Frequently Asked Questions

The NAIRR Pilot Submission Portal uses the same accounts and authentication as the NSF ACCESS program. If you have an ACCESS username, you can log into the NAIRR Pilot Submission Portal with your ACCESS username.

If you have never logged into an ACCESS site, you should begin by registering for an ACCESS ID. Follow the instructions at the registration page depending on your situation (multiple paths exist from this point, please read the instructions carefully).

If you can’t remember your ACCESS ID password, you can reset it.

Additional information on using your ACCESS ID is available.

This call is open to U.S.-based researchers and educators from U.S. institutions, including universities, non-profits, federal agencies or federally funded R&D centers, state, local, or tribal agencies, and startups or small businesses with federal grants.

However, individual resources offered through this call may have their own eligibility rules which can be found in the call for submission. Proposals will be assigned based on these rules.

Overhead rates do not apply to cloud resource providers. Also, cloud vendor credits are made available to NAIRR projects.

Proposals will be reviewed on an ongoing monthly cycle. Due to the volume of requests being received, requests submitted by the 15th of the month will be reviewed and have their outcome decided within three months. Projects will be awarded for twelve (12) months duration. We appreciate your patience!

Proposals will be reviewed on an ongoing cycle. Typically, requests will have their outcome decided within one month. If you have not received a response in a duration exceeding 1 month (e.g. > 5 weeks) please submit a ticket via the NAIRR ticket system, and ensure to check your spam folder for notifications from the NAIRR Team that you may have already received (noreply@allocations.nairrpilot.org). You can also login to myNAIRRAllocation, to review the status of your current and pending requests and projects. Select “My Allocations Requests” to review the status of your pending requests.

Please see the NSF policies for use of AI in proposal generation and the review process.

Yes, focus areas can be found at https://nairrpilot.org/opportunities/allocations

No, there is not a limit; a PI can submit multiple requests. PIs are encouraged to submit as few requests as possible, but it is also understood that the three-page limit restricts the number of activities that might be included in a single request.

Please refer to Preparing your NAIRR Pilot Project Request.

In short, no, references don’t count against the 3-page limit. You may attach a separate References document (up to 5 pages).

In the high-performance computing (HPC) world, CPU-hours (core-hours) or GPU-hours are defined as:

GPU-hours = Wall Time (wallclock time) * number of GPUs

or

GPU-hours = Wall Time (our clock time) * number of VMs * GPUs per VM

For example, if you need 4 GPUs running for 24 hours, then the GPU-hours should be 4 * 24 = 96. Do not use the 24-hour wall time as the GPU-hours. Doing so means you may not have requested enough time for your computation.

You must separately confirm that the hardware configuration of your selected resource meets your project’s requirements. These hardware details include the type of GPU, number of GPUs per node, memory per GPU, and so on.

It is recommended that you select one of the available resources that is most suitable for your work. In some cases you may have a specific need for multiple resources, e.g., a distributed learning framework. In these cases it is acceptable to apply for multiple resources.

There are no defined upper limits on the amount of computational resources you can request either on a specific resource, or in aggregate if you request multiple resources.

Requestors are asked to justify the amount of requested resources based on the proposal’s nature, scientific significance, and computational needs. If the proposal is deemed meritorious and the estimated need exceeds availability of the selected resource, the project will be either partially allocated on the requested resource or moved to a resource or resources that can accommodate if possible.

The NAIRR Pilot Project requires that all users of NAIRR resources be used by U.S. institutions located in the U.S. The following form is required for attesting that this is the case for your research project and must be followed to submit new user requests.:

1. Visit the myNairrAllocation link on the NAIRR Pilot website: submit-nairr.xras.org
2. Select the "Add User" tab along the top menu bar
3. Click the "Manage" link in the Users column for your awarded project
4. Add users you want to have access to your project.
   Note that users must have ACCESS IDs - if they do not already have one, they can sign up for free at: operations.access-ci.org/identity/new-user

If you have used up or are close to using up your original resource allocations, you can submit a supplement request to ask for additional resources. The decision will be at the discretion of the resource provider based on your progress to date and availability of resources.

With your Supplement request, a progress report should accompany your Supplement request. In addition to the basic progress report information, a Supplement progress report should describe how the resources consumed thus far have been used, progress made thus far on the original computing plan, and how you plan to use the additional resources being requested.

Your Supplement request should be submitted via the NAIRR Pilot Submit portal:

• Go to the NAIRR Pilot Submission portal
• Select "My Allocation Requests" in the top navigation bar
• Using the dropdown at the left of your awarded project, select "Supplement"
  If the dropdown is not available, you and/or someone on your team likely has an incomplete ACCESS profile. Please make sure everyone on the team has completed their ACCESS profile, particularly the “Country” field.
• Fill out the form, including the resource request fields, upload your progress report document, and submit the form.

