In the wake of the U. S. National Science Foundation’s award of financial support in response to NSF Unidata’s most recent core program funding proposal, there have been several changes at the Program Center. This article attempts to explain the Program’s current situation, what changes have been made, and what we are planning to do next.
As noted in the announcement of the recent NSF multi-year award for the continued operation of the Program Center, while the funding granted is an increase from the Program’s base funding during the previous five-year award period, it is both less than the amount requested and less than the previous year’s funding level when accounting for one-time grants. The difference — roughly fifteen percent of the requested amount — coupled with guidance from the NSF that core funding levels are not expected to increase over the award’s period of performance, required the Program to take immediate action to balance its budget.
In light of the projected budget deficit, it became imperative that the Program reduce its operating costs. The overwhelming majority of NSF Unidata’s expenditures are related to Program Center staff salaries; as a result, Program Center leadership made the difficult decision to eliminate three staff positions in January and three additional positions in June. Our program has always been “lean,” and we understand that reducing staffing levels will have inevitable impacts on how much we can accomplish for our community going forward. Our primary goal was to ensure that all of the Program’s core activities remained viable despite the staff reductions. At present, while we anticipate reductions in the pace of software development and increased wait times for technical support, our software and data offerings remain unchanged.
The recent changes to staffing levels were necessary in the short term to address a current funding shortfall. While the changes give us time to plan and adjust, they do not solve the long term mismatch between projected flat funding levels and the ever-increasing cost of doing business.
The NSF Unidata program is motivated by two imperatives:
- To maintain access to existing products and services that are in wide use by our user communities.
- To build new capabilities that our user communities will need in order to successfully navigate the evolving Earth Systems Science (ESS) data landscape.
In a situation where resources are constrained, balancing these two imperatives requires careful thought, planning, and consultation with community members. In the coming months, we will be consulting with our Strategic Advisory and Users committees, agency partners, and other stakeholders to evaluate our entire portfolio of projects and activities (both current and planned) with an eye toward increasing the Program’s sustainability and resilience. We expect these discussions to begin with our Joint Committee meeting in September, and plan to complete the portfolio review by Spring 2025. We will begin sharing transition plans for any affected products or services with our community soon thereafter.
For nearly four decades, NSF Unidata has served as a cornerstone cyberinfrastructure facility for the ESS community by providing innovative data services, tools, and support. We at the Program Center are committed to carrying on this mission. We are confident that with guidance and support from our community we can navigate our current resource limitations, charting a sustainable course that allows us to continue providing key products and services that help advance ESS research and education.
