Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards | 21 628

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the NSF "Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards" opportunity?

This NSF funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 21-628) supports the creation and support of university-based research centers focused on the solid Earth processes that drive major natural hazards. The program is designed to move beyond single-investigator or small-team projects by building coordinated centers that unite large, diverse groups of researchers to produce systems-level, transformative science.

2) What is the main goal of these NSF-funded centers?

The goal is to catalyze and coordinate major research efforts in solid Earth geohazards, drive innovation in how geohazard science is conducted, and use convergent approaches that integrate multiple disciplines, methods, and perspectives to answer fundamental questions about hazardous Earth systems.

3) What kinds of hazards and processes are in scope for this program?

The program targets major drivers of solid Earth geohazards, emphasizing faulting and earthquakes, volcanism, mass movements such as landslides, and other dynamic tectonic or solid Earth processes.

4) How does the program define the scientific direction or priorities?

The solicitation explicitly ties center research themes to priorities highlighted in the National Academies decadal survey report, The Earth in Time. This framing encourages research themes that align with those community-identified priorities.

5) What are examples of the fundamental scientific questions NSF expects centers to address?

Examples mentioned include: what an earthquake is at a fundamental physical level; what drives volcanism across different tectonic and magmatic environments; what causes topographic change and what downstream consequences result; and how Earth science research can reduce overall risk and the human toll associated with geohazards.

6) Is this program only about research excellence?

No. A defining feature is that research excellence alone is not sufficient. NSF also expects meaningful community engagement tied to national welfare, including outward-facing partnerships and activities that translate fundamental geohazard research into societal value.

7) What does NSF mean by "community engagement" for these centers?

Community engagement includes partnerships and activities such as public outreach and hazard mitigation-focused engagement. The solicitation calls for flagship engagement activities that are bold and creative, and that produce measurable impact.

8) How important is broadening participation in this opportunity?

It is a major emphasis. The solicitation highlights broadening participation in the geoscience workforce, particularly by increasing pathways for groups that have historically been underrepresented in geosciences. These efforts are expected to be treated as core center commitments, not add-ons.

9) What is meant by a "convergent approach" in the context of this program?

In this solicitation, convergent approaches refer to combining multiple disciplines, methods, and perspectives to address fundamental questions about how the solid Earth works in hazardous settings and to build more integrative understanding of how hazards initiate, evolve, and interact with natural and built environments.

10) What are the two tracks in this funding opportunity?

The program has two tracks based on center maturity: Track I (Center Catalyst) and Track II (Center Operation).

11) What is Track I (Center Catalyst) designed to support?

Track I is intended for teams that are not yet operating a full center. It supports planning and coordination to develop a future center, including refining the scientific vision, designing management and governance structures, and developing a robust broader impacts and community engagement strategy.

12) What is Track II (Center Operation) designed to support?

Track II supports the operation of a fully developed, mature, ready-to-run center. It is intended for established centers with leadership, research plans, management processes, and engagement partnerships capable of delivering frontier science at scale.

13) How did the FY 2022 emphasis differ between Track I and Track II?

For FY 2022, Track I proposals were encouraged to develop future centers across the broad set of solid Earth geohazard processes (earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and related tectonic processes). Track II proposals in FY 2022 were focused specifically on operating centers that advance frontier research in fundamental earthquake processes.

14) Does NSF indicate that Track II might broaden beyond earthquakes in the future?

Yes. NSF signals that future competitions may expand Track II operations support to include centers focused more broadly across solid Earth geohazards, not only earthquakes.

15) How does this program encourage a "systems-level" perspective?

The opportunity encourages connecting basic physical understanding (for example, rupture physics, magma transport, slope stability, deformation, and landscape evolution) with integrative models of how hazards initiate, evolve, and interact with the built and natural environment.

16) What kind of organizational model is NSF seeking (individual projects vs. centers)?

NSF is explicitly emphasizing coordinated center-based efforts rather than single-investigator or small-team projects, with the expectation that centers will coordinate large, diverse research groups and catalyze major efforts.

17) What is the CFDA number and funding category listed for this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 47.050 and categorized within the Science and Technology and other Research and Development funding activity category.

18) How many awards did NSF anticipate making under this solicitation?

NSF anticipated making about five awards under this solicitation.

19) What are the listed key dates for this opportunity?

The creation date listed is October 1, 2021. The original closing date listed is March 15, 2022.

20) Is there an award ceiling (maximum funding amount) provided in the summary information?

The award ceiling is listed as zero in the source data. In context, that typically indicates the ceiling is not specified in that summary field, rather than implying there is no cap. Budget expectations and limits would need to be confirmed in the full solicitation text.

21) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is summarized as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)." This indicates there are specific eligibility rules beyond a simple category label, and applicants would need to consult the solicitation for the detailed eligibility requirements.

22) What distinguishes a strong center concept under this solicitation?

Based on the description provided, a strong concept combines transformative, systems-level geohazards science with deliberate, well-developed community engagement and broader impacts activities, including real partnerships, planning, and measurable impact, especially around broadening participation in the geosciences.