EAGER: RDSV: Enhancing Visioning Impacts on Computing Research

Visioning is used by the research communities to identify and shape high-impact research directions, opportunities, and initiatives. This project brings together scientific and technical thought leaders and experienced research program managers to examine and discuss effective strategic planning and visioning in long-range research. A mix of invited talks, panel conversations, and breakout discussions will be used to explore these questions. A workshop summary report will be prepared to capture key points and make them available widely in the computing research community. An online event will be used to present workshop results and discuss them with the audience. This project explores research visioning, i.e., processes for identifying and shaping future high-impact research directions, opportunities, and initiatives. The workshop addresses such topics as which types of activities are best suited to achieve particular goals, effective charters for visioning participants, how to select appropriate participants, balancing feasibility with high-risk, high-reward initiatives, and evaluating the success of visioning activities. Outcomes include documenting a range of visioning activities, identifying factors leading to successful and impactful visioning efforts, capturing best practices for different types of visioning activities, suggesting potential new visioning models, identifying further work that could help advance community visioning efforts, and identifying which approaches and processes best address technology and societal factors that affect the realization of a vision. Workshop sessions are in the form of invited talks, panel conversations, and breakout discussions. Session topics cover high level assessment and analysis of different visioning mechanisms as well as deep diving into specific programs and outcomes. The virtual report launch event includes a presentation of the workshop summary by planning committee members and discussion with the audience. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.