Scientific Software Research Faculty Award – Request for Applications 2027–2028: How to Apply

The applicant’s name and institution will appear in this section. The institution will default to the applicant’s primary affiliation in their SAM profile.

• Applicant Details:
  • Complete all required fields for the applicant/PI, including academic rank, position/title and ORCID iD.
  • This information should be completed in the applicant’s profile. The applicant may use the Edit Profile button to update their information as needed.
  • To add an ORCID iD, navigate to the ORCID tab of the user profile, and select the ‘Create or connect your ORCID iD’ button to link to the ORCID profile.
  • Applicants must complete their profiles by clicking the Complete Profile button on the user profile in order to submit.
  • Note: The institution in the LOI application should reflect the applicant’s current institution.
• Degrees: Add/modify degrees (required).
• Application Details: Enter the title of the LOI application. This should reflect the nature of the applicant’s research.
• Proposal – Upload required files as follows:
  • Research Statement (two-page limit, including references and figures, which can be embedded within the text): Must outline the scientific background and motivation of the applicant’s research program and include a summary of grant funding obtained to date.
  • Scientific Vision Statement (four-page limit, including references and figures, which can be embedded within the text): Must describe the scientific vision of the research program and a plan for future research and software development. The statement should include a roadmap and software sustainability plan that outlines (1) new functionality development (to enable new scientific directions or questions), (2) work that will enhance the openness, reusability or access to the software and (3) work that will improve the sustainability of the project by implementing or supporting best practices for software sustainability (for example, by substantially developing or improving documentation and educational materials, working on testing and continuous integration systems, establishing contributor/maintainer mentorship programs or running workshops to train new users and developers).
  • Eligibility Affirmation: The aim of the research program is to stimulate the development and maintenance of core scientific software infrastructure in academic environments through the creation of a new, long-term, faculty-level career path in response to this call. A person in an existing research faculty position or who will be promoted into one before the due date of the LOI is not eligible. The award will only support those who will be hired into new research positions. A person in an existing faculty position would be eligible only if they were to fill a newly created position in response to this call. This must be confirmed by checking the box that indicates an understanding of the eligibility requirements and that the award will not be used to support the applicant’s current role.
  • Ph.D. Degree Field: Enter the field for which the applicant received their Ph.D. degree.
  • Applicant Biosketch:
    • Upload a PDF of the biosketch for the applicant.
    • Biosketches must be in SciENcv, NIH, or NSF-style format or a two- to three-page CV.
    • Include information about key software products and contributions in the “products” section of the biosketch.
  • Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal.

• Publications: Provide a list of up to 10 relevant publications via the applicant’s SAM profile or PDF upload. If selecting from the SAM profile, the applicant can import data from other publication databases such as ORCID, PubMed or OpenAlex. Title the PDF Last Name_First Name_Publications.
• Other Support: Please follow instructions for providing current and pending support via PDF upload or via SAM profile:
  • Provide all current and pending external PI or co-PI support, which includes all financial resources, whether federal or nonfederal, available in direct support of the director and their research. It is not necessary to include internal funding or this current application.
  • If providing via SAM profile, select Yes. Then select the Select Other Support from the Profile options. Click the Assign Other Support for This Proposal button to add other support to this application. This will display all other support related to the applicant that was previously added to their SAM profile. Reporting overlap is required to submit an application. Click on the Report Overlap button for each entry and select Yes or No as appropriate.

• If using PDF upload, NSF format is sufficient and should at least provide the award number, source of funding, title of award, dates of project and total costs for each support item listed. Title the PDF Last Name_First Name_Support.

Click the Check Application Progress button to check for any missing but required information or files, which will then be listed at the top of the screen and must be corrected before the application can be submitted.

When the LOI application is complete, click on the Submit Application button to submit to the foundation. Institutional sign-off is not required for the LOI stage. A confirmation page will appear once the application is successfully submitted. Please note that the LOI cannot be submitted if the deadline has passed. A submitted LOI will appear in the Submitted queue of the Awards and Applications table on the applicant’s SAM home page.

Notification of the status of the LOI will be sent by May 31, 2027. A notification will be sent to the applicant inviting them to submit a full proposal in SAM.

The applicant’s name and institution will appear in this section. The institution will default to the applicant’s primary affiliation in their SAM profile. IMPORTANT NOTE: The institution in the full proposal application should reflect the applicant’s host institution — if the applicant is not currently at their host institution, this must be changed before submission in the applicant’s SAM profile and on the application — please contact [email protected] as soon as the host institution is identified.

