NSF International Research Network Connections (IRNC)
Please distribute this information to your faculty to determine if they have an interest in submitting a proposal to this program.
WHAT: Limited Submission Proposal for the National Science Foundation International Research Network Connections (IRNC) Program
WHO: Texas A&M University faculty. Agriculture, Engineering and TTI personnel may wish to submit internal proposals through their own agency.
WHY: IRNC: ProNet awards are for approximately $1 million dollars per year for five years.
WHEN: Internal proposal deadline of June 8, 2009.
HOW: TAMU faculty should submit an internal proposal via email for review by the internal selection committee.
THE FINE PRINT:
The funding agency below has limited the number of solicitations to three IRNC: ProNet proposals per institution. If the number of faculty wishing to submit a proposal exceeds the number allowed by the agency, we will conduct an internal selection process. Below are due dates for the program, including the due date for the internal proposal for review by the internal selection committee, the date for announcement of the internal selection, the due date for the letter of intent and the due date for submission of the proposal to the agency.
AGENCY: National Science Foundation (NSF)
AGENCY PROGRAM TITLE: NSF 09-564 International Research Network Connections (IRNC) Program
BRIEF PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The NSF International Research Network Connections (IRNC) Program is designed to support access to remote instruments, data and computational resources located throughout the world, often as part of international collaborations. Further, the IRNC Program is intended to provide network connections linking U.S. research networks with peer networks in other parts of the world; leverage existing international network connectivity; improve the quality of end-to-end networking on international paths; explore experimental networking; and stimulate the deployment and operational understanding of emerging technologies such as IPv6 in an international context.
Funded projects will assist the U.S. research and education community by enabling state-of-the-art international network services and access to increased collaboration and data services. This announcement focuses on Production Network Connections and Services (IRNC: ProNet). Preference will be given to solutions which provide the best economy of scale and demonstrate the ability to link the largest communities of interest with the broadest services. Proposals should address the question of how their international links will become an integral component of the global science and engineering research and education network environment and how they will fit into a rational global network architecture. Further, successful proposals will address how their activities blend consistently into, and enhance, the existing end-to-end domestic and international network infrastructure and emerging services and best practices.
The IRNC connections must use technologies (including protocols) that provide a reliable, leading-edge service for research and education. For example, some of the links to key continents must support individual sessions at end-to-end data transfer rates approaching ten gigabits per second in an uncongested use mode. Dynamic circuit networking capabilities in combination with shared IP services must be supported. Specifically, proposals should address interoperability with emerging production dynamic switching network services, or explain in detail why such interoperability is not feasible.
Proposals should describe the overall system design including: connection plans on both ends of the international links; (briefly) the networks to be connected and the technical characteristics of the IRNC links; supported layer 1-3 technologies; routing and switching strategies; security mechanisms and privacy policies; and relevant timelines for technology deployment and service activation. In addition, ProNet proposals should outline how the proposed IRNC should evolve and specify the plans for introducing new networking technologies, equipment and services; as well as assessing the risks and benefits of adopting such new technologies including plans to assure high quality services during the transition to any proposed future deployments.
Proposals should describe procedures and facilities, with special emphasis on Network Operations Centers (NOCs), for monitoring the quality, availability and effectiveness of the services provided. Procedures for fault isolation, timely problem resolution and service assurance should be described. Also, the NOC discussion should address the relationship and coordination with international partners’ NOCs, as well as the U.S. domestic NOC for internet2 and NLR, or detail why this isn’t feasible. The cost of NOC-specific functions, whether supported internally in the project, or handled via sub-contract, should be clearly identified.
ProNet proposals should also include a description of the targeted performance and quality of service guarantees, as well as a discussion of the rationale for and validity of the proposed service metrics for providing reliable end-to-end service. Such metrics for service use, availability and performance might include: utilization (averaged over appropriate timescales), packet drop rate, round trip time, jitter and time sensitive latency. Proposals should leverage existing measurement and analysis tools to support gathering service metrics and troubleshooting performance.
All network measurement activities must address interoperability with emerging best practice international research and education network performance monitoring, or explain in detail why this is not feasible. This should include the deployment of compatible bandwidth and latency measurement services, as well as compatible measurement archives, and details about access to these archives by relevant parties. Security plans should include a detailed control plane integrity plan and a security incident response plan.
If services or infrastructure are shared, measures must be taken to ensure that IRNC communities are provided with their fair share of capacity, priority and reliability subscribed under IRNC awards, and on terms that are at least as favorable as those received by any other customer of the service provider. Discussion of capacity allocation and performance monitoring to ensure fair sharing should be clearly presented.
ProNet proposals must have each year’s budget narrative and information about the specific services proposed and an explanation of the significant prices-to-NSF associated with each service/facility provided. This pricing information must include a quantifiable basis for determining the reasonableness of the proposed price to be funded by NSF. Examples of supporting information include: documented estimates of the value or current market price of the proposed services; measurable criteria such as, price per unit of bandwidth made available to the U.S. research community; service metrics and/or quality-of-service parameters of this solicitation and their relation to proposed pricing; and market value of special supplies, over and above the service provider’s standard equipment, needed to provide the required service.
More information can be found here.
AGENCIES ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT: Organizations are restricted to three IRNC: ProNet proposals.
AWARD INFORMATION: IRNC ProNet awards are for approximately $1 million dollars per year for five years.
ELIGIBLE PROJECTS COSTS: Indirect Costs (F&A) Limitations: NONE.
COST SHARING: NONE.
Internal Selection Procedures and Deadlines
June 5, 2009: Deadline for an email of intent, including the name of the PI, co-PIs, title of internal proposal and a 1-3 sentence description of the project. Send email of intent.
June 8, 2009: Deadline to obtain approval from your department head and dean to submit an internal proposal to the Research Policy and Development Support Office for review by the internal selection committee. The internal proposal should include:
(1) An executive summary, up to three pages, based on the proposal description as outlined in the NSF announcement;
(2) Project and Management Plans;
(3) Summary budget.
The form for completing the internal proposal is here.
*Once your internal proposal has been received with all of the necessary signatures, you will receive an email indicating it will be reviewed by the internal selection committee. If you do not receive the confirmation email, please call 5-1812.*
This completed form should be submitted electronically for review by the internal selection committee.
Please read the RFP carefully for specific requirements of the program here.
Selection of a proposal will be based on National Science Foundation guidelines. Meeting the needs of the university’s reinvestment plan will also be taken into account.
During the selection process, the internal selection committee may contact
departments and colleges for their opinions and commitments. They may also
request additional information from PIs.
June 19, 2009: The Internal Selection Committee will notify PIs of the result of the internal competition.
August 21, 2009: NSF deadline (due by 5 p.m. proposer’s local time).
