The National Computational Merit Allocation Scheme 2023 Call for Applications (NCMAS2023) is now open.
NCMAS is the premier allocation scheme for meritorious access to Australian national supercomputing facilities. The 2023 round will provide more than 700 million service units of computing time across NCI's two Tier-1 supercomputing facilities: NCI Australia’s Gadi and the Pawsey Research Supercomputing Centre’s Setonix.
The primary portal for applications and all the information related to the scheme – including information about how to apply, eligibility, important dates, changes to the application process from last year and frequently asked questions – is ncmas.nci.org.au.
This year, NCMAS is continuing to require anonymised application documents, as in NCMAS2021 and NCMAS2022. Guidance and examples are available in the Information for Applicants and the Anonymisation Guide at ncmas.nci.org.au.
The anonymisation process came out of NCMAS's participation in the National Trial of Anonymising Grant Proposals from the Office of the Women in STEM Ambassador. This Trial aims to assess whether the anonymised review of allocation proposals reduces unconscious bias in STEM grant programs. Analysis of data from the previous two years of the study is ongoing, and results will be shared with applicants as soon as they are available.
NCMAS2023 will feature allocations on the Gadi supercomputer at NCI, and the Setonix supercomputer at Pawsey. Requests for Setonix will come in separate CPU and GPU sections.
Important Dates:
19 September – Applications Close 7:00pm (AEST)
30 November, 1-2 December – Allocation Committee meeting
12 December – Announcement of outcomes
Supporting Documentation
Before starting your application, we strongly recommend reading the following document in full:
- NCMAS 2023 Information for Applicants (PDF) - General information, rules, guidelines, how to apply.
- Anonymisation Guide (PDF) - Information, examples and common errors when anonymising your application.
- ORCID User Guide (PDF) - Details on how to update your publication list.
On-line Information Course
A free, self-paced course provides an overview of NCMAS and its merit-based allocation process, and information about the changes in the 2023 call.
It contains detailed information about anonymisation best practices and recommendations for all applicants on how to demonstrate efficient code scaling: https://learning.hpc-australia.org.au/courses/ncmas-2023
Completion of the online information course is strongly encouraged for all NCMAS applicants, new and returning.
Zoom Information Sessions
The Secretariat is running information sessions every Tuesday at 2pm (AEST) until the end of the application period.
These provide information on various aspects of eligibility, anonymisation, how to apply and recommendations for applicants.
View the upcoming sessions at https://nci.org.au/news-events/events?event_status=1&search=ncmas.
Registration via: https://bit.ly/NCMAS2023Info
Getting Assistance
You can request help with the application process by sending an email to ncmas@nci.org.au.