• Applicant Details:
  • Complete all required fields for the applicant/PI, including academic rank, position/title and ORCID iD.
  • This information should be completed in the applicant’s profile. The applicant may use the Edit Profile button to update their information as needed.
  • To add the applicant’s ORCID iD, navigate to the ORCID tab of the user profile, and select the ‘Create or connect your ORCID iD’ button to link to the applicant’s ORCID profile.
  • Applicants must complete their profiles by clicking the Complete Profile button on the user profile in order to submit.
• Degrees: Add/modify degrees (required).
• Application Details:
  • Title: The title of the full proposal application will be the same as in the LOI proposal.
  • Enter the start and end dates. These dates will automatically populate in the budget. The five-year award must begin no later than September 1, 2028. Appointments must begin on the first of the month.
•  Proposal:
  • Eligibility Affirmation: The aim of the research program is to stimulate the development and maintenance of core scientific software infrastructure in academic environments through the creation of a new, long-term, faculty-level career path in response to this call. A person in an existing research faculty position or who will be promoted into one before the due date of the LOI is not eligible. The award will only support those who will be hired into new research positions. A person in an existing faculty position would be eligible only if they were to fill a newly created position in response to this call. This must be confirmed by checking the box that indicates an understanding of the eligibility requirements and that the award will not be used to support the applicant’s current role.
  • Proposal attachments that were included in the LOI will be available in the Full Proposal application.
  • Host Institution: Enter name of the host institution.
  • Host Institution Letter of Support (must use the provided template): Must be co-signed by the department chair and dean at the host institution and must describe the type of position and provide an affirmation of eligibility requirements. In particular, the letter must confirm that this is a newly created position in response to this call. It must also confirm principal investigator (PI) status for the applicant at the institution, specify that the fractional teaching load will be at or less than 50 percent time, and assure that the faculty position is not term limited. The letter must clearly affirm that, once the applicant is awarded, the university and department will commit a clinical faculty line to the awardee.
  • Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal.
  • Indicate whether the PI or any project personnel listed on the application are affiliated with the Simons Foundation or the Flatiron Institute as a Visiting Scholar / Independent Contractor or Employee.
  • Data & Renewable Reagents: Select ‘Data’ for the ‘Will data and/or renewable reagents be generated by your research?’ question. Provide your data sharing plan, addressing what data will be generated by your research and your policies for access and sharing the data during the life of your award and after award closeout.

• Please refer to the instructions provided in SAM to designate the required institutional contacts for the host institution. At least one Signing Official and one Financial Officer must be added to this section.
• Under Project Personnel, indicate all project personnel, other than the applicant PI, including postdoctoral research associates, who will receive funding from this grant.

Click the Edit/Modify button to add a detailed, five-year budget justification and make certain to close and reopen the budget for changes to populate. Please refer to the RFA for funding levels and allowable expenses.

• For known project personnel to display in the Personnel column drop-down list, they must be added as Project Personnel in the Contacts & Personnel tab of the application. Add an application role to each personnel using the Add More Details button. Do not select TBD in the Personnel drop-down list if the personnel are known. They must be first entered in the Project Personnel section as outlined above. Close and reopen the budget for the changes to populate.
• Do not combine personnel on one budget line (e.g., multiple postdocs must be itemized individually).
• Provide justification for each budget line item entered, including all Personnel Costs requested.
• In years three through five, for the SSRF applicant, the institution should confirm in writing that they will provide the other 50 percent of salary support each year through conventional departmental teaching appointments.
• The research allowance should be itemized within the appropriate budget line items and categories with sufficient justification. The total allowance can be allocated across years as needed, as long as the total request does not exceed $250,000 over 5 years.
• Budget justification should be detailed and appropriate for the funds being requested. An insufficient budget justification will result in the proposal not being considered further.
• Within each budget period, the budget and justification from the previous period can be copied and then edited as needed for the next budget period. Important note: If content has already been entered in year 2 or 3, for example, copying from the previous year will not replace the content — it will instead add the previous year’s content, potentially duplicating the budget in the next year. Duplicated entries can only be deleted individually by line item.

Click the Check Application Progress button to check for any missing required information or files, which will then be listed at the top of the screen and must be corrected before the application can be submitted.

When the application is complete, click on the Send for Sign-off button to send to the application’s designated Signing Official for signature. The Signing Official will receive an email from [email protected] notifying them that an application requires their signature. The Signing Official must provide an electronic signature in the Submission tab of the proposal. Once their signature is entered and saved, the Signing Official must click on the Submit Signature button which will submit the application to the foundation. A confirmation page will appear for the Signing Official once the application is successfully submitted, and the application will also appear in the Submitted tab of the Applications and Award table. The applicant, Signing Official and Financial Officer will receive an email from [email protected] when the application is signed and submitted. Please note that a full proposal cannot be submitted if the deadline has passed.

Once your application has been submitted, the Simons Foundation staff will be in touch if we require any additional information or revisions to your application.