National Science Foundation Office of Integrative Activities (OIA) Programs

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National Science FoundationOffice of Integrative
Activities (OIA) Programs Activities
Dr. Joan M. Frye Senior Staff Associate Jfrye_at_nsf.
gov 703-292-8040 www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?orgOIA
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• "The Office of Integrative Activities has a key
  role in working across organizational boundaries
  as well as providing policy support to the
  Director's Office. Developing effective ways to
  transcend traditional boundaries, and bring very
  different scientific cultures together for the
  benefit of science and society, without
  compromising excellence, is a critically
  important challenge for the Foundation."
• - NSF Director Arden Bement (December, 2007)

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OIA Programs

• Science and Technology Centers Integrative
  Partnerships (STC)
• Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)
• Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive
  Research (EPSCoR)
• Cyber-Enabled Discovery Innovation (CDI)

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STC Vision

• The STC Program supports innovation in the
  integrative conduct of research, education and
  knowledge transfer through partnerships.
• Dr. Joan M. Frye
• www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id5541org
  OIA

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STC History

• First Competition - 1987
• Currently - 17 STCs operational
• NSB approved STC Program for competitions every
  2-3 years
• 2008/2009 competition for 25M currently underway

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STC Objectives

• Support research education of the highest
  quality
• Exploit opportunities in science, engineering
  technology where the complexity of the research
  agenda requires the advantages of scope, scale,
  flexibility, duration, equipment facilities
  that a Center can provide
• Support innovative frontier investigations at the
  interfaces of disciplines, and/or investigations
  that will lead to fresh approaches within
  disciplines
• Engage the Nation's intellectual talent,
  including underrepresented groups, in the conduct
  of research education activities

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STC Objectives

• Promote organizational connections linkages
  within between campuses, schools and/or the
  world beyond, capitalizing upon
  cyberinfra-structure to facilitate linkages
• Focus on integrative learning discovery and the
  preparation of U.S. students for a broad set of
  career paths and
• Foster science engineering in service to
  society especially with respect to new research
  areas, promising new instrumentation potential
  new technologies.

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STC Evaluation Criteria

• NSB-approved merit review criteria
• Intellectual merit of the proposal activity
• Broader impacts of the proposed activities,
  including
• Integration of Research and Education
• Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs,
  Projects, and Activities
• Program-specific criteria
• Value-added of funding the activity as a Center
• Proposed Leadership and Management Plan
• Integrative nature of the Proposed Center

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STC

• Profiles in Team Science http/depts.washington.e
  du/teamsci/welcome.html

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Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)
Randy Phelps, Ph.D.Staff Associate703-292-8040r
phelps_at_nsf.gov
www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id5260org
OIA
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MRI Purpose

• Increase access to scientific and engineering
  equipment for research and research training in
  U.S. academic institutions.
• Improve the quality and expand the scope of
  research and research training in science and
  engineering, and to foster the integration of
  research and education by providing
  instrumentation for research-intensive learning
  environments.
• Encourage the development and acquisition of
  research instrumentation for shared use across
  academic departments, among research
  institutions, and in concert with private sector
  partners.

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MRI Overview

• Instrumentation Acquisition or Development
• Two proposals for acquisition or development a
  third for development. Award size--100,000 to 4
  Million
• exceptions for non-Ph.D. granting institutions or
  for mathematical and social, behavioral and
  economic sciences
• Cost sharing--None required for non-Ph.D.
  granting institutions otherwise 30
• Deadline for proposal submission 4th Thursday
  in January

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MRI Eligible Institutions

• Ph.D. granting institutions
• academic institutions that have produced more
  than 20 Ph.D.s or D. Sci.s in all NSF supported
  disciplines during the previous two academic
  years
• Non-Ph.D. granting institutions
• two and four year colleges and universities that
  have produced fewer than 20 Ph.D.s or D.Sci.s in
  all NSF supported disciplines during the previous
  two academic years
• Non-degree granting institutions
• independent non-profit research institutions,
  research museums, and legally incorporated
  consortia of eligible institutions

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MRI Evaluation Criteria

• NSB Approved Merit Review Criteria
• Intellectual merit of the proposed activity
• Broader impacts of the proposed activity,
  including
• integration of research and education
• integrating diversity into the proposed
  activities
• Program-specific criteria
• Plans for using the new or enhanced research
  capability in teaching, training or learning.

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MRI Evaluation Criteria

• Acquisition reviewers will evaluate whether the
  management plan
• includes sufficient infrastructure and technical
  expertise to allow effective usage of the
  instrument
• provides institutional commitments for operations
  and maintenance.
• Development reviewers will evaluate
• whether the management plan has a realistic
  schedule and mechanisms to deal with potential
  risks
• the availability of appropriate technical
  expertise to design and construct the instrument
• the cost of the new technology
• the rationale for development of a new
  instrument.

