NSF 04-525: Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring
Program Solicitation
Document Information
Document History
- Posted: December 1, 2003
- Replaces: NSF 03-503
- Replaced by: NSF 10-520
THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND REPLACED BY NSF 10-520
Program Solicitation
NSF 04-525
Replaces Document(s):
NSF 03-503
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National Science Foundation |
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
March 02, 2004
First Tuesday in March, Annually Thereafter
April 22, 2008
For 2008 ONLY
April 21, 2009
For 2009 ONLY
Summary Of Program Requirements
General Information
Program Title:
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring
Synopsis of Program:
The PAESMEM Program seeks to identify outstanding mentoring efforts that enhance the participation of groups (i.e., women, minorities, and persons with disabilities) that are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The awardees serve as leaders in the national effort to develop fully the Nation's human resources in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Cognizant Program Officer(s):
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Daphne Y. Rainey, telephone: (703) 292-4671, email: drainey@nsf.gov
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Philis L. Hauser, telephone: (703) 292-5104, email: phauser@nsf.gov
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Jessica Slater, telephone: (703) 292-7832, email: jslater@nsf.gov
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
- 47.076 --- Education and Human Resources
Award Information
Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant
Estimated Number of Awards: 20 -- Approximately 10 Individual and 10 Organizational awards each fiscal year
Anticipated Funding Amount: $200,000 for new awards in each fiscal year pending the availability of funds
Eligibility Information
Proposals may only be submitted by the following:
- Organization must be eligible to be an NSF awardee (see the NSF Grant Proposal Guide). Must have demonstrated outstanding and sustained mentoring and effective guidance to a significant number of underrepresented students at the K-12, undergraduate, or graduate education levels for at least five years.
Proposed nominee must be a U.S. Citizen; must have affiliation with an organization eligible to be an NSF awardee; must not be a Federal government employee; must have demonstrated outstanding and sustained mentoring and effective guidance to a significant number of underrepresented students at the K-12, undergraduate, or graduate education levels for at least five years.
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
Only one nomination per organization. The single nomination may be for an Individual Award or for an Organizational Award, but not for both.
Limit on Number of Proposals per PI:
None Specified
Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
- Letters of Intent: Not Applicable
- Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not Applicable
- Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: This solicitation contains information that supplements the standard NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, Part I: 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 under this solicitation.
- Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:
No indirect costs are allowed.
- Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable
C. Due Dates
- Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
March 02, 2004
First Tuesday in March, Annually Thereafter
April 22, 2008
For 2008 ONLY
April 21, 2009
For 2009 ONLY
Proposal Review Information Criteria
Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.
Award Administration Information
Award Conditions: Additional award conditions apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.
Reporting Requirements: Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.
I. Introduction
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
The White House has established the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) program. The program, administered on behalf of the White House by the National Science Foundation, seeks to identify outstanding mentoring efforts or programs designed to enhance the participation of groups underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The awardees serve as exemplars to their colleagues and are leaders in the national effort to more fully develop the Nation's human resources in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Nominations to honor individuals and organizations are invited for the competition of these annual awards.
It is expected that each award will be used to continue the recognized activities. The nominees must have served in such a mentoring role for at least five years. Beyond the grant award, each awardee will be invited to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony, recognition events, and meetings with leaders in Federal sector education and research, and focused workshops addressing effective mentoring of students from the underrepresented groups. The awardees will be honored at a White House ceremony.
II. Program Description
The submission process requires that the candidate individual or organization be nominated by a colleague, administrator, or student. Nominations may only be considered for one of the two categories of award, either "individual" or "organizational," but not both. Only one award will be made to a single organization or an individual at that organization per annual competition. Nominations for an "individual award" must clearly delineate the achievements of the individual as separate from those of the organization; nominations for an "organizational award" must reflect the organizational as different from the individual achievements. The nomination packet should include:
INDIVIDUAL NOMINEES.
- A statement summarizing (describing and documenting) the mentoring activities that constitute the basis for the nomination, including a list of students mentored;
- A biographical sketch of the nominee; and
- Letters of support (a maximum of 5) from colleagues and students attesting to the nominee's demonstrable and sustained achievements in the mentoring of underrepresented students in science, mathematics and engineering. These letters will be available to nominees on request.
ORGANIZATIONAL NOMINEES.
- A statement summarizing (describing and documenting) the mentoring activities that constitute the basis for the nomination, including a list of specific mentoring activities contributory to the success of the students mentored, and materials documenting the sustained achievements in mentoring underrepresented students;
- A brief institutional or organizational description; and
- Letters of support (a maximum of 5) from colleagues and students attesting to the nominee organization's or institution's demonstrable and sustained achievements in the mentoring of underrepresented students in science, mathematics and engineering. These letters will be available to nominees on request.
