the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), the program is explicitly cross-disciplinary in how it is managed and reviewed, reflecting the idea that meaningful progress in data science requires collaboration across many fields rather than staying inside a single academic lane.

Within the larger HDR ecosystem, the "Data Science Corps" component is focused less on producing a single narrow research result and more on building practical capacity to use data effectively in real settings. The Corps concept is designed to create hands-on experiences where participants can apply data science skills to real problems, learn new tools and methods, and gain teaching or mentoring experience in a variety of environments. The broader vision also includes improving data literacy and offering baseline data science training to members of the existing workforce in different communities, with the goal of spreading data skills beyond traditional research universities and beyond the small group of people already working in data-centric roles. In other words, it is framed as a capacity-building and workforce development effort that treats data science as a civic and economic capability as much as a research specialization.

This specific solicitation represents an early step in standing up the Data Science Corps by concentrating on undergraduate participation. The opportunity is aimed at enabling undergraduates to take part in meaningful data science projects by providing support for student stipends, which helps make participation feasible for students who might otherwise need to prioritize paid work over experiential learning. In addition to supporting student participation directly, the solicitation also emphasizes integrating real-world data science projects into classroom instruction, encouraging institutions to connect coursework with authentic datasets, realistic constraints, and applied problem-solving. The overall intent is to create a pipeline where students do not just learn data science concepts in the abstract, but repeatedly practice them in ways that resemble how data work is done in research labs, industry, government, and community organizations.

In terms of the formal grant details, this is a discretionary NSF grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 19-518) under the broad category of science and technology and other research and development. The opportunity listed an award ceiling of $1,200,000 and expected to make around 11 awards. The original closing date was February 4, 2019, and the opportunity was created on November 1, 2018. Multiple CFDA numbers are associated with the solicitation (47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083), reflecting NSF's multi-directorate footprint and the cross-cutting nature of HDR-related activities. Eligibility is not limited to a single standard category in the summary provided and is listed as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which signals that applicants needed to consult the full solicitation for the precise institutional eligibility rules and any special participation requirements.

Taken together, the HDR: Data Science Corps solicitation is best understood as a workforce-and-education oriented piece of a larger national strategy to modernize how the United States develops, applies, and scales data science. Its distinguishing feature is the focus on practical, real-world experience for undergraduates, paired with curricular integration, under a program structure that expects multidisciplinary thinking and aims to spread data capacity across many types of communities and application areas.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR): Data Science Corps" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 01, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 04, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 11 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 19 518

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