ACCESS Project types
Citation
ACCESS (Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services and Support), U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). “Project Types.” ACCESS Allocations web page, publication date unknown. https://allocations.access-ci.org/project-types. Read 2026-10-15.
Bottom line
- ACCESS has four project types: Explore, Discover, Accelerate and Maximize. The proposal length and the review grow with the size of the request.
- The three smaller types accept requests at any time. Maximize accepts them “Every 6 months” and uses “Panel merit review”.
Background
The page compares the four ACCESS project types in one table. It links to the ACCESS Credit Exchange and Calculator.
Key claims
Uses (section “Which project type is right for you?”):
- Explore: “Great for resource evaluation, graduate student projects, small classes and training events, benchmarking, code development and porting, and similar small-scale uses.”
- Discover: “Designed for research grants with modest resource needs, Campus Champions, large classes and training events, graduate student projects, benchmarking and code testing at scale, and gateway development.”
- Accelerate: “Best for experienced users with mid-scale resource needs, consolidating multi-grant programs, collaborative projects, preparing for Maximize ACCESS requests, and gateways with growing communities.”
- Maximize: “The choice for large-scale research activities that need more resources than the limit for Accelerate ACCESS projects.”
| Project type | ACCESS Credit limit | Project duration | Requests accepted | Multiple requests | Requirements | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explore | 400,000 | “Supporting grant duration or 12 months, whichever period is greater” | Anytime | “Multiple requests allowed” | Overview | “Confirmation of eligibility and suitability of requested resources” |
| Discover | 1,500,000 | same as Explore | Anytime | “Multiple requests allowed” | “1-page proposal” | “Confirmation of eligibility and suitability of requested resources” |
| Accelerate | 3,000,000 | same as Explore | Anytime | “Multiple requests allowed” | “3-page proposal (max. length)” | “Panel merit review” |
| Maximize | “Awarded in resource units” | “12 months” | “Every 6 months” | “1 allowed (some exceptions)” | “10-page proposal (max. length)” | “Panel merit review” |
The “Requests accepted” and “Multiple requests” rows share one row heading in the original. The same is true for “Requirements” and “Review”.
Upgrade path: “If you’re not sure, you can always start with an Explore project and upgrade as you learn more about your resource needs.” (top section)
Evidence and method
This is a program rules page. It gives limits, not usage data.
Limits
- The page does not say what one ACCESS Credit buys. The exchange rate differs for each resource.
- The ACCESS Allocations policy gives a different Accelerate length.
⚠️ Contradiction: this page says Accelerate needs a “3-page proposal (max. length)”. The ACCESS Allocations policy says “a 3-5 page project description”. Both are ACCESS pages.