Arctic Research Opportunities
Arctic Natural Sciences; Arctic Social Sciences; Arctic System Science; Arctic Research Support and Logistics; Arctic Cyberinfrastructure and Sensors; and Arctic Research and Education

Program Solicitation
NSF 05-514
Replaces Document NSF 04-587

		National Science Foundation Office of the Director       Office of Polar Programs

Full Proposal Target Date(s):

Revisions And Updates

Summary Of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title:

Synopsis of Program:

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

• Dennis Conlon, Arctic Cyberinfrastructure and Sensors Emphasis Area Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-4658, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: dconlon@nsf.gov

• Renee D. Crain, Arctic Research and Education Assistant Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-4482, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: rcrain@nsf.gov

• Jane V. Dionne, Arctic Natural Sciences Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-7427, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: jdionne@nsf.gov

• Anna M. Kerttula, Arctic Social Sciences Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-7432, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: akerttul@nsf.gov

• Charles E. Myers, Head, Interagency Arctic Staff, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-8029, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: cmyers@nsf.gov

• Simon N. Stephenson, Arctic Research Support and Logistics Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-8029, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: sstephen@nsf.gov

• Neil R. Swanberg, Arctic System Science Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-8029, email: nswanber@nsf.gov

• William J. Wiseman, Jr., Arctic Natural Sciences Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 740 S, telephone: (703) 292-4750, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: wwiseman@nsf.gov

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

• 47.078 --- Office of Polar Programs

Eligibility Information

• Organization Limit: None Specified.
• PI Eligibility Limit: None Specified.
• Limit on Number of Proposals: None Specified.

Award Information

• Anticipated Type of Award: Standard or Continuing Grant or Cooperative Agreement
• Estimated Number of Awards: 130 to 160 - per year, pending availability of funds.
• Anticipated Funding Amount: $75,000,000 per year approximately, pending availability of funds. This includes funds for field logistics support and continuing grant increments. Approximately $25 million is available each year for new projects.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

• Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: This solicitation contains information that deviates from the standard Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) proposal preparation guidelines. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

B. Budgetary Information

• Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required.
• Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable.
• Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable.

C. Due Dates

• Full Proposal Target Date(s):
  
  January 24, 2005
  and annually thereafter.

Proposal Review Information

• Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria apply.

Award Administration Information

• Award Conditions: Additional award conditions apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.
• Reporting Requirements: Additional reporting requirements apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

 

Table Of Contents

Summary of Program Requirements

1. Introduction
   
   
2. Program Description
   1. Arctic Natural Sciences
   2. Arctic Social Sciences
   3. Arctic System Science
   4. Arctic Research Support and Logistics
   5. Arctic Cyberinfrastructure and Sensors
   6. Arctic Research and Education
      
      
3. Eligibility Information
   
   
4. Award Information
   
   
5. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
   1. Proposal Preparation Instructions
   2. Budgetary Information
   3. Due Dates
   4. FastLane Requirements
      
      
6. Proposal Review Information
   1. NSF Proposal Review Process
   2. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard
      
      
7. Award Administration Information
   1. Notification of the Award
   2. Award Conditions
   3. Reporting Requirements
      
      
8. Contacts for Additional Information
   
   
9. Other Programs of Interest

I. Introduction

II. Program Description

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

Below are the descriptions of the programs and emphasis areas in the Arctic Sciences Section of the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) that support arctic research and education.

There are three programs for basic scientific research: 

1. Arctic Natural Sciences,
2. Arctic Social Sciences, and
3. Arctic System Science.

The Section has three additional programs to support the activities of the arctic research community:

4. Arctic Research Support and Logistics, 
5. Arctic Cyberinfrastructure and Sensors, and
6. Arctic Research and Education. 

A. Arctic Natural Sciences Program

The OPP Arctic Natural Sciences (ANS) Program supports research in glaciology and in the atmospheric, biological, earth, and ocean sciences. This program provides core support for disciplinary research in the Arctic and coordinates its support of arctic research with the Directorates for Geosciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Social and Behavioral, and Biological Sciences. Areas of special interest include marine and terrestrial ecosystems, arctic atmospheric and oceanic dynamics and climatology, as well as arctic geological and glaciological processes. For information regarding field support for proposals with field components, please see Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions below.

