NSF has recently announced an update to NSF 15-534. Formerly called CC*DNI, the Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*) program (NSF 16-567) invests in coordinated campus-level cyberinfrastructure (CI) components of data, networking, and computing infrastructure, capabilities, and integrated services leading to higher levels of performance, reliability and predictability for science applications and distributed research projects. Learning and workforce development (LWD) in CI is explicitly addressed in the program. Science-driven requirements are the primary motivation for any proposed activity.

CC* awards will be supported in seven areas:

1. Data Driven Multi-Campus/Multi-Institution Model Implementations awards will be supported at up to $3,000,000 total for up to 4 years.
2. Cyber Team awards will be supported at up to $1,500,000 total for up to 3 years.
3. Data Driven Networking Infrastructure for the Campus and Researcher awards will be supported at up to $500,000 total for up to 2 years.
4. Network Design and Implementation for Small Institutions awards will be supported at up to $400,000 total for up to 2 years.
5. Network Integration and Applied Innovation awards will be supported at up to $1,000,000 total for up to 2 years.
6. Campus Computing awards will be supported at up to $500,000 for up to 3 years.
7. Innovative Integrated Storage Resources awards will be supported at up to $200,000 for up to 2 years.

Total Anticipated Funding Amount: $16,000,000 – $18,000,000
Estimated Number of Awards: 21 to 33
Deadline for full proposals: August 23, 2016
Complete information: http://nsf.gov/pubs/2016/nsf16567/nsf16567.htm

ConnectArlington, Arlington County’s government-owned fiber-optic network built with economic development in mind, today announced a strategic partnership that will bring additional advanced cyberinfrastructure resources to Northern Virginia’s research and education (R&E) community. Through this partnership, MAX will establish a terabit-capable point of presence (TeraPoP) in the heart of Arlington, Virginia, to stimulate economic growth and facilitate scientific discovery across the mid-Atlantic region.

The MAX network will extend to numerous federal agencies, research laboratories, and startup companies that call Arlington’s vibrant metropolitan community home. As a result, these organizations will be able to easily obtain MAX’s specialized cyberinfrastructure services, including access to Amazon Web Services (AWS) Direct Connect, a modern high-performance computing cluster, and on-net Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) transport services.

In addition, scientists and researchers will be able to gain extremely high-speed access to the larger national and global R&E network infrastructure, including multiple 100-Gbps connections to the Internet2 network and other high-performance wide area network infrastructures.

Through MAX and ConnectArlington’s combined effort, government laboratories and agencies will have convenient access to the cutting-edge technological resources necessary for conducting complex, data-driven research initiatives, which could ultimately lead to scientific breakthroughs.

“We are extremely pleased that ConnectArlington is partnering with MAX to make such a positive impact on the region’s digital future,” said Tripti Sinha, Executive Director of MAX and AVP/CTO of the University of Maryland’s Division of Information Technology. “Now more than ever, MAX is well-positioned to spur innovation and support businesses with our one-of-a-kind cyberinfrastructure services in a county that is very supportive of the R&E community. MAX is proud to join forces with such a strong technological ally.”

The agreement was formalized during Saturday’s Arlington County Board meeting, allowing MAX to establish the TeraPoP in a county facility, as well as gain access to ConnectArlington’s network.

“This exciting partnership with the University of Maryland will help us find new ways to use technology and data to better inform our decisions and transform the way we do business as a government,” Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey said. “These new capabilities also will help the County attract and retain those organizations that are engaged with MAX and those that want to be.”

With the launch of this TeraPoP, the MAX network footprint will have a total of 14 TeraPoPs spanning across Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

About Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX)

Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX) is a multi-state regional network led by the University of Maryland. MAX operates an all-optical, Layer 1 core network that is the foundation for a high-performance infrastructure providing state-of-the-art 100-Gbps network technology and services. MAX participants include universities, federal research labs, and other research-focused organizations in the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan areas. MAX serves as a connector and traffic aggregator to the Internet2 national backbone and peers with other major networks. Its mission is to provide cutting-edge network connectivity for its participants, tailored and generic data-transport solutions, and advanced services to accommodate and optimize large data flows and to facilitate network and application research. For more information about MAX and MAX services, please visitwww.maxgigapop.net.

Media Contacts:

Karen Marcher, Administrative and Special Projects Coordinator, Advanced Cyberinfrastructure and Internet Global Services (ACIGS), Division of Information Technology, University of Maryland, 301.405.4428, kmarcher@umd.edu.

 Shannon Whalen McDaniel, Communications Manager, Department of Technology Services, Arlington County Government, 703.228.3685, swhalenmcdaniel@arlingtonva.us.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Merit Network, an Internet pioneer and America’s longest-running regional research and education network, is celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2016. To mark the milestone, Merit has launched a dynamic new web site (merit.edu) and will host a special celebration during its annual Merit Member Conference (MMC) on May 11, 2016.

Established in 1966, Merit has been at the forefront of networking technology throughout its history. Merit’s engineers created groundbreaking router technology and networking protocols to connect the mainframe systems at Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and Wayne State University. The pioneering computer network served as the foundation for what is now a statewide network in Michigan and sparked Merit’s mission of connecting organizations and building community. Merit continues to be guided by these principles as it looks to the future.

“Merit’s advanced networking foundation and its team’s spirit of innovation will help drive Michigan’s wonderful research, education and non-profit community forward for the next 50 years,” said Joseph Sawasky, Merit’s president and chief executive officer.

Merit served an instrumental role in a project that inspired the modern-day Internet. From 1987 until April 1995, Merit led a consortium to manage and re-engineer the NSFNET, the precursor to the commercial Internet and the first national high-speed network for research and education. The NSFNET connected 217 networks in July 1988 and expanded to over 50,000 by April 1995. The NSFNET backbone service connected universities, laboratories, and research centers across the country and was the major catalyst for the Internet and the explosion of computer networking around the world.

Read more about Merit’s 50 years of innovation

Make plans to attend Merit’s 50th Anniversary Celebration on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest. The event will be held following the first day of the Merit Member Conference (MMC).