White paper submissions sought for NSF Building the Prototype Open Knowledge Network Program

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research is soliciting white papers for the National Science Foundation’s Building the Prototype Open Knowledge Network (Proto-OKN) Program.

The primary goals of the NSF program are to support the creation of a prototype Open Knowledge Network — an interconnected network of knowledge graphs supporting a very broad range of application domains. Open access to shared information is essential for the development and evolution of artificial intelligence and AI-powered solutions needed to address the complex challenges facing the nation and the world. Knowledge graphs, which represent relationships among real-world entities, provide a powerful approach for organizing, representing, integrating, reusing, and accessing data from multiple structured and unstructured sources using ontologies and ontology alignment. Currently, private-sector investments in knowledge graphs power numerous consumer applications including web search, e-commerce, banking, drug discovery, advertising, etc. Undertaking a similar but inclusive, open, and community-driven effort and making use of publicly available data holds the potential to create a platform that would empower government and non-government users — fueling evidence-based policymaking, continued strong economic growth, game-changing scientific breakthroughs, while addressing complex societal challenges from climate change to social equity.

Projects funded by this program will provide an essential public-data infrastructure to power the next information revolution similar to the Internet — transforming our ability to unlock actionable insights from data by semantically linking information about related entities.

Anticipated Funding Amount:
Estimated number of awards for Theme 1 is 8 to 10 awards at $1.5 million for three years, for Theme 2 is 1 to 2 awards at $1.5 million for 2 years, and for Theme 3 is 1 award at $1.5 million for three years 3. Theme 2 projects can be potentially renewed for an additional two years for a budget up to $2 million. The number of awards is dependent upon available funding, quality of proposals received, and the degree to which proposals meet the solicitation goals, NSF merit review criteria, and solicitation-specific review criteria.

More information about the program and submission process. Submissions are due by April 14, 2023.