NSF CISE Core Programs Guide

The NSF CISE Core Programs represent the primary foundational funding mechanism operated by the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE). Historically administered under solicitations such as NSF 24-589, core CISE funding transitioned in solicitation NSF 25-543 into the Computer and Information Science and Engineering: Future Computing Research (Future CoRe) program. This mechanism provides foundational research grants to investigators and institutions across computing, networking, and information processing.

For investigators in computer science, CISE core awards establish investigator-driven research agendas that underpin national cyberinfrastructure, computational theory, artificial intelligence, and hardware-software architectures. Unlike targeted initiative solicitations, CISE core programs specifically fund investigator-initiated basic scientific discovery.

What it is and who runs it

The core funding portfolio is managed directly by the three foundational research divisions within the NSF CISE Directorate, alongside cross-cutting program areas:

Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF): Oversees theory and design through Algorithmic Foundations (AF), Communications and Information Foundations (CIF), Foundations of Emerging Technologies (FET), and Software and Hardware Foundations (SHF).
Computer and Network Systems (CNS): Manages systems and networks through Computer Systems Research (CSR) and Networking Technology and Systems (NeTS), as well as Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS).
Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS): Supports intelligent and interactive systems through Human-Centered Computing (HCC), Information Integration and Informatics (III), and Robust Intelligence (RI).
Cross-Cutting Additions: The Future CoRe solicitation integrates Computing Education Research (CER) and foundational Cyber-Physical System Foundations and Connected Communities (CPS) within its core portfolio.

Program officers in NSF CISE supervise merit review panels, coordinate joint reviews across computing divisions, and manage award portfolios. Cyberinfrastructure allocations and specialized computing facilities are coordinated through dedicated programs in NSF OAC (Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure) or directed to the closest corresponding Future CoRe program.

Eligibility

Eligibility to submit proposals to NSF CISE Core Programs is governed by solicitation criteria and the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). As described on the official page on 2026-11-07, the following organizational and investigator criteria apply:

Eligible Organizations:
- Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Accredited US universities and colleges.
- Non-profit, Non-academic Organizations: Independent US research laboratories, professional societies, and museums.
- Tribal Nations: Federally recognized American Indian or Alaska Native tribal governments.
PI and Key Personnel Limits: An individual may serve as Principal Investigator (PI), co-PI, or Senior/Key Personnel on a maximum of two proposals across all Future CoRe programs within any consecutive 12-month period. Proposals exceeding this threshold are returned without review by NSF.
Organizational Submission Limits: There is no limit on the number of proposals an eligible organization may submit.

What it funds or requires

Under solicitation NSF 25-543, CISE eliminated the historical division between “Small” (formerly up to $600,000) and “Medium” (formerly up to $1,200,000) project classes in favor of a single, flexible project class designed to match budgets directly to the proposed scope of work.

Award Ceilings and Duration: Projects may request up to $1,000,000 with a duration of up to 4 years.
Typical Award Profile: Standard awards range from $150,000 to $250,000 per year, spanning 3 to 4 years. Program guidelines discourage proposals exceeding $300,000 in any single year.
Allowable Budget Items: Direct costs may support graduate research assistant (GRA) stipends, tuition remission, postdoctoral scholars, PI summer salary, specialized computing hardware, conference dissemination, and project travel. Voluntary committed cost sharing is strictly prohibited.
Compliance Mandates: Proposals require an institutional budget justification, biographical sketches adhering to common disclosure standards, current and pending support forms, and an institutional Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMP). Investigators can streamline data compliance by using digital tools outlined in our guide on how to use DMPTool for NSF and NIH data management plans.
Broader Impacts: Proposers must articulate concrete educational and societal outcomes in accordance with standard National Science Board criteria, as evaluated in NSF broader impacts statements. Separate Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) plans are no longer required as a standalone document under NSF 25-543, though broadening participation activities remain integral to Broader Impacts evaluations.

Application or compliance steps

Submitting a proposal to the CISE Core Programs follows a standardized workflow administered through federal research portals:

Select Program Area: Identify primary alignment among the 11 active CISE Future CoRe programs. Boundary-spanning proposals may indicate secondary areas to request co-review.
Verify Personnel Limits: Audit prior submission timestamps for all prospective PIs, co-PIs, and Senior Personnel to verify that no team member has participated in more than one other Future CoRe submission during the preceding 365 days.
Assemble Core Proposal Documents: Complete the 15-page Project Description (covering Intellectual Merit, Broader Impacts, and prior NSF support results), Project Summary, and References Cited.
Prepare Supplementary Documents: Compile the Data Management Plan, Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan (if applicable), COA templates, Facilities, and standardized PAPPG Letters of Collaboration.
Submit via Sponsored Projects Office: Transmit packages via Research.gov or Grants.gov through the institutional Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) before target deadlines.