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• MRI
• 2008 Award Snapshot - Overall

Number Reviewed 810
Dollars Requested 515.8 million
Number of Awards 224 (39 DEV, 185 ACQ)
MRI Amount Awarded 93.2 million
NSF Amount Awarded 101.0 million
Overall Success Rate 27.7
Mean Award 451,000
Median Award 330,000
Number of Institutions that Participated 449
Number of Institutions Awarded 184
Data omit 1 MRI award that was made but not using
MRI funds
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MRI

• 2008 Award Snapshot by Institution Type

Ph.D. non-Ph.D. Non-degree MSI
reviewed 472 304 34 74
Mean request 765 K 430 K 704 K 555 K
Median request 568 K 323 K 559 K 397 K
awards 129 84 11 24
NSF awarded 73.7 M 22.4 M 4.8 M 9.8 M
MRI awarded 67.8 M 21.2 M 3.9 M 9.3 M
Success rate 27.3 27.6 32.4 32.0
Mean award 571 K 267 K 440 K 407 K
Median award 465 K 211 K 474 K 309 K
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MRI

• 2008 Award Snapshot - EPSCoR

Number of Proposals Reviewed 181
Dollars Requested 116.5 M
Number of EPSCoR-eligible Awards 50
Amount Awarded to EPSCoR-eligible Awards 20.2 M
EPSCoR Amount Awarded to MRI Awards 2.0 M
EPSCoR-eligible Success Rate 27.6
Eligible proposals co-funded by EPSCoR 17
Mean award 404,000
Median award 295,000
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MRI

• 1998-2008 Award Snapshot1

1includes only awards submitted directly to MRI
program includes MRI funds and contributions
from Directorates and Offices
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Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI)

• Thomas Russell, Ph.D.
• Senior Staff Associate
• http//www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/cdi
• Themes
• From Data to Knowledge
• Understanding Complexity in Natural, Built and
  Social Systems
• Building Virtual Organizations

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CDI

• Features
• Multidisciplinary, transformative research not
  business as usual
• Innovation in, or innovative use of,
  computational thinking
• Five-year initiative 48M in FY08 requested
  100M in FY09 projected 250M in FY12

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Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive
Research
Denise Barnes, Ph.D. Program Director dbarnes_at_nsf.
gov
http//www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/epscor/about.js
p
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EPSCoRs Origins

• Have historically received little federal
  research and development funding and
• Have demonstrated a commitment to develop their
  research bases and improve science and
  engineering research and education programs at
  their universities and colleges.

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EPSCoR Objectives

• To catalyze key research themes and related
  activities within EPSCoR jurisdictions that
  empower knowledge generation, dissemination, and
  application.
• To activate effective jurisdictional and regional
  collaborations among academic, government, and
  private sector stakeholders that advance
  scientific research, promote innovation, and
  provide multiple societal benefits.

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EPSCoRs Objectives

• To broaden participation in science engineering
  by institutions, organizations, and people within
  EPSCoR jurisdictions.
• To use EPSCoR for development, implementation,
  and evaluation of future programmatic experiments
  that motivate positive change and progression.

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NSF EPSCoR Cohorts
FY 1980
FY 2000
Arkansas Maine Montana South Carolina West
Virginia
Alaska
FY 2001
Hawaii New Mexico
FY 1985
FY 2002
Alabama Kentucky Nevada North Dakota Oklahoma Puer
to Rico Vermont Wyoming
U.S. Virgin Islands
FY 2003
Delaware
FY 2004
New Hampshire Rhode Island Tennessee
FY 1987
Idaho Louisiana Mississippi South Dakota
FY 1992
Kansas Nebraska
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Investment Strategies

• Research Infrastructure Improvement Awards
• Track-1 Up to 5 years and 20M to
  jurisdictions to improve physical and human
  infrastructure critical to RD competitiveness
  in priority research areas.
• Track-2 Up to 3 years and 6M to consortia
• of jurisdictions to support innovation-
• enabling cyberinfrastructure of regional,
• thematic, or technological importance.

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Investment Strategies

• Co-funding Joint support of proposals submitted
  by EPSCoR researchers to NSFs regular grant
  programs
• Outreach/Workshops - Support of outreach visits
  by NSF program and professional staff and the
  conduct of workshops to acquaint EPSCoR
  researchers with NSF programs, priorities and
  policies

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EPSCoR States Percentage of NSF Research Support
Funding
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OIA Activities

• American Association for the Advancement of
  Science (AAAS) Fellows
• Providing opportunities for learning, input
  on issues relating to NSF's mission to support
  fundamental science engineering research
  education.

Summer Scholars Internship Program Developing
undergraduate graduate student potential
through exposure to science engineering policy,
issues programs www.nsf.gov/od/oia/activities/
interns/about_ext_only.jsp
Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and
Engineering (CEOSE) Encouraging full
participation of women, underrepresented
minorities, persons with disabilities in
scientific, engineering, professional fields
www.nsf.gov/od/oia/activities/ceose/
Committee of Visitors (COV) Advising the
Foundation to ensure improvement of NSF
performance, openness to the research
education community www.nsf.gov/od/oia/activitie
s/cov/
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OIA Activities

• National Medal of Science
• For individuals "deserving of special recognition
  by reason of their outstanding contributions to
  knowledge in the physical, biological,
  mathematical, or engineering sciences.
• www.nsf.gov/od/nms/medal.jsp

• Waterman Award
• Recognizing outstanding young researchers in
  any field of science or engineering supported by
  the NSF. www.nsf.gov/od/waterman/waterman.jsp

Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists
and Engineers (PECASE) Providing the highest
honor bestowed by the United States Government
for early career scientists and engineers
www.nsf.gov/od/oia/activities/pecase/