Atmospheric Sciences

Research in arctic atmospheric sciences focuses on arctic climate and meteorology, including atmosphere-sea and atmosphere-ice interactions. Research on past climates and atmospheric gases preserved in snow and ice is encouraged. The program also supports research on stratospheric and tropospheric processes.

In the areas of upper atmospheric and space physics, proposals often are considered jointly with the Division of Atmospheric Sciences in the Geosciences Directorate and the Antarctic Aeronomy and Astrophysics Program in OPP when conjugate studies are proposed.

Biological Sciences

OPP supports projects that emphasize understanding of the adaptation of organisms to the arctic environment. Biological studies in the Arctic include research in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial biology, and ecology. 

Earth Sciences

OPP supports projects in the areas of terrestrial and marine geology and geophysics. Of greatest interest is a better understanding of arctic geological processes that are important for improving our ability to interpret the geologic record of environmental change in the polar regions, particularly in the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic, with special emphasis on the Quaternary. Understanding the processes responsible for the evolution of permafrost and its consequent effects is also of significant importance. A better understanding and reconstruction of the plate tectonic history of the Arctic Ocean remains a priority, as well. 

Glaciology

OPP supports projects that focus on the history and dynamics of all naturally-occurring forms of snow and ice, including seasonal snow, glaciers, and the Greenland ice sheet. The Arctic Natural Sciences Program also supports modeling of mass balance, glacial geology, and remote sensing studies of ice sheets.

Ocean Sciences

OPP supports projects that advance our knowledge of the structure and processes of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas and their interactions with their boundaries, including the arctic sea-ice cover. Areas of special interest are: low temperature life processes; the formation, movement, and mixing of arctic water masses; the dynamics of sea ice; and the role of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas in global climate. Proposals concerned with the interdependencies of chemical and physical processes and marine organisms and productivity are encouraged.

B. Arctic Social Sciences Program

The OPP Arctic Social Sciences Program (ASSP) encompasses all social sciences supported by NSF. These include, but are not limited to anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, linguistics, political science, psychology, science and technology studies, sociology, traditional knowledge and related subjects.

Although unsolicited proposals in any of the social sciences mentioned above are welcome, areas of particular interest include culture and environment, resources and economic change, development of social and political institutions, ethnic (cultural) and regional identities, and knowledge systems. These five research areas are identified and explained in the report, Arctic Social Sciences: Opportunities in Arctic Research (Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, June 1999, Fairbanks, Alaska. Available through the Arctic Research Consortium at http://www.arcus.org).

The Arctic Social Sciences Program especially encourages projects that are circumpolar and/or comparative; involve collaborations between researchers and those living in the Arctic; or form partnerships among disciplines, regions, researchers, communities, and/or students (K-12, undergraduate, or graduate). Dissertation research proposals will be accepted. Please consult the "Dissertation Panel Advice to Students" guidelines in the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (DBCS; https://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/anthro/cultdadv.htm). These guidelines are to provide the applicant with a basic outline for their proposals. Applicants should apply to this OPP solicitation and talk to the ASSP program director about funding limits, which vary from those in DBCS. 

Projects involving research with human subjects must ensure that subjects are protected from research risks in conformance with the relevant federal policy known as the Common Rule (Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, 45 CFR 690). All projects involving human subjects must either (1) have approval from the organization's Institutional Review Board (IRB) before issuance of an NSF award or, (2) must affirm that the IRB or an appropriate knowledgeable authority previously designated by the organization (not the Principal Investigator) has declared the research exempt from IRB review. Before NSF can make an award for a project involving human subjects, an institution must either have approval from its institutional review board (IRB) or declare an exemption from the government-wide regulation. The box for "Human Subjects" must be checked on the Cover Sheet with the IRB approval date (if available). If IRB approval has not been obtained prior to submission, the proposer should indicate "Pending" in the space provided for the approval date. Advice is available at https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/guidance.htm#human. If letters of permission or approval are included, such as those from Native organizations or communities in which the work will take place, please include them as supplementary documents. 

