The National Science Foundation’s “Formal Methods in the Field” program, identified as funding opportunity number 24-509, aims to merge formal methods research with diverse computer and information science fields. It focuses on creating dependable methodologies for system and application design with verifiable correctness. The program is divided into three tracks. Track I, the Research proposals, encourages collaboration between experts in formal methods and field-specific areas, targeting foundational advancements with a proof of concept and detailed evaluation. Projects can receive up to $1,000,000 for a four-year duration. Track II, Transition to Practice, is designed for the development and deployment of advanced formal methods research tools, emphasizing the transition from research to practical use, with industry collaborations encouraged and budgets limited to $150,000 over two years.
Track III, Education proposals, concentrates on developing and disseminating educational content to make formal methods more accessible. These proposals may involve creating new course materials as standalone courses or integrating them into existing field-specific courses, primarily targeting communities with limited formal methods exposure in their curriculum. The aim is to expand the reach of formal methods education, with a funding cap of $250,000 over 36 months. This NSF initiative represents a significant step in integrating rigorous, formal scientific methods into broader aspects of computer science and engineering, thereby enhancing innovation and reliability in system design and implementation.
Opportunity ID: 351091
General Information
Document Type:Funding Opportunity Number:Funding Opportunity Title:Opportunity Category:Opportunity Category Explanation:Funding Instrument Type:Category of Funding Activity:Category Explanation:Expected Number of Awards:CFDA Number(s):Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement:
| Grants Notice |
| 24-509 |
| Formal Methods in the Field |
| Discretionary |
| Grant |
| Science and Technology and other Research and Development |
| 47.070 — Computer and Information Science and Engineering |
| No |
Version:Posted Date:Last Updated Date:Original Closing Date for Applications:Current Closing Date for Applications:Archive Date:Estimated Total Program Funding:Award Ceiling:Award Floor:
| Synopsis 1 |
| Nov 22, 2023 |
| Nov 22, 2023 |
| Feb 20, 2024 |
| Feb 20, 2024 |
| Mar 19, 2026 |
| $ 10,500,000 |
| $ |
| $10,500,000 |
Eligibility
Eligible Applicants:Additional Information on Eligibility:
| Others (see text field entitled “Additional Information on Eligibility” for clarification) |
| *Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities. – <span>Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) – Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members.</span> *Who May Serve as PI: By the submission deadline, any PI, co-PI, or other senior project personnel must hold either: <ul> <li>a tenured or tenure-track position, or</li> <li>a primary, full-time, paid appointment in a research or teaching position</li> </ul> at a US-based campus of an organization eligible to submit to this solicitation (see above), with exceptions granted for family or medical leave, as determined by the submitting organization. Individuals with primary appointments at for-profit non-academic organizations or at overseas branch campuses of U.S. institutions of higher education are not eligible. A project submitted to Track I must have at least one (co)-PI focusing on formal methods and at least one focusing on another area within computer and information science and engineering. |
Additional Information
Agency Name:Description:Link to Additional Information:Grantor Contact Information:
| National Science Foundation |
| The Formal Methods in the Field (FMitF) program aims to bring together researchers in formal methods with researchers in other areas of computer and information science and engineering to jointly develop rigorous and reproducible methodologies for designing and implementing correct-by-construction systems and applications with provable guarantees. FMitF encourages close collaboration between two groups of researchers. The first group consists of researchers in the area of formal methods, which, for the purposes of this solicitation, is broadly defined as principled approaches based on logic and mathematics to specification, modeling, design, analysis, implementation, abstraction, verification, synthesis, and optimization of systems, networks andapplications. Thesecond group consists of researchers in the “field,” which, for the purposes of this solicitation, is defined as any area within computer and information science and engineering that would benefit from developing and applying formal methods in their research. All proposals must make a strong case for why formal methods is appropriate for the field area.
The FMitF program solicits three classes of proposals:
The Project Description can be up to 15 pages for Track I proposals, and up to 7 pages for the Track II and Track III proposals. |
| NSF Publication 24-509 |
| If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact: NSF grants.gov support |