NOTE:  Applications will be accepted starting September 15, 2009.

**The program information described below is based on the Joint NEH/DOE Grant Program for Humanities High Performance Computing. Significant similarities exist in the program structure, description, and reporting. The major differences between the two programs are:

1. •The inclusion of arts and social science research
   

2. •A shorter application narrative and evaluation criteria specific to I-CHASS
   

Program Description:

The Institute for Computing in Humanities, Arts, and Social Science (I-CHASS) and the National Institute for Computational Sciences (NICS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville will provide 2,000,000 CPU hours on NICS’s supercomputers to visionary researchers pushing the boundaries of humanities, arts and social science (HASS) knowledge discovery. This program will provide access to computational resources between 100,000 and 500,000 CPU hours per project. Working in consultation with supercomputing specialists, HASS researchers winning these allocations will have the ability to leverage high-end cyberinfrastructure tools and approaches to further their project research.

Any scholar or collaborative research group whose humanities, arts, and social science research is computationally intensive may apply. Supported activities may include:

1. •mining of large textual datasets, morphological analysis, manipulations, and transformations;
   

2. •analysis of geographical information systems data, maps, etc.; and
   

3. •computationally demanding visualization, modeling, and pattern recognition and analysis.
   

The goal of the program is to provide opportunities for humanities, arts, and social science researchers to collaborate with computer scientists and others at centers already familiar with the challenges of intensive data mining, visualization, and other demanding applications.

Award Information:

Winners will be given accounts and allotments at the National Institute for Computational Sciences; allotments may range from 100,000 to 500,000 CPU hours. Resources will be available from January 2010 to December 2010.  At the conclusion of the initial award period, successful projects will have the opportunity to apply for renewal of their computational allocations for an additional year.

Cost Sharing: No cost sharing is required.

Eligibility:

Any scholar or collaborative research group whose humanities, arts, and social science research is computationally intensive may apply.

Application and Submission Information:

Application Advice

Prior to submitting a proposal, applicants are encouraged to consult with I-CHASS staff on the scope of the project, the computational readiness of their data and software, the humanities, arts, and social science content, and other programmatic matters to ensure the appropriateness of the proposal. The 2,000,000 CPU program application requires a discussion of the needed computational resources. Applicants should clearly state necessary software packages, computational approach, parallel performance data, I/O requirements, mass storage needs, etc.

Application Components

Applications will be submitted online via the Institute for Computing in Humanities, Arts, and Social Science Online Proposal System, which will become live on September 15, 2009. Applicants must register on the Proposal System prior to completing their application.  Applications will be due on Sunday, November 1, 2009.

Project Overview (300 word limit): The project overview section identifies the Principal Investigator(s) and summarizes the project, clearly explaining the project's importance to the humanities, arts, and social sciences, its principal activities, and its expected results. Provide the title of your project and list the proposed starting and ending dates for your project.

Project Description (1000 word limit): Limit the narrative to four single-sided and single-spaced pages. All pages should have one-inch margins and the font size should be no smaller than eleven point. Use appendices to provide supplementary material.

1. • Significance
   

2. Discuss the project's intended audience, its potential impact on humanities, arts, and social science research/teaching/learning, and the ultimate audience that will benefit. Describe the degree to which this program will build on past work or break new ground.
   

3. 
   

4. • Data Needs
   

5. Thoroughly describe the data needs of the project including a brief explanation and justification for those requests. Be sure to notate the data/networking needs and space needed for data storage. Also, please outline requests for training and/or consultative services.
   

6. 
   

7. • Computational Needs
   

8. Describe the computational needs of the project including a brief explanation and justification for those requests. Please outline requests for training and/or consultative services.
   

9. 
   

10. • Software Needs
    

11. Thoroughly describe the software needs of the project including a brief explanation and justification for those requests. Be sure to notate requests for training and/or consultative services.
    

12. 
    

13. • Visualization Needs
    

14. Please provide details of any specific visualization capabilities your project will require.
    

15. 
    

16. • Database Needs
    

17. Please provide details of any specific database capabilities your project will require.
    

18. 
    

19. • Work Plan
    

20. Provide a plan of work that outlines the use of computational tools.
    

21. 
    

22. • Previous Funding
    

23. List any other advanced computing support currently being used or planned for the project and delineate any previous funding for computational resources.
    

24. 
    

25. • Impact and Evaluation
    

26. Discuss the project’s expected results, their impact on humanities, arts, and social science scholarship, and any plans for wider dissemination. Describe any plans, including listservs and Web sites, to facilitate discussion and collaboration among participants and indicate how the project and its results will be evaluated by participants and by the applicant organization.
    

27. 
    

28. • Participants and Consultants
    

29. Using short paragraphs, identify participants and describe their roles, responsibilities, and qualifications. Include in the appendix up-to-date letters of commitment and brief résumés (two pages).
    

30. 
    

Application Review:

Applications will be reviewed using the following evaluation criteria:

1. 1.Impact: the project's intellectual significance and its furtherance of humanities, arts, and social science research/teaching/learning.
   

2. 2.Appropriateness of computational and technological needs: the appropriateness of the project and the suitability of NICS resources for conducting the research outlined.
   

3. 3.Project value: the value of the expected project outcomes for the research questions posed.
   

4. 4.Project team's experience and ability to complete work proposed.
   

Late applications will not be reviewed.

Review and Selection Process:

Applications will be read by NICS and I-CHASS staff, as well as a project review committee made up of leaders in the technology and humanities, arts, and social science domains who will make recommendations to the Director and Executive Director of I-CHASS based on the overall criteria listed above.

Award Administration Information:

Award Notices

Applicants will be notified by e-mail of the decision by December 1, 2009. Project directors of successful applications will receive award documents by mail after the December notification.

Reporting Requirements

A schedule of report due dates will be included with the award document. A bi-annual report charting project progress and computational use will be required and a final performance report will be mandatory at a year-end event highlighting project results.

Administrative Requirements

Prior to submitting a proposal, project directors must review the following responsibilities to determine if their project is able to comply with these requirements.

Recipients are required to:

1. 1.provide complete documentation on all project participants to I-CHASS prior to beginning the award period.
   

2. 2.carry out project activities in accordance with the work plan provided in the approved application, and ensure that changes in the plan are approved by I-CHASS in advance.
   

3. 3.maintain adequate documentation of the time spent by all project personnel on project activities
   

4. 4.acknowledge I-CHASS and NICS support in all materials publicizing or resulting from project activities
   

5. 5.submit performance reports and computational use reports as required by the terms and conditions of the award
   

6. 6.comply with all NICS and I-CHASS Technology usage and Security policies and procedures. These are available by request.
   

Points of Contact

Institute for Computing in Humanities, Arts, and Social Science
National Center for Supercomputing Applications
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1205 W. Clark St., MC-257
Urbana, IL 61801

217-333-4327

Fax: 217-244-9757

chass@ncsa.uiuc.edu

Interim Director, Kevin Franklin

Project Manager, Simon Appleford