# Category II: Transitioning the National Science Data Fabric Pilot into a National Operational Cyberinfrastructure and Service for Democratized, AI-Driven Scientific Discovery

> **NSF 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · University of Tennessee Knoxville (TN) · $9,000,000

## Abstract

Scientific research today generates data at a scale and pace that far exceeds what most research institutions can manage on their own. Petabytes of measurements from telescopes, particle accelerators, weather sensors, and medical imaging systems sit in disconnected storage systems across the country, out of reach of many scientists who could use them to drive scientific discoveries and AI innovation. Universities and colleges with limited computing resources are seldom able to participate in large-scale, data-driven research, limiting who contributes to scientific progress, workforce training, and AI readiness. This project operationalizes the National Science Data Fabric (NSDF), a national data infrastructure service funded through the NSF Integrated Data and Systems Sciences (IDSS) program, that connects researchers at institutions of all sizes to scientific data wherever it resides at national laboratories, experimental facilities, cloud platforms, leadership-class computing centers, campus clusters, or laboratory instruments while reducing the need for costly and time-consuming data movement. By removing infrastructure gaps that limit participation in national-scale research, NSDF advances the NSF's mission to promote the progress of science and advance national health, prosperity, and welfare. The project also builds the next generation of data and AI-capable scientists through a national Fellows Program, summer training institutes, and hands-on workshops open to studen

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2609465
- **Awardee organization:** University of Tennessee Knoxville (TN)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** FN2YCS2YAUW3
- **PI:** Michela Taufer
- **Primary program:** 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** Artificial Intelligence (AI), DATANET
- **Estimated total:** $9,000,000
- **Funds obligated:** $9,000,000
- **Transaction type:** Cooperative Agreement
- **Period:** 09/01/2026 → 08/31/2029

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2609465

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2609465, Category II: Transitioning the National Science Data Fabric Pilot into a National Operational Cyberinfrastructure and Service for Democratized, AI-Driven Scientific Discovery. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2609465. Licensed CC0.

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