Typical timeline phases

CISE Core Programs operate on an “accepted anytime” model supplemented by published annual target dates to coordinate review panels. As described on the official page on 2026-11-07, typical timeline phases unfold as follows:

Target Date Submission (Phase 1): CISE establishes two annual target dates: the second Thursday in September and the first Thursday in February, grouping submissions into review panels.
Administrative Screening (Weeks 1 to 4): Program staff verify compliance with format rules, page counts, PI eligibility limits, and required supplementary attachments.
Peer Review Panels (Months 2 to 5): Program officers convene panels of disciplinary peers and ad hoc reviewers. Proposals are evaluated on Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts according to National Science Board review standards.
Program Recommendations (Months 5 to 6): Program officers balance division portfolios, conduct budget negotiations, and recommend awards to the Division of Grants and Agreements (DGA).
Award Notification (Months 6 to 7): DGA conducts administrative reviews and issues the formal grant notice to the institution.

Common mistakes

Research administrators and investigators frequently encounter specific pitfalls that result in administrative rejections or lowered scores:

Exceeding PI Submission Thresholds: Serving on more than two proposals across Future CoRe programs within a 12-month window triggers administrative return without review.
Annual Budget Spikes: Requesting more than $300,000 in a single project year without prior program officer consultation, which violates Future CoRe guidelines.
Unapproved Letters of Support: Including evaluative letters rather than the standardized one-sentence collaboration format mandated by the PAPPG.
Misaligned Cyberinfrastructure Proposals: Failing to note that OAC Core was removed from the core solicitation, necessitating direct submission to specialized OAC opportunities or aligning software infrastructure with relevant foundational programs.
Submitting Off Target Dates: Submitting just after a target date, delaying panel review until the subsequent cycle 5 to 6 months later.

Related programs

The table below summarizes how CISE Core Programs compare with related NSF computing mechanisms:

Program Mechanism	Solicitation / Operator	Award Ceiling & Duration	Primary Scope & Target Audience
CISE Core Programs (Future CoRe)	NSF 25-543 (CISE CCF, CNS, IIS)	Up to $1,000,000 / up to 4 years	Foundational computing, software, hardware, and informational research across 11 core areas for all eligible investigators.
NSF CAREER	NSF 22-586 / Directorate-wide	Minimum $500,000 (CISE) / 5 years	Early-career tenure-track faculty integrating dedicated educational curricula with basic research.
OAC Research & Cyberinfrastructure	Dedicated OAC solicitations	Variable ($500,000 to $5,000,000+) / 3 to 5 years	Production cyberinfrastructure, advanced computing clusters, data frameworks, and research software.
CISE Community Research Infrastructure (CCRI)	CISE Cross-Cutting	$1,000,000 to $5,000,000 / 3 to 5 years	Shared computing testbeds, instrument repositories, and community facilities.

FAQ

What replaced the Small and Medium project classes in CISE Core?

Solicitation NSF 25-543 unified the previous Small and Medium project classes into a single flexible project class with a maximum budget of $1,000,000 and a 4-year duration, allowing investigators to tailor budgets directly to their project scope.

Are there hard submission deadlines for CISE Core Programs?

Proposals are accepted at any time without hard cutoff deadlines. However, NSF establishes two annual target dates (the second Thursday in September and the first Thursday in February) to group proposals into review cycles.

Can an investigator submit multiple CISE Core proposals in the same year?

An individual may appear as PI, co-PI, or Senior/Key Personnel on no more than two proposals within any consecutive 12-month period across all participating Future CoRe programs.

What happened to the OAC Core program?

The OAC Core program was removed from the unified Future CoRe solicitation. Researchers working on scientific cyberinfrastructure should consult specific OAC funding opportunities or submit to the most aligned Future CoRe foundational program.

Sources

National Science Foundation, “Computer and Information Science and Engineering: Future Computing Research (Future CoRe),” Program Solicitation NSF 25-543, https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/future-core-computer-information-science-engineering-future-computing/nsf25-543/solicitation (Read 2026-11-07).
National Science Foundation, “NSF CISE Core Solicitation: Future Computing Research,” Information Briefing, https://www.nsf.gov/events/nsf-cise-core-solicitation-future-computing-research-nsf-25 (Read 2026-11-07).
National Science Foundation, “Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE),” Directorate Overview, https://new.nsf.gov/cise (Read 2026-11-07).
National Science Foundation, “CISE: Core Programs (Archived),” Program Solicitation NSF 24-589, https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf24589 (Read 2026-11-07).