INCITE Resources & Allocations

2010 INCITE Call for Proposals
For the seventh consecutive year, the Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment (INCITE) program invites proposals for large-scale, computationally intensive research projects to run at America's premier leadership computing facility (LCF) centers, established and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. The INCITE program awards sizeable allocations (typically, millions of processor-hours per project) on some of the world's most powerful supercomputers to address grand challenges in science and engineering, such as developing new energy solutions and gaining a better understanding of climate change resulting from energy use.
Scope
In 2010, INCITE will award approximately 1.3 billion processor hours, driving transformational research in diverse fields. Current awardees computationally probe topics including next-generation biofuels, medicine, nanotechnology, batteries, combustion, carbon capture and storage, astrophysics, nuclear fusion energy, climate, aeronautical engineering, groundwater, and fundamental physics.
Resources
Scientists request allocations on high-performance computing (HPC) systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Sixty percent of run time on DOE's leadership-class systems — the Cray XT at ORNL and the IBM Blue Gene/P at ANL — is allocated through INCITE. A full description of the resources available under this call can be found athttp://hpc.science.doe.gov/allocations/management/resources/viewAllAllocationPools.do.
Eligibility
The INCITE program is open to all scientific researchers and research organizations — academic, governmental, and industrial — needing large allocations of computer time, supporting resources, and data storage to pursue transformational advances in science and American industrial competitiveness. Current DOE sponsorship is not required. The intent of INCITE is to support large-scale, computationally intensive projects that would not be possible or productive without petascale computing, which is capable of executing more than a quadrillion calculations each second. Applicants must present evidence that their computational application can make effective use of a significant fraction of the high-performance computing systems offered for allocation. Researchers may request access to more than one LCF center. Awards will be based on the suitability of the proposed simulations for the requested resource, in addition to research quality and impact.
Selection
Applicants can request allocations of one to three years. During selection, proposals are externally peer-reviewed for scientific merit. In addition, algorithms are assessed for their suitability to perform well on a system's architecture, and codes are examined for their computational readiness to make effective use of the majority of a system's processors in a single run. Successful proposals describe research in terms fit for both peer review and for general scientific review that compares proposals with those from other disciplines.
Trends
In 2009, 66 projects (25 new, 41 renewals) were awarded nearly 900 million processor hours, with an average allocation of about 13 million hours. In 2010 the average allocation is expected to increase dramatically. For more information about previous awards, seehttp://www.science.doe.gov/ascr/incite/INCITEPreviousAwards.html.
Proprietary and nonproprietary use
Proposers who wish to engage in scientific research with the intent to publish meaningful results in open, peer-reviewed literature ("nonproprietary users") are eligible. Moreover, proposers who wish additional protection for their proprietary data loaded onto the DOE computers and/or who wish to keep the results of their computations proprietary ("proprietary users") are also eligible.
User agreements
Nonproprietary use is conditional upon acceptance, by each proposing institution and any institution listed on the proposal, of a nonproprietary user agreement provided by the facility at which an allocation is awarded. The user agreements are based on the model DOE agreements (http://www.gc.doe.gov/1002.htm). The proposer should contact the program manager or representatives of the facility for further details. The proposer's and any participating institution's authorized agents (who have the authority to sign the user agreement on behalf of the institutions) should be prepared to review and sign the agreement once an award of time is granted.
Industrial users are encouraged to apply for INCITE awards. Industry contacts should communicate with the facility of interest well before submitting a proposal to identify the contractual vehicle most appropriate for their project and the requested user facility.
Proprietary use of the HPC resources is subject to negotiation of the terms and conditions of the proprietary user agreement, which will include full cost recovery, between the DOE laboratory and the proposer. For more information about DOE policy on proprietary work at its national laboratories, proposers should contact either the DOE assistant general counsel for technology transfer and intellectual property or representatives for the facility of interest.
Security
The INCITE centers have implemented cyber security programs at a Moderate Baseline with compensatory controls according to NIST Special Publication 800-53. Project-specific security requirements can also be discussed and potentially addressed; contact the facility directly for details. Risk is currently mitigated using available enterprise infrastructure and network-based tools to provide perimeter protection and vulnerability resolution. System and application-level security controls are implemented in accordance with industry and federal best practices. All non-temporary user data resides on centralized file and archival storage systems that are regularly backed up. This data is protected and segmented from other users using standard access controls.
Data protection
The HPC centers cannot guarantee zero risks to information stored on its systems. Requests for processing sensitive (e.g., proprietary or export-controlled) data must therefore be clearly identified in the proposal. Information-sensitivity concerns apply to the intent of the research, storing and compiling of source code, loading and execution of application software, input data for the application software, output data generated by the application software, and data resulting from analysis of output data. If, for example, the application software has an export control classification number (ECCN), prospective users should state this fact in the proposal and provide the ECCN. Prospective users should work with the facility to identify appropriate levels of data protection. Greater levels of protection not typically offered may be provided at a cost borne by the project.
Proprietary use of the HPC resources is subject to negotiation of the terms and conditions of the proprietary user agreement, which will include full cost recovery, between the DOE laboratory and the proposer. For more information about DOE policy on proprietary work at its national laboratories, proposers should contact either the DOE assistant general counsel for technology transfer and intellectual property or representatives for the facility of interest.
Deadlines
Applications will be accepted only electronically starting April 15, 2009, and in accordance with these instructions. Proposals will be accepted until a call deadline of 11:59 pm EDT on Wednesday, July 1, 2009. Awards are expected to be announced in November 2009. Access to a computing system, granted over the 2010 calendar year, will be established upon completion of the appropriate agreements and facility-specific procedures. Please direct questions about the application procedure toINCITE@DOEleadershipcomputing.org.