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NSF funding: a view from the “inside” Richard McCourt EHR/DGE National Science Foundation [email protected] Where to Submit @ NSF Discipline-based Directorates: Biological Sciences (BIO) Computer & Information Sciences & Engineering (CISE) Engineering (ENG) Geosciences (GEO) Mathematical & Physical Sciences (MPS) Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences (SBE) Education & Human Resources Divisions within each Directorate Sections/Clusters Programs within Sections Program Directors (permanent & IPAs) EHR’s Organizational Structure Office of the Assistant Director Division of Graduate Education (DGE) Division of Human Resource Development (HRD) Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) 5 The EHR Enterprise at NSF: Program Overview Investments across STEM fields to support education achievement and workforce development: Education Research, Development, Evaluation Teacher Development, Capacity Building and Partnerships in K-12 Education Broadening Participation; Support for Minority Serving Institutions STEM Career Pathways: Undergraduate Education Public Engagement with Science Innovation in Graduate Education 6 Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide Applying for grants and Managing Awards http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf09_1/index.jsp?or g=NSF Preparing the Proposal: Start Early (3-6 months before deadline)! Review NSF Award Abstracts (Fastlane) Talk to your NSF Program Director Talk to your colleagues; have experienced colleagues review a draft and comment Recruit and describe university infrastructure support for your proposed project Address the merit review criteria Compliance checks (PAPP) Program directors: available to you for advice and appointments (conference booths, visits to NSF) Program directors are your contacts for becoming a reviewer and panelist Do your homework before you meet with or call program officers, prepare specific questions Program directors can help you find out about other programs and make contacts across the Foundation Working with your Program Director • Funding decisions are based on many factors, but not on personal relationships with program directors • Program Officers should be treated as you would a respected colleague • They are busy: contact them only when necessary (check the agency web site first) and in a way that allows for an efficient reply (email is preferred) • Do not contact them when you are upset (following a declination) Review Process Overview Two distinct audiences – technical and general You Program Director $ or $ reviewer reviewer reviewer reviewer reviewer reviewer reviewer Panel Program Director Who Gets Funded (Ideal World) Typically funded “Gray” Zone “Almost Always Funded” Almost Never funded Give careful consideration Two NSF Merit Review Criteria Integration of Research and Education Integration of Diversity into projects and activities Additional program-specific Review Criteria (listed in the program announcement) Institutional data—know thyself and tell the reader. Merit Review Criteria and the “New” Broader Impacts Intellectual Merit: The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge And Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes. For Both Criteria: Potential to advance knowledge and benefit society Explore cretive original or potentially transformative concepts Well-reasoned, organized plan to carry out and assess Qualifications of personnel Adequate resources Commandments for Writing Competitive NSF Proposals “Thou shalt propose a brilliant idea.” “Thou shalt read the PAPP, or at least the good parts.” “Thou shalt get help with proposal writing.” “Thou shalt spell chek.” “Thou shalt write for the right audience.” “Thou shalt not irritate the reviewers.” “Thou shalt not kill (with some exceptions) too many trees.” "Thou shalt not steal the work of others." The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program GRFP Overview Initiated 1952 46,500 Fellows to date 30 Nobel Laureates & 440 National Academy of Sciences members 4,600 Active Fellows in 200 institutions Higher Ph.D. completion rates Enhanced diversity GRFP Key Elements Five Year Award – $126,000 (+) Three years of support $30,000 Stipend per year $12,000 Educational allowance to institution International research opportunities – expanded Supercomputer access (XSEDE) GRFP Unique Features Flexible: choice of project, advisor & program Unrestrictive: No service requirement Portable: Any accredited institution MS PhD 2010-2012: 2,000 Fellowships 12,000 Applications - ~17% success rate NSF-Supported Disciplines Chemistry Computer & Information Science/Engineering Engineering Geosciences Life Sciences Mathematical Sciences Physics and Astronomy Psychology Social Sciences RUI Research at Undergraduate Institutions •Baccalaureate degrees in NSF-supported fields •2-4 year institutions •No more than 10 Ph.D.s per year •Funded by individual Divisions RUI Research at Undergraduate Institutions •Additional Requirement: RUI Impact Statement on effects of research on educational environment of institution •5 page maximum •Institution certifies RUI status ROA Research Opportunity Awards •Faculty from RUIs do research as visiting scientists •Supplement existing NSF-supported research •Request comes from host institution CAREER Faculty Early Career Development •NSF-Wide •Junior faculty (untenured) •Integrated Research and Teaching •$400-500K over 5 years •PECASE – Agency nominated, White House OSTP selects CAREER Faculty Early Career Development •NSF-Wide •Junior faculty (untenured) •Integrated Research and Teaching •$400-500K over 5 years •PECASE – Agency nominated, White House OSTP selects REU Research Experiences for Undergraduates •Cross-cutting, all fields supported by NSF, including interdisciplinary •Sites – cohorts at a field station, lab, site (full proposals) •Supplements – for existing awards (short proposals) •Research, pipeline to attract and retain STEM students REU Research Experiences for Undergraduates •Possible partners •Department of Defense •Department of Energy (Geothermal and renewable energy) •International •Ethics •Research Experiences for Teachers •Evaluative Research MRI Major Research Instrumentation •Development or acquisition of shared instruments •Not startup funding for one investigator •<$100,000 for non-Ph.D. granting institutions (plus all math, social and behavioral sciences) •$100,000-$4 M for all institutions •30% cost share for Ph.D.-granting MRI Major Research Instrumentation •SEMs and TEMs •Confocal Microscopes, Fluorescence Stereomicroscope* •Radar Observatory •Real-time PCR* •Time-of-flight Gas Chromatograph •Laser Ablation System for Coupled Mass Spectroscopy* •NMR •Elemental Analyzers* *<$100,000 TUES Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM •Creating Learning Materials and Strategies •Implementing New Instructional Strategies •Developing Faculty Expertise •Assessing and Evaluating Student Achievement •Conducting Research on Undergraduate STEM Education RAPID Rapid Response Research •Severe urgency, disaster response or unexpected events •Brief (2-5 pages) •Internal review •Up to $200K, 1 year Recent RAPIDs •Fire severity and ecosystems in Minnesota (Ecosystem Studies) •Change in phytoplankton community structure of Lake Erie in low ice year (Biological Oceanography) •Hurricane Irene Storm Surge Sedimentation (Deep Earth Processes) •Digital catalog of linguist notes on endangered Itelman language (Arctic) •Social networks in Moroccan elections (Political Science) EAGER EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research •Early stages, potentially transformative •New approaches, combinations of disciplines, perspectives •High Risk/High Reward •Brief (5-8 pages) •Up to $300K, 2 years Recent EAGERs Marine biopolymers as tracers of biogeochemical processes (Biological Oceanography) Ecogenomics and metabolomics and the evolution of pathogenecity (Ecology of Infectious Diseases) Silicon Graphane Analogues (Solid State & Materials Chemistry) Programming the Crowd (Software & Hardware Foundation)