Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A proposal for foundational AI/machine-learning research is routed within CISE to the Computing and AI Foundations thematic area.
- Is an instance
A request for shared, large-scale computing infrastructure is routed to Center-Scale and Testbeds and/or the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure within CISE.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A computing project whose primary goal is a clinical or patient-health outcome is generally not a fit for CISE alone, since NSF's mandate excludes medical research; NIH or an NSF/NIH joint program is typically more appropriate.
Editorial commentary
NSF CISE — the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering — is one of the National Science Foundation’s major organizational directorates. It funds fundamental research and education in computer science, information science, and computer engineering. For research administrators, the key distinction is that CISE is an organizational and budgetary unit, not a single program or solicitation: individual proposals are assigned to a specific thematic program area within CISE based on subject matter, and that assignment determines which program officers, review panels, and budget lines a proposal is associated with.
Current structure (post-December 2025 reorganization)
NSF announced an agency-wide reorganization in December 2025 intended to reduce organizational layers, streamline proposal review and engagement, and increase flexibility for emerging research areas. As part of that reorganization, CISE’s internal structure moved from its previous, longer-standing division model to six current thematic program areas:
- Computing and AI Foundations — foundational research in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, algorithms, communications, and intelligent systems.
- Software and Systems Foundations — research on new models, technologies, and foundations for software and computing systems, including unconventional or paradigm-shifting approaches.
- Cyber, Physical and Intelligent Systems — computational systems connected to physical systems and intelligent automation.
- Human-Centered Computing and Education — computing education research and human-computer interaction.
- Center-Scale and Testbeds — advanced computing infrastructure, testbeds, and larger center-scale awards.
- Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) — national-scale computing, data systems, networking resources, and research infrastructure. OAC is the one unit name that persists from CISE’s prior structure.
Research administrators who route or track proposals should treat any reference to CISE’s older division names (from before the December 2025 reorganization) as potentially stale, since institutional documentation, PI habits, and legacy solicitation text can lag an organizational change like this by some time.
Why the directorate/division distinction matters for research administrators
Proposals to CISE still follow the same NSF-wide rules as any other NSF submission — most importantly the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). What changes at the directorate/thematic-area level is which program officer a proposal is assigned to, which review panel evaluates it, and which internal budget line it draws from. Getting this routing right matters for realistic timeline expectations and for identifying the correct program officer to contact with questions. CISE, like other NSF directorates, also issues its own Dear Colleague Letters (DCLs) to signal funding priorities within specific thematic areas.
Worked examples
Example 1: A proposal for foundational machine-learning algorithm research would typically be routed to the Computing and AI Foundations thematic area within CISE.
Example 2: A proposal requesting support for a large-scale computing testbed or shared research-computing infrastructure would typically involve Center-Scale and Testbeds and/or the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure.
Counter-example
A computing project whose primary aim is a human-health outcome (for example, a clinical decision-support algorithm evaluated mainly on patient outcomes) is generally a poorer fit for CISE alone — NSF’s mandate specifically excludes medical research, and such a project may be better suited to NIH or an NSF/NIH joint program instead.
Related terms
See also: National Science Foundation (NSF), NSF PAPPG, NSF Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), and the NSF grants overview guide. For CISE-adjacent funding mechanisms, see the NSF CAREER award proposal requirements guide.
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
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