DiRAC Resource Allocation Committee Facility Time Opportunity: RAC17

The DiRAC Resource Allocation Committee facility time opportunity (RAC17) is now open.  The UK theory and modelling communities in astronomy and cosmology, astrophysics, solar system physics, particle astrophysics, particle physics and nuclear physics are invited to apply for computational resources on the STFC DiRAC HPC Facility.  

The deadline for submission of proposals is Thursday 12th September 2024 at 16:00 UK time. 

The submission process is the same as last year (RAC16), via the new UKRI Funding Service (TFS) as follows:

    • Scientific proposals for Short and Thematic projects must be submitted using The new UKRI Funding Service (TFS), the replacement for Je-S. This will cover the information which in previous facility time opportunities (calls) would have been provided as part of the scientific application form, scientific case for support, and the project management and data management plans which were submitted as separate attachments via email to STFC.  Applicants are no longer required to submit documents via email to STFC; any documents sent to STFC via email will not be accepted.  Proposals must be submitted by the closing date of Thursday 12th September 2024 16:00 UK time.  The system will close at this time and it will not be possible to submit after this deadline.  Please see the UKRI Funding Finder for full details including the link to begin your application. 
    • A technical proposal form for Short and Thematic projects must be completed and sent directly to DiRAC via email: dirac-support@epcc.ed.ac.uk by the closing date of Thursday 12th September 2024 16:00 UK time. The technical form can be found on the UKRI Funding Finder.  Applicants may discuss their request with the DiRAC RSE Team in advance of submitting a technical case by emailing DiRAC support (dirac-support@epcc.ed.ac.uk) and adding the heading ‘RAC 17 technical enquiry’ into the subject of the email.
    • Applicants requesting Research Software Engineer (RSE) support must complete the RSE application form and send it directly to DiRAC via email:
      dirac-support@epcc.ed.ac.uk by the closing date of Thursday 12th September 2024 16:00 UK. Time.  The RSE application form and guidance can be found on the UKRI Funding Finder.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss RSE requests with the RSE team in advance of the closing date.
    • Seedcorn proposals can be submitted at any time; please see the DiRAC website. 

Proposals for Short and Thematic projects will not be accepted unless both a scientific application has been submitted via the UKRI Funding Service and a technical application has been submitted to DiRAC. 

Please refer to the UKRI Funding Finder for full instructions on how to submit proposals. 

Applicants are encouraged to visit the UKRI website to see information regarding The new Funding Service including videos to show how to use the system. 

Applicants should ensure they are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines that may be in place for the submission of their proposal.  These deadlines may be similar to those for standard Je-S grant applications and it is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm this, as they may be significantly earlier than the STFC submission deadline of Thursday 12th September 2024 16:00 UK time. 

Successful awards will be scheduled to begin on 1st April 2025.

STFC welcomes applications from Early Career Researchers. 

No single application can request more than 80% of the availability of a DiRAC machine within a given year. Availability figures are provided in the guidance notes at annex 1, which can be found on the UKRI Funding Finder.  Please note the availability figures are provisional, and the resources which are allocated may be lower depending on confirmation of the levels of systems availability. 

Applicants are strongly advised to read the RAC guidance notes and information available on the UKRI Funding Finder under the Additional info section.   

Enquiries:

Enquiries should be directed as follows: 

Read more about it here