About this event
How to Write a Great Budget
During the Monday, February 13th, 1 – 2pm ET for DEB Virtual Office Hour, Program Officers were joined by the Division of Grants and Agreements to discuss tips and tricks for writing a great budget. Representatives from DEB programs were available for questions. The slides are available below on this webpage. Upcoming DEB Virtual Office Hours are announced ahead of time on DEBrief, so we suggest you also sign up for blog notifications.
If you didn't make it to this or can't make any future office hours, don’t worry! Go to DEBrief (link below), as we will be posting a recap and the presentation slides.
Virtual Office Hours are on the second Monday of every month from 1 – 2pm ET. Below is a list of upcoming dates and topics (subject to change). Be sure to add them to your calendars and register ahead of time.
Upcoming Office Hour Topics:
March 13: PAPPG: Cracking the code – Understanding NSF policies and procedures that shape your funding opportunities
April 10: Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI)
May 8: CAREER Solicitation
Presentation outline
Division of Environmental Biology NSF staff in attendance today:
- Deidre Coates – dcoates@nsf.gov
- Vanessa Richardson – vlrichar@nsf.gov
- Christine Castell – ccastell@nsf.gov
- Shirley Kercher – skerchne@nsf.gov
- Wille Mae Powell – wpowell@nsf.gov
- Tyffani Smith – tnsmith@nsf.gov
- Jeremy Wojdak (host) – Division of Environmental Biology
- Chris Balakrishnan – Division of Environmental Biology
Resources:
- DEB Virtual Office Hour DEB Office Hours: second Monday of each month, 1-2pm Eastern
- DEB Blog posts upcoming topics, registration, and recap posts: https://debblog.nsfbio.com/office-hours/
- Sign up for BIO News and Updates
- Volunteer to review DEB: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DEBexpertise
- “The art and science of reviewing proposals” NSF Video
- Find recent BIO funding opportunities
New Core Program Solicitation: NSF 24-543
- Data Management Plan: This solicitation contains updated information about plans for specimen management.
- IntBIOTrack: An Integrative Research in Biology (IntBIO) Track has been added. This track invites submission of collaborative proposals to tackle bold questions in biology that require an integrated approach to make substantive progress.
- NSF-NERC Submissions: This solicitation includes updated information and links about international collaborative research opportunities with the UKRI NERC program.
- Safe and Inclusive Working Environments: The Directorate for Biological Sciences requires that proposers who include off-campus or off-site research as part of their project submit, as supplementary documentation, a Plan for Safe and Inclusive Working Environments.
Check out the DEB Blog for more information: https://debblog.nsfbio.com/
Program contacts
Division of Grants & Agreements (DGA)
- Jamie H. French, Division Director
- Lisa Scott-Morring, Deputy Division Director
- Deidre Coates, Branch Chief
- Vanessa Richardson, Team Leader
- Shirley Kerchner, Grants Administrator
DEB/MCB/OISE Budget Contact
Staci Jenkins
Grants Specialist
Phone: (703) 292- 5042
Email: sjenkins@nsf.gov
DBI/EF/IOS Budget Contact
Christine Castell
Grants Specialist
Phone: (703) 292- 4803
Email: ccastell@nsf.gov
NSF Proposal Budget
- Senior personnel
- Other personal
- Equipment
- Participant Support
- Subawards
- Other
- Indirect Costs
What aspects of my project can I modify?
Changes in budget
- You have discretion to spend the award how you think best to accomplish the project, except:
- You are bound by NSF policy and institutional policy on allowable costs
- Movement of funds out of the Participant Support Cost category requires NSF permission
- No unauthorized changes to the scope of the project
Change of institution
Requires agreement among three parties: Old institution, new institution, and NSF
Change in PI team
Requires request to NSF, team must remain capable of the project
Submitting a proposal with international work? (Check one or two boxes)
- Check one box – International Activities: Country/Countries Involved; or
- Check two boxes – Funding of Foreign Organization or Foreign Individual
Overview of international work in DEB
Working in an international location (check one box)
- Permitting, environmental compliance
- Funds for international travel in budget line E.2.
Some international collaboration (check two boxes)
Funds are going to an international collaborator or international infrastructure
Strong international collaboration, equal partners
- BSF (Israel) and NERC (UK) partnerships with DEB
- China, South Africa, and Sao Paulo partnerships with Biodiversity on a Changing Planet program and/or Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases Program
Some International Collaboration
- NSF funds can be used to support collaborators outside the U.S. in special circumstances
- Local (U.S.) support is not feasible AND the foreign organization will carry out the activity more effectively
- AND the foreign organization contributes a unique organization, facilities, geographic location and/or access to unique data resources not generally available to U.S. investigators or other resources that are essential to the success of the proposed project
- AND/OR the foreign organization to be supported offers significant science and engineering education, training or research opportunities to the U.S.
- These funds can be requested in:
- G3. Consultant Services
- G5. Subawards
- International collaborators can also be supported as participants in budget category F. Participant Support Costs