NSF funding:

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NSF funding a view from the inside
Richard McCourt EHR/DGE National Science
Foundation rmccourt_at_nsf.gov
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Where to Submit _at_ 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)

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EHRs Organizational Structure
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The EHR Enterprise at NSFProgram 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

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Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide
Applying for grants and Managing Awards
http//www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf09
_1/index.jsp?orgNSF
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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)

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• 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

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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)

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Review Process Overview
Two distinct audiences technical and general
You
reviewer reviewer reviewer reviewer reviewer revie
wer reviewer
Program Director
Panel
Program Director
or
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Who Gets Funded (Ideal World)
Typically funded
Gray Zone
Number of proposals
Almost Always Funded
Almost Never funded
Poor
Good
Fair
Outstanding
Excellent
Very Good
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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 dataknow thyself and tell the
  reader.

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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.

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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

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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."

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The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
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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

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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)

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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

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NSF-Supported Disciplines

• Chemistry
• Computer Information
• Science/Engineering
• Engineering
• Geosciences
• Life Sciences
• Mathematical Sciences
• Physics and Astronomy
• Psychology
• Social Sciences

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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

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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

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ROA Research Opportunity Awards

• Faculty from RUIs do research as visiting
  scientists
• Supplement existing NSF-supported research
• Request comes from host institution

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CAREERFaculty Early Career Development

• NSF-Wide
• Junior faculty (untenured)
• Integrated Research and Teaching
• 400-500K over 5 years
• PECASE Agency nominated, White House OSTP
  selects

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CAREERFaculty Early Career Development

• NSF-Wide
• Junior faculty (untenured)
• Integrated Research and Teaching
• 400-500K over 5 years
• PECASE Agency nominated, White House OSTP
  selects

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REUResearch 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

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REUResearch Experiences for Undergraduates

• Possible partners
• Department of Defense
• Department of Energy (Geothermal and renewable
  energy)
• International
• Ethics
• Research Experiences for Teachers
• Evaluative Research

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MRIMajor Research Instrumentation

• Development or acquisition of shared instruments
• Not startup funding for one investigator
• lt100,000 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

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MRIMajor 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
• lt100,000

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TUESTransforming 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

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RAPIDRapid Response Research

• Severe urgency, disaster response or unexpected
  events
• Brief (2-5 pages)
• Internal review
• Up to 200K, 1 year

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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)

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EAGEREArly-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

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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)