Skip Navigation
Search
Office for Research and Innovation
Office of Proposal Development
HomeFind FundingLimited CompetitionsCurrent Limited CompetitionsNSF Test Bed: Toward a Network of Programmable Cloud Laboratories (PCL Test Bed)

NSF Test Bed: Toward a Network of Programmable Cloud Laboratories (PCL Test Bed)

NSF PCL Test Bed Portal

New Requirement: All applications for this internal competition must be submitted via InfoReady. You can sign in using your Net-ID and your @stonybrook.edu email address. Please allow sufficient time to familiarize yourself with the portal prior to submitting your pre-application. Pre-application requirements are listed in the announcement below.

The Office for Research and Innovation invites applications to the NSF Test Bed: Toward a Network of Programmable Cloud Laboratories (PCL Test Bed) program which supports the development and operation of a national network of AI-powered, remotely accessible laboratories to accelerate scientific discovery, enhance reproducibility and improve access to advanced research tools in science and engineering. Stony Brook University may submit ONE application as lead institution. 

Please see below for details.  If you are interested in applying, you must submit a pre-application via the NSF PCL Test Bed Portal in InfoReady by Monday, September 22, 2025 at 9 am.  Pre-applications for internal review and selection must be uploaded to the portal as a single PDF document. 

WHAT DOES IT FUND: This solicitation invites organizations with pre-existing instrument facilities to apply to be a PCL Node, as part of a distributed PCL Test Bed. The solicitation also requires awardees to run Recruitment and On-Boarding Workshops to attract new users, including those from under-resourced institutions, who will conduct science on the PCL Node and Test Bed to result in accomplishments in basic and translational research, education, and workforce development.

APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS: An individual may serve as PI, co-PI, or Senior Personnel only on one proposal submitted in response to this solicitation. Only existing shared instrument facilities, or labs of similar capabilities, may submit a proposal to this program. Proposals must include at least one Co-PI with relevant expertise in data management and AI to support the activities described in the proposal. 

AWARD: Each PCL Node will be funded up to $5M/year for 4 years, for a total budget not to exceed $20M per PCL Node.

SPONSOR DEADLINE: November 20, 2025

A complete pre-application should comprise of the following:

  • Project Description (no more than 6 pages) that includes the following:
    • Science Drivers: The science drivers that will drive the development of the PCL Node and the aspects which might be done in collaboration with other PCL Test Beds to potentially complement their Node, such as synthesis, optimization, and/or characterization experiments, in specific sub-disciplines within materials science, biotechnology, chemistry or other areas of science and engineering. It is important to keep in mind that although the other nodes within the network have not yet been identified, your proposal should be written from the perspective that your PCL will be part of the future cohort and should show how this will be accomplished. 
    • Node capabilities: 1) List all instruments that will be made available for use in the PCL Test Bed as part of the Node. 2) Briefly describe the team and corresponding expertise that will be available at the PCL Node to facilitate the science driver(s) identified as well as to deal with the various data and AI issues. 3) Briefly describe the external partnerships that the PCL Node plans to establish in support of its effort. What are the key partnerships that will enable the success of the Node as part of the Test Bed? 4) Briefly describe what efforts the Node plans to undertake in recruiting, organizing, and vetting users as well as the science problems and experiments that will run at a Node, and across Nodes in the Test Bed. 5) Briefly describe how the proposers plan to support the data management and AI needs of the Node, both to support reliability and consistency of Node operation and to support the range of scientific experiments executed on the Node. 
    • Management plan: Briefly describe the roles and responsibilities of the PI, any co-PIs, and Senior Personnel in ensuring that tasks are completed, and deliverables are delivered on time. 
    • Plan for Post-Award Continued Operation: What is the post-award plan for continued operation of the PCL Node? 
  • Budget and Budget Justification (no more than 1 page) This can be broad estimates and organized into basic categories. Please note that this is not an instrumentation acquisition program. Any instrumentation purchases should be minimal, strongly justified, and you must show how they are necessary to pursue new research directions and scale up any pre-existing capabilities. 
  • CVs/Biosketches for PIs, Co-PIs and Senior Personnel