The Arctic Social Sciences Program considers joint review and funding within OPP and with other NSF programs, when appropriate. Special funding opportunities may also be available through the human dimensions component of the Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Program (see below). For information regarding field support for proposals with field components, please see Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions below.

C. Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Program

The Arctic comprises a complex, tightly coupled system of air, ice, ocean, land and people. The arctic system behaves in ways that we do not understand fully and has demonstrated the capacity for rapid and unpredictable change with global ramifications. Because the Arctic is pivotal to the dynamics of our planet, it is critical that we understand this complex and interactive system. The goal of the Arctic System Science (ARCSS) program is to answer the following question:

What do changes in the arctic system imply for the future?

To address this question ARCSS must:

• Advance from a component understanding to a system understanding of the Arctic.
• Understand the behavior of the arctic system, past, present, and future.
• Understand the role of the Arctic as a component of the global system.
• Include society as an integral part of the arctic system.

  Building on a solid foundation of over a decade of observation, modeling, and process studies, the ARCSS program is entering a synthesis-driven enterprise aimed at achieving system level understanding of the Arctic. This may well include some of the kinds of component level studies carried out before, but successful proposals will focus much more on the relationships amongst the pieces of the system than on the pieces themselves and priorities will be set by the needs of the program in understanding the system. ARCSS will focus on achieving that system understanding. The ARCSS program will:

• Integrate modeling, observational, process, and paleoenvironmental studies.
• Develop a hierarchy of conceptual and quantitative models of the arctic system.
• Identify the most sensitive components and interactions driving arctic system behavior.
• Refine understanding of these key components and interactions.
• Strengthen the interactions between arctic system research and the broader Earth system science.
• Enhance two-way communication with stakeholders, decision-makers, and the public.

ARCSS Structure and focus

In recent years ARCSS has had four active, more-or-less disciplinary components: Ocean/Atmosphere/Ice Interactions (OAII); Land/Atmosphere/Ice Interactions (LAII); Human Dimensions of the Arctic System (HARC), and Paleoenvironmental Arctic Sciences (PARCS), under which research activities have been developed. PARCS proposals were considered within the Earth System History competition of the United States Global Change Research Program solicited under a different NSF announcement with separate submission dates.

The ARCSS program has undergone a major transition, led by the research community, away from these somewhat multidisciplinary organizing principles toward a new program that is integrated, more synthetic and truly interdisciplinary. Efforts will continue to extract as much as possible from research already performed and to capture the knowledge and experience achieved under these components. Replacing them will be a more pro-active ARCSS committee that will guide the system science thinking of the program, strive to develop more extensive connections to a broader array of disciplines for new ideas, and devote considerable attention to fostering ARCSS research efforts during their full life cycle from inception of idea through archival of data, synthesis of results and communication of them to the community and public.

The ARCSS program supports most of its research through special targeted announcements developed in close cooperation amongst NSF, the ARCSS research community and the ARCSS committee. However ARCSS does support a small number of proposals received through this program solicitation. Proposals to this program solicitation should put forth new ideas or efforts that do not fit well under more organized banners and that are smaller in scope than one might find in the specialized announcements of opportunity. Just as any ARCSS proposal, these proposals must focus on advancing our knowledge of the arctic system. Moreover, with the exception of proposals that were specifically encouraged by a panel and NSF to resubmit as filling an essential gap in a particular ARCSS effort, this program solicitation should not normally be viewed as a mechanism to re-submit proposals that were declined in a targeted announcement, because those efforts are assembled as a package.

