The following information is provided to help you better understand the process involved when applying for Development, Medium Resource, and Large Resource allocations.
Development Allocation
The review process for Development Allocations is less rigorous than the peer-reviewed process. You must submit a 250-word abstract and attach a resume or curriculum vita through the Partnerships Online Proposal System (POPS). It may take up to four weeks to process this request. The principal investigator (PI) will receive an e-mail confirmation regarding the award decision.
Keep in mind that requests can be denied or reduced. Here are some points to keep in mind when writing your application:
- Provide sufficient justification for the time that you are requesting.
- Try to request a machine that is most suitable for your research. (Requests may be awarded on a more appropriate machine.)
- Make sure that you meet the eligibility requirements.
Note: If a project requires more resources than anticipated, PIs may submit a Supplemental Request at any time. A supplemental request is only awarded for the period of the original award.
Medium Resource Allocation
The Medium Resource Allocations Committee (MRAC) consists of 12-15 volunteers selected from the faculty and staff of U.S. universities, laboratories and other research institutions. All members serve a term of 2-5 years and have expertise in computational science or engineering.
Each proposal is assigned to two committee members for review. The committee members can also solicit an external review. After several weeks of review, the entire committee convenes to discuss the relative merits of each proposal and award time based on availability of resources. Proposals may receive a reduced award solely on the basis of limited available time.
Committee members cannot be present during the discussion of proposals submitted from their home institution; former students, postdocs, or advisors; and current or recent collaborators.
Proposals are judged on the following criteria:
- Scientific merit: sound scientific goals and approaches of high merit; timely problems of interest to researchers and scientists
- Potential for progress: a PI with a verifiable record of success, indicated by publications or other measures, with the necessary resources to conduct the proposed research
- Numerical approach: codes that employ correct and efficient numerical algorithms; a selection of temporal/spatial resolution that is appropriate for the research
- Justification for resources: an appropriate amount of time has been requested; proposed research requires the use of a supercomputer; applications have been optimized to achieve high single-processor and parallel performance; good scaling of applications on a parallel machine
Large Resource Allocation
The Large Resource Allocations Committee (LRAC) assigns three committee members to review each proposal. Otherwise, its review process is identical to MRAC's.
To apply for any NCSA allocation, go to POPS and follow the directions there.
