Opportunity Information: Apply for 23 571
The National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity titled "Building the Prototype Open Knowledge Network" (Funding Opportunity Number 23-571) funds research and development aimed at creating a prototype Open Knowledge Network (Proto-OKN). The central idea is to build an open, community-driven public-data infrastructure made up of interconnected knowledge graphs that can work across many domains rather than being limited to a single sector or application. NSF frames this as a foundational investment in open access to shared information, arguing that broad, reusable access to semantically linked data is critical for advancing artificial intelligence and AI-enabled solutions, especially for large-scale national and global challenges.
At the core of the program is the use of knowledge graphs, which are structured representations of real-world entities (people, places, organizations, events, concepts, and more) and the relationships between them. The opportunity emphasizes that knowledge graphs can integrate and connect information pulled from both structured and unstructured data sources, relying on ontologies (formal concept and relationship definitions) and ontology alignment (methods that reconcile different ontologies so separately built graphs can interoperate). NSF highlights that private industry already uses knowledge graphs to power major consumer and enterprise systems such as web search, e-commerce, banking, drug discovery, and advertising, but the Proto-OKN effort is meant to be open and inclusive, leveraging publicly available data and community participation. The longer-term vision is that an open network of interoperable knowledge graphs could unlock actionable insights for government and non-government users, strengthen evidence-based policymaking, accelerate scientific discovery, support economic growth, and help address societal issues such as climate change and social equity. In NSF's framing, this could become a platform-level resource comparable in importance to earlier public infrastructure breakthroughs like the Internet.
The solicitation is organized into three coordinated funding themes that are designed to work together. Theme 1, "Proto-OKN Use Cases," supports projects that build a specific knowledge graph "node" of the broader Proto-OKN to solve a clearly defined use-case challenge. These projects are expected to rely on well-identified datasets and use a user-centric design process, with an emphasis on usability and longer-term sustainability rather than a purely technical demonstration. A key requirement is that Theme 1 teams collaborate closely with Theme 2 teams so the use-case knowledge graphs can be deployed on a shared, common implementation layer (the fabric). Theme 1 awards can request up to $1.5 million over up to three years, and NSF anticipates making roughly 8 to 10 awards in this category depending on available funds.
Theme 2, "Proto-OKN Fabric," focuses on the connective tissue that allows separately developed knowledge graphs to interoperate as a network. Projects in this category develop and deploy the technologies needed for an "interconnecting fabric" that links the Theme 1 knowledge graphs and helps them function as a coherent Proto-OKN rather than isolated silos. NSF signals that Theme 2 teams should bring both deep technical expertise and a proven record of collaboration, including the ability to work effectively with non-technical partners, since adoption and integration across multiple projects is a central goal. Theme 2 projects are also expected to collaborate closely with Theme 1 teams, supporting practical use and deployment of the fabric as the use cases are built. Theme 2 awards can request up to $1.5 million over up to two years, with an estimated 1 to 2 awards. NSF also notes that one or both Theme 2 projects may be renewed for an additional two years with up to $2 million, with the specific goal of converging on a single overarching OKN fabric.
Theme 3, "Proto-OKN Education and Public Engagement," supports one award focused on producing educational and outreach materials that help a wide range of audiences understand, use, and contribute to the Proto-OKN. The program explicitly calls out diverse target groups, including end users, senior executives and decision-makers, technical developers, students from middle school through graduate education, and the general public. The Theme 3 team is expected to have broad expertise in education, training, and public engagement and must work closely with Theme 1 and Theme 2 projects to ensure the materials match what is actually being built and deployed. Theme 3 proposals may request up to $1.5 million over up to three years, and NSF expects to make a single award if funds are available.
Administratively, this is a discretionary grant program run by NSF under funding activity focused on science, technology, and other R and D. It is associated with CFDA numbers 15.808, 43.001, and 47.084, and lists eligibility broadly as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full eligibility text. The opportunity was created March 21, 2023, with an original closing date of June 20, 2023, and NSF projected about 13 total awards across all themes. The listing shows an award ceiling of $0, which typically indicates that a single fixed cap is not encoded in the system-wide ceiling field even though the solicitation clearly sets per-theme maximum request amounts. Overall, the program is structured to fund a coordinated set of use-case knowledge graphs, a shared interoperability and deployment fabric, and a parallel education and engagement effort, all aimed at demonstrating a working prototype of a scalable, open knowledge network grounded in public data.Apply for 23 571
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Building the Prototype Open Knowledge Network" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808, 43.001, 47.084.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 21, 2023.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 20, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 13 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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