Information describing the current thinking of the ARCSS program is available on the ARCSS web site (http://www.arcus.org/ARCSS/ARCSS.html) and via links therein. Future special announcements for funding opportunities in ARCSS will draw on and aggregate ideas presented in more than one individual disciplinary science plan. Examples of some of the kinds of ideas identified at the 2002 All Hands Meeting as being likely to have high priority in ARCSS in the coming years were: 

• Arctic-CHAMP: pan-Arctic Community-wide Hydrological Analysis and Monitoring Program (http://arcticchamp.sr.unh.edu/)          
• Nearshore and Coastal Processes (http://arctic.bio.utk.edu/screen_LSI_science_plan.pdf)          
• Pan-Arctic Cycles, Transitions and Sustainability (http://www.laii.uaf.edu/pubs/PACTS_Plan_screen.pdf)

However, as the ARCSS synthesis develops (http://www.arcus.org/ARCSS/synthesis_process.html), ARCSS is likely to work proactively with its constituent communities to develop these further, along with other new ideas.

Synthesis in ARCSS

The arctic system includes physical, chemical, geological, biological, and cultural factors that respond to global change processes. Some models that predict the climatic response to global change show greater change in the Arctic than any other region. The predicted climatology, however, may not consider the largely unknown interannual to centennial variability in the Arctic. The historical and current human occupation of and dependence on resources in the Arctic, a region subject to possibly large environmental perturbations, makes it important that scientists understand better the interactions of the global and arctic systems. Therefore, the research supported in ARCSS extends beyond purely observational studies to those studies that predict and analyze the consequences of environmental variability and global change important to wise stewardship of renewable resources and development of decision and policy options for resource managers and residents. 

To achieve this, ARCSS supports efforts that synthesize knowledge of how the arctic system works, including focus on the linkages between parts of the system, and better articulation of the implications for the future. In general the program is trying to concentrate on understanding the relations amongst the components of the system and leaving the detailed studies at the subcomponent level to other, more disciplinary programs.

Defining an ARCSS Proposal

The interdisciplinary nature of system science can make it difficult to determine whether a proposal is or is not suitable for the ARCSS program. A good rule of thumb is if a proposal is focused on some piece of the system, then it is probably not a good fit to ARCSS, unless the understanding to be achieved about that piece is demonstrably essential to system-level understanding. A proposal suitable for competition in the ARCSS program will normally be expected to:

• have a direct connection to and be essential to success of the ARCSS effort,
• fill a significant gap in our understanding of the arctic system that has been identified by the ARCSS synthesis,
• determine or investigate the important relations amongst components of the arctic system,
• help explain the range of states for the arctic system, or
• contribute significantly to our understanding of the structure and function of the arctic system through synthesis and further study.

To be successful, a proposal to the ARCSS program should have several or all of the above characteristics. Moreover ARCSS proposals must define explicitly how they contribute to system understanding. Failure to do so will result in the return of a proposal without review. 

For more information on how a research proposal might best fit the themes of ARCSS, contact the program director. For information regarding field work for proposals with field components, please see Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions below.

OTHER SUPPORT FOR ARCTIC RESEARCH

D. Arctic Research Support and Logistics Program

The Arctic Research Support and Logistics (RSL) program will accept proposals that:

• support long-term observations of the Arctic, 
• support the acquisition of data sets useful to a broad segment of the arctic research community,
• will lead to Cooperative Agreements to operate multi-use arctic research facilities, or
• provide services that broadly support the arctic research community, such as facilitating communication, development of research ideas in an arctic-wide community setting, and cooperation with arctic communities.

Long Term Observations

The Arctic Research Support and Logistics (RSL) program will accept proposals that seek to establish or maintain long-term observation data sets. They should be justified in the context of providing critical data to regional or global modeling efforts and/or as a framework for process studies. Investigators are encouraged to show strong community support for these measurements and mechanisms to engage the stakeholders in providing guidance on the collection of the datasets. If appropriate, reference should be made to how the proposed activity fits into the SEARCH implementation plan (see the SEARCH web site for more information http://psc.apl.washington.edu/search/). Development of robust instrumentation approaches is encouraged and these can be developed in conjunction with support from the Arctic Cyberinfrastructure and Sensors (CIS) effort described below. Data sets from Long-Term Observatories are expected to be made publicly available immediately upon collection.            

