Understanding National Science Foundation (NSF) Funding Opportunities

1. Understanding National Science Foundation (NSF) Funding Opportunities Susan Winter University of Maryland sjwinter@umd.edu

2. NSF: A Federal Agency “…promote the progress of science… advance the national health, prosperity and welfare… secure the national defense…” National Science Foundation Act of 1950 All fields of science/engineering Discipline & cross-discipline NOT Medical (NIH) Classified Sources Ideas Science Community Executive Priorities

3. President’s Science & Technology Priorities for FY2015 Budget • Promote Economic Growth/Job Creation • Improve Health of All Americans • Move toward Clean Energy • Address Global Climate Change • Manage Environmental Resources • Ensure National Security

4. NSF Facilitates Fund Extramural Research Build Research Workforce Capability Grad and UG, Junior Faculty Workforce Diversity Engage Academic Community Workshops Outreach to General Public Increase International Partnerships Cannot Do Research!

5. NSF Impact • Annual Budget of over $7.0 Billion • Funding Source for Research by US universities • 20% of all federally supported basic research • 80% of basic computer science research (NSF at a Glance – NSF Home page – FY 2010)

6. NSF Structure Office of Internat’l & Integrated Activities Director Deputy Director National Science Board Social, Behav & Econ Sciences Comp & Info Sci & Eng Educ & Human Resources Engineering Math & Physical Sciences Geo- Sciences Bio Sciences

7. NSF Process • Merit Review for Award Selection • Process • Criteria • Select about 10,000 New Awards Annually • About 45,000 Proposals Submitted • Credit: Garie Fordyce, National Science Foundation

8. NSF Proposal & Award Process & Timeline Returned As Inappropriate/Withdrawn NSF Announces Opportunity GPG P.A. P.S Min. 3 Revs. Req. Award Via DGA N S F Org. submits via: FastLane Prog, Off. Analysis. & Recom. Mail NSF Prog. Off. DD Concur Panel Both Organization Research & Education Communities Decline Proposal Receipt at NSF DD Concur Award 90 Days 6 Months 30Days Proposal Receipt to Division Director Concurrence of Program Officer Recommendation DGA Review & Processing of Award Proposal Preparation Time

9. Types of Review • ‘Mail’ Reviewers plus Panel Review • Panel Review (Standing vs. Ad-Hoc) • Internal Review Only • Sources of Reviewers: • Program Officer’s knowledge • References in proposal • Web of science; SSRN; Google Scholar, etc. • Reviewer recommendations • Investigator’s suggestions • Volunteers

10. Things to Know About Panels Proposal Pressure Dozens of Proposals 1 ½ Days for Discussion 10% to 20% Funded Write for: • Scholar Serving as Lead • Will Present Positive and Negative Aspects • Another Scholar Serves as Scribe • Captures Panel Deliberations • Full Panel Who Will Rank All the Proposals • PO Who will Consider Panel Discussion and Ranking in Making Funding Recommendation

11. NSF Merit Review Criteria Intellectual Merit • Advancing Knowledge in Some Field of Study • Describe How the Project is Specifically Advancing Science by Developing/Testing Novel Theories, Algorithms, Methodology, Instrumentation, Analytic, Visualization, … Techniques Broader impacts • Benefiting Society – Be specific about Activities! • Diversity: Involve, Train, and Mentor Undergrads, Women & Minorities • Training • Dissemination/Public Awareness/Education and Outreach • Infrastructure

12. Merit Review Elements • Potential to Advance Knowledge or to Benefit Society • Creativity and Originality (“Potentially Transformative”) • Sound Plan for Achieving Goals (Including Evaluation of Outcomes) • Qualifications of the Proposers • Sufficient Access to Resources

13. Proposal Opportunities • Solicited • Core Programs • Special Solicitations • May Cross NSF Boundaries • Unsolicited • “Dear Colleague” Letters • EAGER • RAPID • Supplements • Workshops

14. Proposal Rules: Grant Proposal Guide • Well-Known • Submission: Electronic (Fastlane/grants.gov), SRO Role • Page Limits, Font Size, Margins, etc. • Components: Bio-Sketch, Current & Pending, Data Management Plan, Post-Doc Mentoring Plan, COI Lists… • Lesser Known • Letters: Support vs. Commitment • Cost-Sharing Not Allowed • List of Potential Reviewers (or Non-Reviewers) • IRB Exempt or Approved • Solicitation/Program Specific (Read Carefully!) • Limits: Proposals per PI or per Institution • Requirements for Partnerships • Multiple Disciplines, Industry, International • Management Plans