All nominees will be notified of their nomination prior to the selection process.
III. Award Information
The number of awards is subject to the availability of funds; however, the estimated number of new awards in each fiscal year is approximately 10 Individual and 10 Organizational awards. The awards are standard grants in the amount of $10,000 each. The grant will be accompanied by a commemorative Presidential certificate. It is expected that each award will be used to continue the recognized activity. Only one award will be made to an organization (Individual or Organizational award) per competition. As in the past, it is anticipated that the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) will contact nominees recommended for awards. The Program Director will contact all nominees that are recommended for declination.
IV. Eligibility Information
Proposals may only be submitted by the following:
- Organization must be eligible to be an NSF awardee (see the NSF Grant Proposal Guide). Must have demonstrated outstanding and sustained mentoring and effective guidance to a significant number of underrepresented students at the K-12, undergraduate, or graduate education levels for at least five years.
Proposed nominee must be a U.S. Citizen; must have affiliation with an organization eligible to be an NSF awardee; must not be a Federal government employee; must have demonstrated outstanding and sustained mentoring and effective guidance to a significant number of underrepresented students at the K-12, undergraduate, or graduate education levels for at least five years.
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
Only one nomination per organization. The single nomination may be for an Individual Award or for an Organizational Award, but not for both.
Limit on Number of Proposals per PI:
None Specified
Additional Eligibility Info:
An Individual Nominee must be a U.S. Citizen and must have affiliation with an organization eligible to be an NSF awardee. The Nominee may not be a federal government employee. The Nominee must have demonstrated outstanding and sustained mentoring and effective guidance to a significant number of students at the K-12, undergraduate, or graduate education levels for at least five years.An Organizational Nominee must be eligible to be an NSF awardee. Organizational Nominees must be organizations or institutions with program activities that have enabled a substantial number of students drawn from populations underrepresented in science, mathematics and engineering (i.e., women, minorities, and persons with disabilities) to successfully pursue and complete the relevant degree programs for at least five years. The specified efforts may be at the K-12, undergraduate, or graduate levels.
Nominations for the individual award must clearly delineate the achievements of the individual as separate from those of the institution or organization. Nominations for the organizational award must reflect the organizational achievements as different from those of a single individual.
V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
Full Proposal Instructions: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the guidelines specified 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/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-PUBS (7827) or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov. FastLane, NSF's system for conducting business over the Internet, must be used to prepare and submit nominations. Nominators who have not used FastLane before are asked to make sure that their organization is a registered FastLane organization and to contact the organization's Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) to be registered as a FastLane user. (All Co-PIs listed in the proposal must also be FastLane registered users.) New FastLane users should acquaint themselves with the system as early as possible--well before the proposal deadline.
Please note that the nomination must be submitted by the nominee's organization.
Cover Sheet: The cover sheet should be completed with the submitter as principal investigator, and the nominee as the co-principal investigator. The nominator should enter the proposal into FastLane and add the nominee to the proposal as a Co-PI in the Co-PI section of the cover sheet. This guidance applies to Individual and Organizational nominations.
If the nominator is not at the same organization as the nominee, the nominator should select the nominee's organization as the awardee organization on the cover sheet and the nominee's organization should submit the proposal to NSF via FastLane. It is the responsibility of the nominator to communicate with the Sponsored Projects Office (or equivalent) officials at the nominee's organization. (The nominator can find those listed as the Sponsored Projects Office (or equivalent) officials for the nominee's organization at https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/n1/N1AddInst.html).
Should the nomination be successful, the nominee (co-PI) will be identified as the principal investigator for the grant award, and the submitter will be removed from the nomination.
When filling out the cover sheet in FastLane, it is important to indicate the program solicitation number. If necessary, you may also choose "HRD: Division of Human Resources Development" from the list of divisions, and "PRES AWDS FOR EXCELL IN SCI" from the list of programs in the "NSF Unit Consideration" section.
Also, on the cover sheet in the "Title of Proposed Project" field, the submitter must indicate the submittal category, "INDIVIDUAL" or "ORGANIZATIONAL," as the first word in the proposal title.
Project Summary: Summary of the work describing the activity cited in support of the nomination, and to be supported by the grant award, if funded. The Project Summary must clearly address in separate statements (within the one-page summary): the intellectual merit of the activity and the broader impacts resulting from the activity.