Data Acquisitions or Collection

The RSL program will accept proposals that:

• Support the acquisition of satellite and airborne imaging and mapping data and the production and dissemination of user-friendly data products that will be made available to the NSF research community. 
• Support aspects of collecting underway data from ships. This includes documentation, quality control and archiving. Proposals need not address all possible data streams, but they should address the end-to-end management of any covered data stream to the point that data are suitable for acceptance into an appropriate archive. Researchers are required to develop a website or alternative venue that advertises the existence of the data, and how the data can be obtained. Researchers wishing to propose an underway data project are encouraged to review the posted correspondence that is available on the AICC website (http://www.unols.org/committees/aicc/). It is envisioned that proposals may be received to cover the acquisition of multibeam and other bathymetric data, acoustic Doppler current profiler data, and meteorological data.               
• Develop components of geospatial information infrastructure to benefit the arctic research community. The Arctic GIS website hosted by the Arctic Research Consortium of U.S. (ARCUS; http://www.arcus.org/gis) contains information about meetings, workshops, initiatives and links to data and information about arctic geospatial information infrastructure.

Facility Operations

The RSL program will accept proposals for the operation of new or existing research facilities that support NSF-funded projects. If successful, awards are expected to be made as cooperative agreements. Proposal should show the range of projects and programs supported by the proposed facility.

The proposal should also show the facility's approach to project planning, how decisions are made on project support plans, the approach to project support in a research and polar environment (both of which tend to force adaptation of plans), how the facility solicits user feedback and how that feedback is evaluated and leads to organizational change.

Field Work

The RSL program supports field components of research funded by the Arctic Sciences Section, other directorates at NSF and occasionally other federal agencies. Support includes, but is not limited to, providing transportation, food and shelter while conducting field work, user and day-rate fees at field camps, salaries of staff hired specifically for field work, activities such as travel to coordinate projects with permitting agencies and local communities. More detailed information is available on the RSL web site (https://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/arctic/suplog.htm).

Access to logistical support from the RSL program is through the regular proposal process. For information regarding field support for proposals with field components, please see the  Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions below.

E. Arctic Cyberinfrastructure and Sensors

The goal of the Arctic Cyberinfrastructure and Sensors (CIS) emphasis area is to enable the development of both sensors and links in an arctic-wide network of multidisciplinary, integrated sensors, connecting to potential users via the Internet. 

The term cyberinfrastructure was explicated in the 2003 NSF report Revolutionizing Science and Engineering Through Cyberinfrastructure (http://www.cise.nsf.gov/sci/reports/toc.cfm):  “The base technologies underlying cyberinfrastructure are the integrated electro-optical components of computation, storage, and communication that continue to advance in raw capacity at exponential rates. Above the cyberinfrastructure layer are software programs, services, instruments, data, information, knowledge and social practices applicable to specific projects, disciplines, and communities of practice. Between these two layers is the cyberinfrastructure layer of enabling hardware, algorithms, software, communications, institutions and personnel. This layer should provide an effective and efficient platform for the empowerment of specific communities of researchers to innovate and eventually revolutionize what they do, how they do it, and who participates.”

The 2004 NSF program solicitation for Sensors and Sensor Networks (https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2004/nsf04522/nsf04522.htm) discusses sensor development at length. These discussions are relevant to the development of sensors and sensor networks for the Arctic.

Within these contexts, CIS will focus on the research required to create new, more capable sensors of physical, biological or chemical variables in the ocean, ice and air, as well as the methodologies to enable such measurements to be made from fixed arrays or autonomous platforms. Because of a wide range of cyberinfrastructure efforts at NSF, CIS will tend to focus on arctic-specific issues in the areas of communications and software as, for example, methodologies for data transmission from under an ice pack as opposed to data transmission protocols in general.

A natural tie exists between the CIS emphasis area and the RSL program; as a rule of thumb, CIS should be the recipient of proposals that address forefront research issues in the development of novel sensors or instruments. Conversely, proposals for long-term observations in the Arctic using more established means should be submitted to the RSL Program. Because development efforts may be a part of proposals to the ANS, Arctic Social Sciences and ARCSS Programs, such proposals will be jointly reviewed and joint funding may result for successful proposals.