15. Post-Award • Annual Reports • Due After 9 Months • Overdue After 12 Months • Block Any Award Actions for You and For Co-PIs • Update PO • Organize Events to Showcase Research to Academic Audiences • Submit “Public Interest” Science Highlights to NSF • Acknowledge Awards in Publications and Presentations • Start Working on Future Submissions • Award Activity and Perf. Eval. (Tenure and Promotion)

16. Some Tips in Seeking Funding: The Homework • Deductive, Top-down Strategy • www.nsf.gov Funding Opportunities • Find Funding Opportunities • How to Prepare Your Proposal • Read the Program or Solicitation Description • Content vs. Boilerplate • Inductive, Bottom-up Strategy • Search NSF awards for abstracts • Offer to review proposals

17. Some tips in seeking funding • Discuss your idea with an NSF PO/PD/PM • 1-2 pg written synopsis • Need, Work Being Built Upon, Work to be Done, 5-10 Major References • Get copies of previously funded proposals • Directly from the PI • From NSF (FOI: takes much longer)

18. Institutional Constraints Your Program Officer is Your Best Friend. • Like a Journal Editor, but Different • POs are Expatriate Scholars • Rotators and Permanent • Dual Institutional Logics • Want to Fund High Quality Research (Academic) that • Addresses Program Objectives (Bureaucratic Politics) • Funding • Rates Vary by Program (Usually 10-30%) • Don’t Like Rejecting Quality Proposals • Don’t Like Funding Dodgy Proposals • Must Spend Out Budget to the Penny Each Year

19. POs Help Manage Flow of Proposals Pre-submission, your PO stands ready to: • Translate the RFP into English • Critique your Conceptual 2-pager • Offer Developmental Comments • Give Candid Advice – Encouragement or Redirection • Meet with You in D.C., or at Conferences • Suggest Framing

20. POs Want you to Succeed Post-award, treat your PO like a valued colleague: • Communicate Often, Not Just in Annual Reports • Ask your PO’s Advice • Provide Updates on Progress and Changes • Invite your PO to Conference Presentations Based on NSF Awards • Ask your PO, What Could I Do That Would Make you a Hero?

21. Proposal Content • Use Language from RFP Criteria as Appropriate • Underscore PI Team Prior Collaboration • Demonstrates Higher Potential of Success • Dispel Suspicion of Shotgun-Marriage of Convenience • Leverage/Extend Prior Funded Research • Specifically Describe how the Proposed Research Adds Value Above and Beyond Previous Research • Clear Roles and Expectations for Personnel • Stay within Specified Funding Limit • Budget Justification Aligned with Work Plan and Timeline

22. What’s in the Proposal? • Write it Long, Then Tighten It Up • Write a Detailed Outline First • Headings/Subheadings; More Structure is Better • Tables & Figures for Complex Information • Must be Self-Explanatory; Reference Them; Use for both Theory & Method • Questions you MUST Directly Address: • What important problem (scientific, societal) will you work on? • How is your team uniquely qualified to work on it? • Exactly what “new” work will you do? • Include a Gantt Chart; Who Does What, When, Where

23. Who’s in the Proposal? • Match the Ideas & Scope of Work • Explain the Alignment in the Proposal • Choose Team Carefully • Assemble the Smallest Team with all of the Expertise & Resources You Need • Multi-Disciplinary/Multi-University vs. Single-Discipline/Single-University • Senior Collaborators: • Know How to Manage Funded Research Projects & Research Teams • Resources & Infrastructure • Can Be co-PIs or Consultants • Include Post-doc(s), Graduate Students, Undergraduates

24. What’s in the Budget? • Summer Salary (Up to 2 months) of Faculty • Salary (Full or Partial) for Post-Docs, Programmers, Support Staff • Stipend & Tuition for PhD Students • Travel to Collect Data/Disseminate Findings • Equipment and Supplies • Overhead

25. Some Tips in Seeking Funding • Find a Partner, Colleague, or Collaborator • Get Colleagues to “Pre-Review” your Proposal • Collaborate with Previously Successful PI Adding your Dimension to their Work • Create Partnership for Interdisciplinary Research • Colleague at a Predominantly Undergrad Institution: • Submit a RUI Proposal

