Proposers should read the solicitation carefully as there are a number of important changes from last year’s announcement.

See also: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for 2004 Information Technology Research (ITR) Solicitation NSF 04-014

In FY 2004, the Information Technology Research (ITR) Program is focusing on Information Technology Research in support of National Priorities, where National Priorities are defined as:

• Advances in Science and Engineering (ASE);
• Economic Prosperity and Vibrant Civil Society (ECS); and
• National and Homeland Security (NHS). 

NSF encourages the submission of proposals targeting one or more of these National Priorities.

Today, networks link people, software, hardware, computational resources and data archives, and they enable unprecedented communications, coordination and collaboration among them. Powerful distributed applications enable new forms of scientific research by collecting, disseminating, and analyzing observational or experimental data, or data from models or simulations. Other powerful applications include the networked services essential to our daily lives, such as cell phones, email, banking systems, transportation systems, critical infrastructures, distributed inventory control systems, and modern environmental observing systems. New knowledge is needed to improve the design, use, behavior, and stability of these widely distributed systems. A better understanding of this historical shift towards increasing connections and interdependencies among heterogeneous systems and how to harness their potential in service to society is necessary.

ITR is an activity that includes all NSF Directorates and programmatic Offices. The ITR Program places particular emphasis on interdisciplinary research and education projects.

Additional Information about the ITR Program (including a list of recent awards and program contacts in other divisions) can be found at the NSF Website: www.itr.nsf.gov

Cognizant Program Officer in the Directorate for Biological Sciences:

• Manfred D. Zorn, Program Director, Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure, 615 N, telephone: (703) 292-8470, email: mzorn@nsf.gov