F. Arctic Research and Education

The integration of scientific research with education and outreach is important to OPP. Investigators are encouraged to include these activities in their research proposals in accordance with the broader impacts review criterion. Some education and outreach activities may develop during the course of a research grant or warrant a separate proposal specifically for the education and outreach activities.

The Arctic Research and Education program supports activities that bridge research and education in concert with funded research grants and agreements through supplement requests or as separate proposal requests to support new ventures. Proposals to this program may include formal or informal education or outreach for students K-12 and higher or to the broader public. Most commonly awards are made as supplements to research grants or as small grants. The Arctic Research and Education program seeks to collaborate with other directorates at NSF to promote the integration of research and education. For information regarding field support for proposals with field components, please see Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions below.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

International Polar Year (IPY)
The international community of polar researchers and funding agents has begun planning for an International Polar Year to take place March 2007-March 2009 (see http://dels.nas.edu/us-ipy and http://www.ipy.org). Furthering the research themes of the Study of Environmental ARctic CHange (SEARCH) program (http://psc.apl.washington.edu/search/) during IPY is a priority for the Arctic Sciences Section. Proposals addressing aspects of IPY or SEARCH themes may be submitted to programs described in this program solicitation if they are consistent with the program goals.

OTHER NSF FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

See Section IX on Other Programs of Interest and consult the NSF Guide to Programs (https://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?gp).

III. Eligibility Information

IV. Award Information

V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Instructions:

Proposals submitted in response to this program announcement/solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF Website at: https://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

Proposers are reminded to identify the program announcement/solicitation number (05-514) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the proposal Cover Sheet. Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

Cost sharing is not required in proposals submitted under this Program Solicitation.

C. Due Dates

Proposals must be submitted by the following date(s):

Full Proposal Target Date(s):

D. FastLane Requirements

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this announcement/solicitation through the FastLane system. Detailed instructions for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user support, call the FastLane Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail fastlane@nsf.gov. The FastLane Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the FastLane system. Specific questions related to this program announcement/solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this announcement/solicitation.

Submission of Electronically Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the proposal Cover Sheet to submit the required proposal certifications (see Chapter II, Section C of the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing of the certifications). The AOR must provide the required electronic certifications within five working days following the electronic submission of the proposal. Proposers are no longer required to provide a paper copy of the signed Proposal Cover Sheet to NSF. Further instructions regarding this process are available on the FastLane Website at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov

VI. Proposal Review Information

A. NSF Proposal Review Process

Reviews of proposals submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with expertise in the substantive area of the proposed research or education project. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the oversight of the review process. NSF invites the proposer to suggest, at the time of submission, the names of appropriate or inappropriate reviewers. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with the proposer. Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from non-academic institutions, minority-serving institutions, or adjacent disciplines to that principally addressed in the proposal.

The National Science Board approved revised criteria for evaluating proposals at its meeting on March 28, 1997 (NSB 97-72). All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two merit review criteria. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.

On July 8, 2002, the NSF Director issued Important Notice 127, Implementation of new Grant Proposal Guide Requirements Related to the Broader Impacts Criterion. This Important Notice reinforces the importance of addressing both criteria in the preparation and review of all proposals submitted to NSF. NSF continues to strengthen its internal processes to ensure that both of the merit review criteria are addressed when making funding decisions.

In an effort to increase compliance with these requirements, the January 2002 issuance of the GPG incorporated revised proposal preparation guidelines relating to the development of the Project Summary and Project Description. Chapter II of the GPG specifies that Principal Investigators (PIs) must address both merit review criteria in separate statements within the one-page Project Summary. This chapter also reiterates that broader impacts resulting from the proposed project must be addressed in the Project Description and described as an integral part of the narrative.

Effective October 1, 2002, NSF will return without review proposals that do not separately address both merit review criteria within the Project Summary. It is believed that these changes to NSF proposal preparation and processing guidelines will more clearly articulate the importance of broader impacts to NSF-funded projects.