26. Questions?

27. CISE Organization and Core Research Programs CISE Cross-Cutting Programs

28. Types of Opportunitiess • CHS supports research on • Creative ideas and novel theories for understanding: • Human-computer and human-human interactions, collaboration, and competition. • Role of computing in how humans communicate, work, learn, and play. • Systems that interact with people using various modalities. • Innovative technologies for: • Computer supported collaboration. • Human-Computer and human-robot interactions. • Social computing. • Affective computing. • Universal access. • Immersive environments. Cyber-Human Systems (CHS) Core Solicited Types of Individuals No External Review Large Centers iCorps

29. Applying to Core Programs • Program Solicitations: • CCF: NSF 13-579 • CNS: NSF 13-581 • IIS: NSF 13-580 • Project Types: • Large: $1,200,001 to $3,000,000; up to 5 years, collaborative teams • Medium: $500,001 to $1,200,000; up to 4 years, multi-investigator teams • Small: up to $500,000; up to 3 years, one or two investigator projects • CISE-wide Submission Windows: • Large: November 4–19, annually • Medium: September 24–October 15 (2013 only) • Small: January 2–17, annually • PI Limit: • Participate in no more than 2 “core” proposals/year Coordinated Solicitations

30. SBE Organization

31. Types of Opportunities Key Social, Behavioral and Economics Programs Unsolicited Solicited Types of Individuals No External Review Large Centers iCorps • Jan/Feb and Aug/Sept due dates annually • Science of Organizations • Decision, Risk & Management Science • Economics • Law and Social Science • Methodology, Measurement & Statistics • Social Psychology • Sociology • Science, Technology & Society • Geography and Spatial Sciences • Sept due date annually • Science of Science and Innovation Policy

32. Types of Opportunities Example Standing Opportunities in Other Directorates ENG • Service Enterprise Systems (SES) • Systems Science (SYS) • Infrastructure Management and Extreme Events (IMEE) Unsolicited Solicited Types of Individuals No External Review Large Centers iCorps

33. Types of Opportunities Promising Current Solicitations for Management Scholars Building Community and Capacity for Data-Intensive Research in the Social, Behavioral and Economic and in Education and Human Resources Catalyzing New International Collaborations (contact the country expert in OISE) Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Research Coordination Networks Science Across Virtual Institutes Unsolicited Solicited Types of Individuals No External Review Large Centers iCorps

34. Types of Opportunities • Cross-Directorate • Cyberlearning: Transforming Education (CTE) Designing and implementing technologies to aid and understand learning. • Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) Securing our Nation’s cyberspace from malicious behavior, while preserving privacy and promoting usability. • Cross-Agency • Smart and Connected Health (SCH) Transforming healthcare knowledge and delivery, and improving quality of life through IT. • Core Techniques and Technologies for Advancing Big Data Science & Engineering (BIG DATA) Developing tools to manage and analyze data in order to extract knowledge from data. • National Robotics Initiative (NRI) Developing and using robots that work alongside, or cooperatively with, people. Sample of CISE Cross-Cutting Programs Unsolicited Solicited Types of Individuals No External Review Large Centers iCorps

35. Types of Opportunities Grants for Particular Types of Individuals Graduate Research Fellowships Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants (in SBE) SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program CAREER Awards Unsolicited Solicited Types of Individuals No External Review Large Centers iCorps

36. Types of Opportunities Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program Unsolicited Solicited Types of Individuals No External Review Large Centers iCorps • The NSF’s most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through: • outstanding research, • excellent education, and • the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.

37. Types of Opportunities Grants with Only Internal Review RAPIDs: Grants for Rapid Response Research EAGERs: Early concept Grants for Exploratory Research INSPIREs: Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education Workshops, doctoral consortia REU Supplements Unsolicited Solicited Types of Individuals No External Review Large Centers iCorps

38. Types of Opportunities Large Center Opportunities Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships (STC) Industry & University Cooperative Research Program (I/UCRC) ADVANCE: Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers  (ADVANCE) Unsolicited Solicited Types of Individuals No External Review Large Centers iCorps

39. Types of Opportunities NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Supplements to current or recently expired NSF grants to catalyze commercialization of research products. Involves mentoring and funding to develop commercialization options The lead can be a student Building capacity and capability for the long run. Unsolicited Solicited Types of Individuals No External Review Large Centers iCorps

40. Finding information: http://www.nsf.gov

41. Funding opportunities Upcoming Due Dates

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43. CISE Updates and Announcements: http://www.cise.nsf.gov New information Get CISE Updates by Email Featured Programs Subscribe to receive special CISE announcements

44. Search awards from each program page

45. Award search results