EXPRESS: 2023 Exploratory Research for Extreme Scale Science | DE FOA 0002950

FAQs: EXPRESS 2023 Exploratory Research for Extreme Scale Science (DE-FOA-0002950)

What is EXPRESS (DE-FOA-0002950)?

EXPRESS: 2023 Exploratory Research for Extreme Scale Science (DE-FOA-0002950) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science funding opportunity managed within Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR). It supports early-stage, high-risk/high-reward basic research in scientific computing aimed at rethinking how extreme-scale science is done.

What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?

The core goal is to stimulate exploratory ideas that could reshape extreme-scale scientific computing as computing technologies and surrounding software and data ecosystems undergo disruptive change. The program is positioned to support unconventional approaches that build foundational knowledge and new paradigms, rather than incremental improvements to established research lines.

What kind of research is DOE looking to fund under EXPRESS?

DOE is seeking early-stage, exploratory basic research that anticipates major shifts in extreme-scale science, including changes in scientific applications, algorithms, heterogeneous architectures, data-intensive workflows, scientific machine learning, and AI. The emphasis is on research that develops broadly applicable insights, abstractions, techniques, methods, or conceptual frameworks.

Is this program intended to fund incremental improvements to existing work?

No. The FOA emphasizes that it is not meant to fund incremental improvements to established lines of work. It is intended for unconventional, high-risk/high-reward research that could influence future extreme-scale capabilities.

Why does the FOA emphasize disruptive change in computing and software ecosystems?

The FOA frames extreme-scale science as being transformed on multiple fronts at once: evolving scientific applications, changing algorithmic approaches, increasingly heterogeneous architectures, and an ecosystem shaped by massive datasets, scientific machine learning, and AI. The opportunity is designed to encourage research that helps guide extreme-scale science through these concurrent shifts.

Does the opportunity include interest in nontraditional computing platforms?

Yes. The FOA explicitly calls out emerging and nontraditional computing platforms, including neuromorphic and quantum systems, and emphasizes the need for new paradigms and conceptual frameworks that can fully exploit these technologies.

Do proposed projects need to apply to more than one scientific domain?

The FOA indicates that applicants are expected to propose research that generalizes beyond a single domain science use case, focusing instead on broadly applicable insights or techniques that can influence many areas of computational science.

What are the topic areas for this FOA?

The FOA identifies three topic areas for exploratory projects: (A) Modeling Future Supercomputing Systems, (B) Programming Techniques for Computational Physical Systems, and (C) Quantum Algorithms across Models.

What is Topic A: Modeling Future Supercomputing Systems about?

Topic A focuses on new ways of understanding and predicting how next-generation supercomputers will behave as architectures become more complex and heterogeneous. It highlights constraints and performance drivers such as energy, memory movement, and interconnect performance.

What is Topic B: Programming Techniques for Computational Physical Systems about?

Topic B targets advances in programming models, tools, and methodologies to make it more effective to implement and run computational science and engineering workloads on emerging platforms. The emphasis is on techniques that can scale and adapt as hardware and software stacks shift.

What is Topic C: Quantum Algorithms across Models about?

Topic C is focused on quantum computing from an algorithmic perspective, particularly approaches that span or connect different models of quantum computation. The intent is to potentially broaden the usefulness of quantum methods for scientific workloads.

Who is eligible to apply?

The opportunity is broadly open to most applicant types, with a notable exclusion: 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that have engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 are not eligible.

Are 501(c)(4) organizations ever eligible?

Based on the information provided, 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that have engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 are not eligible for this opportunity.

Can DOE/NNSA National Laboratories participate?

Yes. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories may apply as leads or partners. If selected as a lead, funding is handled through DOE's Field-Work Proposal system under the lab's existing DOE contract, and standard FOA administrative provisions do not apply to the lab or its subcontractors.

How are DOE/NNSA National Laboratories funded if they are subrecipients?

If a DOE/NNSA National Laboratory is proposed as a subrecipient under a university or other prime applicant, the laboratory portion is carved out and provided separately through the Field-Work Proposal system.

Are non-DOE/NNSA Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) eligible?

Yes. Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are eligible as leads or partners. They are typically funded through interagency agreements with their sponsoring federal agency.

Can other federal agencies apply?

Yes. Other federal agencies may apply, typically via interagency agreements, whether participating as prime applicants or as subrecipients.

Does the FOA have a focus on broadening participation?

Yes. DOE highlights a strong interest in broadening participation in the ASCR research portfolio. It encourages submissions led by, or including partners from, EPSCoR states that are underrepresented in ASCR, and encourages applications led by individuals from groups historically underrepresented in STEM.

Is eligibility restricted to EPSCoR states or underrepresented groups?

No. The FOA does not restrict eligibility to any particular group, but it encourages applications aligned with its broadening participation goals.

How does DOE describe the role of diversity and inclusion considerations in selection?

The FOA frames broadening participation as part of DOE's commitment to diversity of investigators and institutions, and notes that program policy factors play a role in selection decisions.

What kind of award is this?

This is described as a discretionary grant opportunity under the DOE Office of Science within the science and technology / R&D activity category.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The FOA is associated with CFDA 81.049.

What was the application closing date listed for this FOA?

The original application closing date listed is April 19, 2023.

What is the maximum award amount?

The award ceiling is listed as $500,000 per award.

What is the program trying to influence in the long term?

The overall thrust is to fund exploratory research that can meaningfully influence the direction of extreme-scale scientific computing, particularly work that helps navigate the shift toward heterogeneous platforms, AI-enabled scientific workflows, and emerging computing models such as neuromorphic and quantum systems.

Does the FOA emphasize AI and scientific machine learning?

Yes. The FOA highlights that the computing ecosystem is increasingly shaped by massive datasets, scientific machine learning, and AI, and it positions the program to encourage innovation that accounts for these shifts.

Does the FOA mention specific system constraints applicants should consider?

Yes. In the context of modeling future supercomputing systems, the FOA points to constraints and performance factors such as energy, memory movement, and interconnect performance.

Where within DOE is this opportunity housed?

It is within the DOE Office of Science, specifically the Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program.