The two National Science Board approved merit review criteria are listed below (see the Grant Proposal Guide Chapter III.A for further information). The criteria include considerations that help define them. These considerations are suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. While proposers must address both merit review criteria, reviewers will be asked to address only those considerations that are relevant to the proposal being considered and for which he/she is qualified to make judgments.

What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of the prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources?

What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?

NSF staff will give careful consideration to the following in making funding decisions:

Integration of Research and Education
One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals may concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators, and students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through the diversity of learning perspectives.

Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities
Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities -- is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports.

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation will be reviewed by Ad Hoc and/or panel review.

Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Director. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.

NSF is striving to be able to tell proposers whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. The time interval begins on the closing date of an announcement/solicitation, or the date of proposal receipt, whichever is later. The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.

In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at their own risk.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program Division administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See section VI.A. for additional information on the review process.)

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (NSF-GC-1); * or Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Terms and Conditions * and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreement awards also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions (CA-1). Electronic mail notification is the preferred way to transmit NSF awards to organizations that have electronic mail capabilities and have requested such notification from the Division of Grants and Agreements.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at https://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/grants_gac.htm. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions is contained in the NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Chapter II, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpm. The GPM is also for sale through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402. The telephone number at GPO for subscription information is (202) 512-1800. The GPM may be ordered through the GPO Website at http://www.gpo.gov.

Special Award Conditions:

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period.

Within 90 days after the expiration of an award, the PI also is required to submit a final project report. Failure to provide final technical reports delays NSF review and processing of pending proposals for the PI and all Co-PIs. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.

PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project reporting system, available through FastLane, for preparation and submission of annual and final project reports. This system permits electronic submission and updating of project reports, including information on project participants (individual and organizational), activities and findings, publications, and other specific products and contributions. PIs will not be required to re-enter information previously provided, either with a proposal or in earlier updates using the electronic system.

VIII. Contacts For Additional Information

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

• Dennis Conlon, Arctic Cyberinfrastructure and Sensors Emphasis Area Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-4658, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: dconlon@nsf.gov

• Renee D. Crain, Arctic Research and Education Assistant Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-4482, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: rcrain@nsf.gov

• Jane V. Dionne, Arctic Natural Sciences Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-7427, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: jdionne@nsf.gov

• Anna M. Kerttula, Arctic Social Sciences Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-7432, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: akerttul@nsf.gov

• Charles E. Myers, Head, Interagency Arctic Staff, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-8029, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: cmyers@nsf.gov

• Simon N. Stephenson, Arctic Research Support and Logistics Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-8029, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: sstephen@nsf.gov

• Neil R. Swanberg, Arctic System Science Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 755 S, telephone: (703) 292-8029, email: nswanber@nsf.gov

• William J. Wiseman, Jr., Arctic Natural Sciences Program Director, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 740 S, telephone: (703) 292-4750, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: wwiseman@nsf.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

• Linda Izzard, Program Coordination Specialist, Office of the Director, Office of Polar Programs, 740 S, telephone: (703) 292-7430, fax: (703) 292-9082, email: lizzard@nsf.gov

IX. Other Programs Of Interest

The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and education in science, mathematics, and engineering. The NSF Guide to Programs is available electronically at https://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gp. General descriptions of NSF programs, research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are provided in each chapter.

Many NSF programs offer announcements or solicitations concerning specific proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices. Any changes in NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide to Programs will be announced in the NSF E-Bulletin, which is updated daily on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/home/ebulletin, and in individual program announcements/solicitations. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's Custom News Service (https://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm) to be notified of new funding opportunities that become available.

About The National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. Awardees are wholly responsible for conducting their project activities and preparing the results for publication. Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation.

NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and educators. The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with Federal statutes, regulations and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin or disability shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from NSF, although some programs may have special requirements that limit eligibility.

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects. See the GPG Chapter II, Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of proposals.

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Privacy Act And Public Burden Statements

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; project reports submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal review process; to applicant institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies needing information as part of the review process or in order to coordinate programs; and to another Federal agency, court or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998). Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to an information collection unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, Division of Administrative Services, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230.

OMB control number: 3145-0058.