How do I apply for a TeraGrid allocation?

Note: Proposals for the allocation period from October 1, 2008, through September 30, 2009, are now being accepted. The proposal deadline is midnight July 15th. This is for medium (MRAC) and large (LRAC) allocations; TeraGrid accepts and approves development allocations (DACs) throughout the year.

A TeraGrid allocation provides access to computing and storage resources at TeraGrid sites; see What are DAC, MRAC, and LRAC TeraGrid allocations? For eligibility requirements, see Who is eligible to apply for a TeraGrid allocation?

Requesting a TeraGrid allocation requires several steps, which vary depending on whether you need more or fewer than 30,000 CPU hours and/or 4.9TB of storage space. If you are unsure, begin with the steps presented here and request 30,000 CPU hours if you need computing time, and 4TB if you need storage. If you need a larger allocation, the steps below will provide a rough guide to the process; for further details, see About applying for a large TeraGrid allocation (more than 30,000 CPU hours or 5TB of data storage). For more information about the application process, see the user support documentation for Allocations and Accounts on the TeraGrid web site.

Before you start, have available a current copy of your curriculum vitae (CV) in either Microsoft Word (.doc), HTML, PDF, or PostScript format. The directions below are designed to be straightforward and meet the needs of the vast majority of users; thus they suggest choosing options appropriate for first-time TeraGrid users.

1. Visit the Partnership Online Proposal System.

   Note: The link above will open a new window, so you can go back and forth between the form and these instructions. You can save and come back later to finish; when you go from one page to the next, information is saved automatically.

2. On the menu on the left, under "Manage Login", click Create POPS login.
   
   
3. In the window that appears, complete the fields to create your account. When you are done, click Create POPS login.
   
   
4. Back at the "Partnership Online Proposal System" web page, on the menu on the left, click Use POPS login and log in using the account you created in the previous step. The "Proposal Submission Home" page will appear; click New.
   
   
5. On the "Total Number of Service Units for Your New Proposal" page, click the radio button for 0 - 30,000. Then click Continue.
   
   
6. In the next window, click DAC-TG (Development Allocation Committee for TeraGrid) .
   
   
7. Complete the principal investigator (PI) information. Only fields marked with an asterisk are required.

   Note: If you are a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow or Honorable Mention, enter your information on the PI screen, and check the Check If NSF Fellow checkbox.

8. Click Next -> Co-PI Information. If you would like to add a co-PI, enter the required information. You must select a country. To add more than one co-PI, click Add CO-PI. When you're finished, or if you have no co-PIs to add, click Next -> Proposal Information.
   
   
9. Complete the "Proposal Information" page as follows:
   
   
   • Enter a title (limit 255 characters).
   • For "Primary Field Of Science", click Select Field of Science to display available fields. Scroll to find the field of science that best describes your work, and then click the field to select it. Then click Select.
   • For "Secondary Field Of Science", click Select Field of Science to display available fields. Scroll to find the field of science that best describes your work, and then click the field to select it. Then click Select.
   • For "Keywords", enter a comma-separated list of keywords for your proposal.
   • For "Abstract", enter an abstract for your proposal. Only ASCII text is allowed; non-ASCII characters may be removed.
   
   
10. Click Next -> Supporting Grants. If you have no supporting grants, click the checkbox next to No Supporting Grants. If you have a supporting grant, fill out all the required fields on the form.

    Note: If you're an NSF Fellow or Honorable Mention, enter relevant information about your fellowship, or upload a PDF attachment confirming your Fellowship or Honorable Mention status.

    When you're finished:

    • To add another grant, click Add Grant.
    • To continue, click Next -> Resource Request.
    
    
11. Complete the "Resource Request" page as follows:
    
    
    • For the number of service units (SUs), enter 30000 . (An SU is equivalent to 1 CPU-hour on an Itanium 1 processor.)
    • For the number of processors you expect to use, select 33 - 64 processors.
    • Choose the programming language(s) you'll use.
    • For "Do You Plan To Execute Cross-site Applications?", select No.
    • For "Do You Plan To Execute Pipelined, Multi-site Applications?", select No.
    • Under "Comments", enter all application packages you require, and any additional programming languages you use (limit 255 characters).
    • To request disk space on the TeraGrid's Global Parallel File System-Wide Area Network (GPFS-WAN), fill out the form under "GPFS-WAN Disk Space".

    When you're finished, click Next -> Proposal/Attachments.

12. Upload your CV using the Browse button next to "PI CV document". The upload process should be straightforward; next to "Extension", you'll have to indicate the format of your CV, which for many people will be a Microsoft Word .doc file.
    
    
13. In the menu on the left, click Save To Date.
    
    
14. Click Final Submission. The submission status on the menu on the left should change to "Submitted".

    Note: A window should appear with all your information; If it does not, click Submission Summary to view your information.

15. You should receive a packet of information via US postal mail within three weeks. (Often the process is faster than that.) For information about logging into the TeraGrid after your packet arrives, see What is the TeraGrid, and how can I get started using it?

This document was developed with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. 0503697 to the University of Chicago and subcontracted to Indiana University. Additional support was provided by IU through its participation in the TeraGrid, which is supported by the NSF under Grants No. 0833618, SCI451237, SCI535258, and SCI504075. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

Also see:

• What is TeraGrid Roaming?
• What is a service unit (SU)?
• What are my responsibilities as a TeraGrid user?