If you are approaching (or are beyond) your project’s end date but need more time to complete the planned work, you can submit an extension request to ask for additional calendar time. Approval will be at the discretion of the resource provider(s) based on your progress to date and availability of resources.

A progress report should accompany your Extension request. With your Extension request, you need to include a progress report. In addition to the basic progress report information, an Extension progress report should describe how the resources consumed thus far have been used, progress made thus far on the original computing plan, and how you plan to complete the work within the additional time requested.

Your Extension request should be submitted via the NAIRR Pilot Submit portal:

• Go to the NAIRR Pilot Submission portal
• Select "My Allocation Requests" in the top navigation bar
• Using the dropdown at the left of your awarded project, select "Extension"
  If the dropdown is not available, you or someone on your team likely has an incomplete ACCESS profile. Please make sure everyone on the team has completed their ACCESS profile, particularly the “Country” field.
• Fill out the form, including the resource request fields, upload your progress report document, and submit the form.

It is possible under some circumstances to move your allocation to a different resource via a Transfer request. However, transfers are not automatically approved and are subject to review by the new resource provider. Thus, you should first work with your originally awarded resource provider to confirm that your project cannot be accommodated on the awarded resource.

If you have determined that an alternate resource is the best course of action to complete your project, you can submit a Transfer request via the NAIRR Pilot Submit portal. The required Progress Report should indicate why the original resource was not suitable (and how this was determined) and why your desired resource is a better fit for your project:

• Go to the NAIRR Pilot Submission portal
• Select "My Allocation Requests" in the top navigation bar
• Using the dropdown at the left of your awarded project, select "Transfer"
  If the dropdown is not available, you or someone on your team likely has an incomplete ACCESS profile. Please make sure everyone on the team has completed their ACCESS profile, particularly the “Country” field.
• Fill out the form, including the resource request fields, upload your Progress Report document, and submit the form.

There are several ways to get support:

• Training events and materials
  Explore training opportunities and NAIRR Pilot community events.
• Support Request
  Submit a support ticket with a question or help request.
• Office Hours
  Register for monthly NAIRR Pilot Office Hours. Office Hours assist with questions related to active awards and the NAIRR Pilot call. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.
• Slack Workspace
  Join NAIRR Slack. Slack is not fully monitored. Please ensure any questions that require responses are filed through the Support Request.

All NAIRR Pilot allocations require follow-up reporting. Please refer to the NAIRR Reporting Guidance information.

Please refer to the NAIRR Reporting Guidance information. Additional guidance is available here: NAIRR_Pilot_Classroom_Reporting.pdf

Please refer to the NAIRR Reporting Guidance information

A PDF template is available and includes the required sections and topics.

An acknowledgement of support from the NAIRR Pilot and any Resource Providers should appear in presentations or publication of material that describes work that benefited from access to NAIRR Pilot resources.

For recommended language please refer to the NAIRR Reporting Guidance information

It is expected that teams who receive NAIRR Pilot access will publish their results in the open scientific literature or otherwise disseminate results publicly. The NAIRR Pilot wishes to catalyze open, pre-competitive results that can impact the future of the NAIRR. Because of the strong public component of the NAIRR, to the extent possible, all project results (including software, data sets, models, etc.) must be open and publishable. It is understood that data and possibly other elements related to NAIRR Secure cannot be inherently shared. As well, it is understood that some participants, such as those working in DOE-funded labs, may have additional processes to work through before results can be disseminated.

Intellectual property developed through research conducted using NAIRR Pilot resources is generally governed by existing federal law (including the Bayh–Dole Act, where applicable), the policies of the PI’s home institution, and the terms of use associated with the specific NAIRR Pilot resources utilized.

The NAIRR Pilot is intended to catalyze open, pre‑competitive research, and investigators are expected to disseminate results broadly, consistent with NSF policies and program goals. NSF does not claim ownership of IP arising from supported research, and PIs may pursue appropriate IP protection and commercialization in accordance with institutional policies and applicable laws. Investigators may delay public disclosure as needed to secure appropriate IP protection, consistent with institutional policies.

However, because NAIRR Pilot resources are provided by multiple agencies and organizations, individual Resource Providers may impose specific conditions that affect whether proprietary development, IP protection, or commercialization is permitted on their systems. Investigators who anticipate developing potentially commercializable IP are therefore strongly encouraged to consult early with both their institutional technology transfer office and the relevant Resource Provider(s) to understand any constraints and ensure compliance.

See the related FAQ on publishing results and releasing software, models, or data sets for additional information on NAIRR Pilot expectations regarding openness and dissemination.