Project Description: A clear statement of the work cited in support of the nomination, including the objectives of the mentoring program and its long-term significance; the specific mentoring methods and procedures (the actions performed); documentation (quantitative and qualitative); and the plan to sustain the mentoring activity into the future (a maximum of 15 pages).
References Cited: Reference information is required for citations identified in the nomination.
Biographical Sketches: A biographical profile of the individual nominee (not submitter) or of the organizational nominee (not submitter) should be provided.
Budget and Budget Justification: This program provides a grant award of $10,000 to successful nominees. Submitters should indicate the nominee as senior personnel in Line item A, and the requested grant amount in Line item G, Other Direct Costs. In addition to the required budget, a budget description of up to three pages may be used to provide the necessary detail and justification about budget line items.
Current and Pending Support: This section calls for required information on all current and pending support for the nominee for ongoing projects and proposals, including subsequent funding in the case of continuing grants.
Special Information and Supplementary Documentation: Letters supporting the nomination (a maximum of 5) should be placed in proposal section J. Except as specified, programmatic documentation must be included as part of the project description, if it is relevant to determining the quality of the proposed nomination.
PAESMEM Information Form
The Nominee must submit a signed copy of the NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS AND ENGINEERING MENTORING (PAESMEM) PROGRAM INFORMATION FORM (NSF FORM 1376 (4/96)) for White House Clearance. This form and specific instructions for submission can be found on
https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/forms/nsf1376.htm The review and administration of this form and information will be handled confidentially by the cognizant PAESMEM Program Director. These forms (originals only) must be received at NSF by COB, seven (7) days following the deadline. Send to:
Presidential Awards for Mentoring
Proposal # 0X-XXXXX (provide your proposal number)
National Science Foundation
Human Resource Development
4201 Wilson Boulevard (Room 815)
Arlington, VA 22230.
Proposers are reminded to identify the program solicitation number (NSF 04-525) in the program solicitation block on the NSF Cover Sheet For Proposal to the National Science Foundation. 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 under this solicitation.
Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:
No indirect costs are allowed.
Budget Preparation Instructions: This program provides a grant award of $10,000 to successful awardees. Submitters (PI) should indicate the nominee (co-PI) as senior personnel in Line item A, and the requested grant amount in Line item G, Other Direct Costs. In addition to the required budget, a budget description (up to three pages) may be used to provide the necessary detail and justification about budget line items.
C. Due Dates
- Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):
March 02, 2004
First Tuesday in March, Annually Thereafter
April 22, 2008
For 2008 ONLY
April 21, 2009
For 2009 ONLY
The due date has been extended to April 21, 2009, for the 2009 round of nominations.
D. FastLane Requirements
Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this program solicitation through use of the NSF FastLane system. Detailed instructions regarding the technical aspects of proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: http://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 solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this funding opportunity.
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. Further instructions regarding this process are available on the FastLane Website at: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.jsp.
VI. NSF Proposal Processing And Review Procedures
Proposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program where they will be reviewed if they meet NSF proposal preparation requirements. All proposals are carefully reviewed by a scientist, engineer, or educator serving as an NSF Program Officer, and usually by three to ten other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular fields represented by the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the oversight of the review process. Proposers are invited to suggest names of persons they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal and/or persons they would prefer not review the proposal. These suggestions may serve as one source in the reviewer selection process at the Program Officer's discretion. Submission of such names, however, is optional. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts of interest with the proposal.
A. NSF Merit Review Criteria
All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board (NSB)-approved merit review criteria: intellectual merit and the broader impacts of the proposed effort. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.
The two NSB-approved merit review criteria are listed below. 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 the reviewer is qualified to make judgements.
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, original, or potentially transformative 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?
Examples illustrating activities likely to demonstrate broader impacts are available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/broaderimpacts.pdf.
NSF staff also 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.
Additional Review Criteria:
The following criteria will be taken into consideration:
ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR INDIVIDUALS
The number and diversity of students mentored to high school graduation, the associate, baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral degree levels;
The success of students mentored in pursuit of degree objectives and attendant quality of academic performance;
Demonstrated achievement in assisting students to understand how the educational system works and promoting their advancement in the educational continuum in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics;
Affording students effective academic/research experience, sustained academic support systems, and strategies leading to successful matriculation and degree completion in science, mathematics and engineering fields;
Substantive achievements in changing the educational system to enable improved performance and advancement for underrepresented groups; and
Demonstrated innovation that is replicable.
ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR ORGANIZATIONS
Demonstrated institutional sustainability in structural changes or special programs that have increased student retention and/or graduation rates;
Demonstrated quality of institutional life that fosters the establishment of linkages (i.e., off-campus community connections) that facilitate learning, contacts, and career development;
Demonstrated institutional or organizational success in the advancement or promotion of the educational and career development of students in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics fields; and
Demonstrated distinctiveness in carrying out the institution's social responsibility to create a more positive learning environment by helping to provide an atmosphere that reflects valuing diversity among students, faculty, and administrators.
B. Review and Selection Process
Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by Ad hoc Review 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.
After scientific, technical and programmatic review and consideration of appropriate factors, the NSF Program Officer recommends to the cognizant Division Director whether the proposal should be declined or recommended for award. NSF is striving to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. The time interval begins on the deadline or target date, or receipt date, whichever is later. The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's 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 Officer. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.
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 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.B. 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 (GC-1); * or Research Terms and Conditions * and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreements also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC) and the applicable Programmatic Terms and Conditions. NSF awards are electronically signed by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer and transmitted electronically to the organization via e-mail.
*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at
https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/award_conditions.jsp?org=NSF. 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 and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Award & Administration Guide (AAG) Chapter II, available electronically on the NSF Website at
https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag.
Special Award Conditions: As in the past, it is anticipated that OSTP will contact nominees recommended for awards. This informal notification is not a guarantee of an eventual award. NSF will be able to tell submitters whether their nominations have been declined or recommended for funding within six months for 95 percent of the nominations. The time interval begins on the nomination submittal deadline date or from the date of receipt, if the deadline date is not used by the program. The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.
C. Reporting Requirements
For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the Principal Investigator must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period. (Some programs or awards require more frequent project reports). Within 90 days after expiration of a grant, the PI also is required to submit a final project report.
Failure to provide the required annual or final project reports will delay NSF review and processing of any future funding increments as well as any pending proposals for that PI. 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. Such reports provide information on activities and findings, project participants (individual and organizational) 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. Submission of the report via FastLane constitutes certification by the PI that the contents of the report are accurate and complete.
VIII. Agency Contacts
General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:
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Daphne Y. Rainey, telephone: (703) 292-4671, email: drainey@nsf.gov
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Philis L. Hauser, telephone: (703) 292-5104, email: phauser@nsf.gov
-
Jessica Slater, telephone: (703) 292-7832, email: jslater@nsf.gov
For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:
- FastLane Help Desk, telephone: 1-800-673-6188; e-mail: fastlane@nsf.gov.
IX. Other Information
The NSF Website provides the most comprehensive source of information on NSF Directorates (including contact information), programs and funding opportunities. Use of this Website by potential proposers is strongly encouraged. In addition, National Science Foundation Update is a free e-mail subscription service designed to keep potential proposers and other interested parties apprised of new NSF funding opportunities and publications, important changes in proposal and award policies and procedures, and upcoming NSF Regional Grants Conferences. Subscribers are informed through e-mail when new publications are issued that match their identified interests. Users can subscribe to this service by clicking the "Get NSF Updates by Email" link on the NSF web site.
Grants.gov provides an additional electronic capability to search for Federal government-wide grant opportunities. NSF funding opportunities may be accessed via this new mechanism. Further information on Grants.gov may be obtained at http://www.grants.gov.
About The National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent Federal agency created by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 USC 1861-75). The Act states the purpose of the NSF is "to promote the progress of science; [and] to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare by supporting research and education in all fields of science and engineering."
NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. It does this through grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations and other research organizations throughout the US. The Foundation accounts for about one-fourth of Federal support to academic institutions for basic research.
NSF receives approximately 40,000 proposals each year for research, education and training projects, of which approximately 11,000 are funded. In addition, the Foundation receives several thousand applications for graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. The agency operates no laboratories itself but does support National Research Centers, user facilities, certain oceanographic vessels and Antarctic research stations. The Foundation also supports cooperative research between universities and industry, US participation in international scientific and engineering efforts, and educational activities at every academic level.
Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects. See Grant Proposal Guide Chapter II, Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of proposals.
The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 292-5090 and (800) 281-8749, FIRS at (800) 877-8339.
The National Science Foundation Information Center may be reached at (703) 292-5111.
The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering. To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov
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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; and 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 proposer 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 or other entities needing information regarding applicants or nominees as part of a joint application review process, or in order to coordinate programs or policy; 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," 69 Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records, " 69 Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004). 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 Office of Management and Budget (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 the burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to:
Suzanne H. Plimpton
Reports Clearance Officer
Division of Administrative Services
National Science Foundation
Arlington, VA 22230
