Apply for Engagement with CI Compass

One of CI Compass’s core activities is conducting engagements with NSF Major Facilities (MFs) and large-scale projects at all stages of their lifecycle, from proposal to construction, operations, upgrades. CI Compass conducts one-on-one engagements with MFs to help them diagnose problems they are experiencing with their CI, research existing and new solutions, assess the feasibility of possible solutions, provide advice on adopting possible solutions, develop prototype solutions to the problems, and assist with solution implementation. 

Engagement teams include staff from the MF and CI Compass. Engagements can range from short discussions to activities lasting 3 to 6 month period. We also support engagements that last for a longer time frame, for example when planning for new CI capabilities. Multi-month engagement activities include the development of an engagement plan that outlines expectations and goals of the particular engagement. The engagement plan is developed following an Engagement Plan Template. The engagement follows the engagement plan and results in specific work products developed jointly or by CI Compass personnel, which include e.g., documents, reports, proofs of concept codes, presentations, demonstrations, guides, templates, publications, etc.  The plan may be modified during the engagement resulting in a new version of the plan. 

To manage scheduling and learn about prospective engagees, we have created an engagement application process that is described on this page. When you are ready to apply, click the application link at the bottom of this page and complete the online form.

Reach out to us to engage or discuss potential engagements: engage@ci-compass.org

Application Review Cycle

We review applications and plan engagements on a rolling basis.

Topics for Engagements

Engagements focus on anything broadly within the scope of cyberinfrastructure and its management within the context of the Major Facility Data Lifecycle. Here is a list of possible CI Compass services offered to MFs: https://ci-compass.org/services/. Specifically, we support MFs and large-scale projects seeking assistance with the following priority areas (not exhaustive):

• Data capture
• Data processing
• Data storage, archiving, and preservation
• Data sharing and dissemination
• Data visualization and other analysis activities that must be supported by the MF’s CI
• Data movement
• Disaster recovery and contingency planning
• Identity management
• Improving data discoverability
• Utilizing cloud platforms
• Making data FAIR

Testimonials about our prior engagements can be found on our website. 

Engagement Selection Criteria

Engagement applications will be considered along the following criteria:

• Intellectual merit, which we define as
  • the potential of the activity to improve the MF’s CI;
  • the degree to which the activity is likely to enable the MF to further their science goals, innovate, or advance their work; 
• Applicability, which we define as
  • the problem’s fit within the overall scope of the Major Facility Data Lifecycle.
• Feasibility, defined as
  • the availability of the CI Compass personnel (i.e., both time and expertise), and their appropriateness in relation to CI Compass’s overall efforts, and 
  • the availability of the MF personnel involved in the engagement, in terms of time and expertise required for the engagement and also the ability to follow through with CI Compass advice and assistance (i.e. implement, make changes to architecture, evaluate CI Compass recommendations, management buy-in, etc.). 

 

Each CI Compass engagement will adhere to the CI Compass Conflict of Interest policy and CI Compass Collaborator Information Confidentiality policy.

If you have other questions regarding the application process or status of your application, please contact engage@ci-compass.org.