M-17-08 Conference Report for FY 2018

This report is submitted as required by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-17-08, “Amending OMB Memorandum M-12-12, Promoting Efficient Spending to Support Agency Operations.” OMB M-17-08 requires all Federal agencies to report, by January 31st of each year, a description of all agency-sponsored conferences from the previous fiscal year where the net expenses for the agency associated with the conference were in excess of $100,000. 

This report is comprised of two sections: 

• Description of the Report 
• Fiscal Year 2018 Summary

Description of the Report 

In compliance with OMB Memorandum M-17-08, this report includes information on conferences that were held during the period October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018, regardless of approval date. Only conferences hosted or sponsored by NSF are included. Conferences hosted by NSF grant awardees for purposes related to award objectives are not subject to the approval and reporting requirements of M-17-08. 

Definition of Conference and Conference Expenses

For the purpose of this report, NSF used the definitions for “conference” and “conference expenses” provided by OMB M-17-08: 

• Conference: a meeting, retreat, seminar, symposium, or event that involves attendee travel. 
• Conference Expenses: all direct and indirect conference costs except for amounts paid under Federal grants to grantees and Federal employee time for conference preparation. Some examples of conference expenses are: travel and per diem, payments to merit review panelists and committee members, rental of rooms for official business, audiovisual use, light refreshments, registration fees, and ground transportation. Additionally, conference expenses are net of any fees or revenue received by the agency through the conference.

Types of Conferences at NSF

NSF sponsors and hosts a wide variety of conferences that fall into five major categories, described briefly below: 

• Subject Matter: Conferences held for purposes such as providing opportunities for collaboration among members of the scientific, engineering, and education communities and discussing future direction and strategies to advance science and engineering. 
• Merit Review Panels: An assembly of NSF staff and guests for the purpose of reviewing and evaluating research proposals. Panelists provide advice and recommendations concerning proposals submitted to NSF for financial support. Panels can be held on-site or off-site. 
• Training: A developmental activity, meeting, seminar, class, program, symposium, or related activity that is educational in nature and the content of which is germane to improving an individual’s or organization’s performance. Training is considered a conference when it involves travel costs. 
• Staff Retreats: An on-site or off-site meeting primarily attended by NSF staff to review progress and challenges associated with implementation of government or departmental policies and to engage the NSF workforce in discussions covering various aspects of NSF or divisional activities. 
• Other: Conferences that fall outside of the primary conference types defined above such as NSF Grants

Conferences, Committee of Visitors (COVs), and Advisory Committee (AC) meetings. Starting in FY 2015, and for future reporting of conferences, the Chief Financial Officer of NSF, in agreement with OMB, approved the following Conference Categories and Corresponding Reporting Requirements: 

Fiscal Year 2018 Summary 

Conference Expenses in Excess of $100,000 

Between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018, NSF sponsored three conference(s) with net expenses in excess of $100,000. The total cost of the conference(s) – attended by 800 individuals – was $493,501. The average cost per attendee was $617. 

The attached table includes the following information required by OMB M-17-08, and additional information, on conferences for which the total net cost to NSF exceeded $100,000: 

• Total conference expenses incurred by NSF for the conference. 
• Conference location. 
• Conference dates. 
• Conference name and a brief explanation how the conference advanced NSF’s mission. 
• Total number of individuals whose travel expenses or other conference expenses were paid by NSF. 
• Sponsoring NSF organization. 
• Travel expenses paid by NSF.

National Science Foundation (NSF)

FY 2018 Conference Report prepared in accordance with OMB Memo M-17-08

Directorate/Division: BFA/DIAS
Start Date: 11/13/2017
End Date: 11/14/2017
Conference/Event Title: Fall 2017 NSF Grants Conference
Conference/Event Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Number of Participants

• Staff: 27
• Guests: 348

Number of participants whose travel/conference costs were paid by NSF

• Staff: 23
• Guests: 4

Travel/Transportation: $22,374
Lodging: $10,117
Final Costs¹: $136,100
Justification for how conference advanced NSF Mission: Outreach to the nation’s research community is a critical component of NSF work. The NSF Grants Conference is designed to provide attendees with information and insights about NSF funding opportunities, policies and procedures for preparing and submitting proposals, and resources and tools for managing NSF awards. Outreach is one method which contributes to NSF portfolio development and broadening participation and also supports NSF’s 2014-2018 strategic goals to transform the frontiers of science and engineering, and stimulate innovation and address societal needs through research and education.

Directorate/Division: BFA/DIAS
Start Date: 6/4/2018
End Date: 6/5/2018
Conference/Event Title: Spring 2018 NSF Grants Conference
Conference/Event Location: Detroit, Michigan
Number of Participants

• Staff: 25
• Guests: 356

Number of participants whose travel/conference costs were paid by NSF

• Staff: 25
• Guests: 5

Travel/Transportation: $23,420
Lodging: $7,970
Final Costs¹: $156,294
Justification for how conference advanced NSF Mission: Outreach to the nation’s research community is a critical component of NSF work. The NSF Grants Conference is designed to provide attendees with information and insights about NSF funding opportunities, policies and procedures for preparing and submitting proposals, and resources and tools for managing NSF awards. Outreach is one method which contributes to NSF portfolio development and broadening participation and also supports NSF’s 2014-2018 strategic goals to transform the frontiers of science and engineering, and stimulate innovation and address societal needs through research and education. 

Directorate/Division: EDU/HRD
Start Date: 6/18/2018
End Date: 6/27/2018
Conference/Event Title: 2016 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) Recognition Ceremony 2014-2015 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring
Conference/Event Location: Washington, DC, National Portrait Gallery
Number of Participants

• Staff: 0
• Guests: 96

Number of participants whose travel/conference costs were paid by NSF

• Staff: --
• Guests: 96

Travel/Transportation: $0
Lodging: $0
Final Costs¹: $201,107
Justification for how conference advanced NSF Mission: Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) 2014 - 2015 Year and Awardees Recognition Ceremony. 

NSF administers the PAEMST awards program on behalf of the OSTP. NSF selection committees, composed of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, education researchers, and educators, review PAEMST nominations, and their recommendations are then forwarded to the OSTP for final selection. Each Presidential Awardee receives a certificate signed by the President of the United States and a $10,000 award from NSF.²

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Total participants: 800
Total final costs: $493,501 

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¹ The amounts used to determine the final cost of a conference were a mix of actual costs and estimated costs; and, as a result, additional conferences may have been included, or some excluded, if only actual costs were used. 

² This event was reported after initial the report was provided