NSF 21-564: Future Manufacturing (FM)
Program Solicitation
Document Information
Document History
- Posted: February 17, 2021
- Replaces: NSF 20-552
- Replaced by: NSF 22-568
Program Solicitation NSF 21-564
Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time): May 14, 2021 Important Information And Revision Notes
Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) ( NSF 20-1 ), which is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after June 1, 2020. Summary Of Program RequirementsGeneral InformationProgram Title:
Synopsis of Program:
Cognizant Program Officer(s): Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact.
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
Award InformationAnticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant Estimated Number of Awards: 25 In FY 2021, depending on the quality of submissions and the availability of funds: -- approximately 8 FMRG will be awarded as Standard Grants or Continuing Grants for a period up to four years; and -- approximately 17 FMSG will be awarded as Standard Grants or Continuing Grants for a period up to two years. Proposals Involving Multiple Organizations. The Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) describes two kinds of collaborative proposal formats. This solicitation allows only a single proposal submission with subawards administered by the lead organization (Chapter II.D.3.a). For proposals involving multiple organizations, a lead organization must submit a proposal that describes the entire project. Funds may be distributed to other participating organizations as subawards from the lead organization. A budget on the standard NSF budget form and budget justification should be included for each subawardee. The other format of a collaborative proposal, in which each participating institution submits its own proposal, will not be accepted. Anticipated Funding Amount: $32,200,000 Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds. Eligibility InformationWho May Submit Proposals:
Who May Serve as PI:
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI:
Proposal Preparation and Submission InstructionsA. Proposal Preparation Instructions
B. Budgetary Information
C. Due Dates
Proposal Review Information CriteriaMerit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review criteria apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Award Administration InformationAward Conditions: Additional award conditions apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Reporting Requirements: Standard NSF reporting requirements apply. I. IntroductionFuture Manufacturing is a cross-directorate program supported by NSF’s Directorates for Engineering (ENG), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), Biological Sciences (BIO), Education and Human Resources (EHR), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), and Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) and the Office of Integrative Activities (OIA). The goal of the Future Manufacturing program is to support fundamental research and education that will enable new manufacturing approaches to eliminate scientific technological, educational, economic and social barriers that limit current manufacturing. Future Manufacturing will complement existing efforts, supported by NSF and other federal agencies, in advanced manufacturing, but the focus of this program is to enable new, potentially transformative, manufacturing capabilities rather than to improve current manufacturing. Proposals that are incremental improvements over existing advanced manufacturing technologies will not be competitive. Proposals should provide examples of how the research results could lead to transformational manufacturing advances that address significant problems. They should provide a vision statement describing the new manufacturing capabilities that could be enabled by the proposed research, and the potential industrial, economic and societal benefits. They should also describe the implications of the proposed activities on the education of the skilled technical workforce. Future Manufacturing will involve the production of new materials, chemicals, devices and systems, new chemical and biological processes, new methods to make manufacturing commercially viable at scale, new approaches, integration of manufacturing processes in novel ways, new mathematical and computational methods for process design and control, new data mining and predictive analytics for manufacturing, and new modalities of work. Results will help the manufacturing enterprise minimize environmental impact, manage waste, and optimize the use of resources. The results of the Future Manufacturing program, when translated to practice, should lead to the formation of new industries and organization structures, enable new manufacturing capabilities among a broad range of producers, enhance U.S. competitiveness in the development and production of new products, bolster economic growth, benefit society at large, and educate students and other workforce participants with the skills required for leadership in Future Manufacturing. Future Manufacturing proposals in both tracks should demonstrate the need for sustained support of a multidisciplinary team using a convergence research approach. Inclusion of minority-serving institutions, primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI) and community colleges is especially encouraged. Proposals must describe how the project team is appropriate to realize the project’s goals, how activities of a multidisciplinary team are well-integrated throughout the project, and how the team will assure effective collaboration. A compelling rationale must be presented for a multi-institution structure of the project, if appropriate. Therefore, proposers responding to this solicitation must include a Project Management and Collaboration Plan. Please see "Full Proposal Preparation Instructions" for additional details. Proposals may take advantage of significant efforts underway to improve the nation’s manufacturing capabilities. For example, proposals may leverage activities of other manufacturing initiatives such as the Manufacturing USA Institutes, NSF’s Engineering Research Centers, EPSCoR-supported advanced manufacturing research collaborations, and NSF's manufacturing-focused Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers. Educational efforts are encouraged to leverage, interface with, or adapt aspects of proven NSF funding opportunities such as Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN), the Division of Undergraduate Education’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) and Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) Programs, EPSCoR, Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), Research Experiences for Teachers (RET), Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE), and Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE), and programs for Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (RIEF), NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) and Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (RED). II. Program DescriptionThis Future Manufacturing solicitation will support fundamental research and education in the following two tracks: Future Manufacturing Research Grants (FMRG) Awards in this track will support fundamental, multidisciplinary, and integrative research and education to enable Future Manufacturing in one or more of the thrust areas described below. FMRG funding is intended to provide support for several principal investigators with complementary expertise, graduate students, senior personnel (including post-doctoral researchers), their collective research needs (e.g., materials, supplies and travel) and educational activities. The integrative contributions of the team should clearly be greater than the sum of the contributions of each individual member of the team. FMRG proposals must describe the current state of art in the relevant manufacturing area and the specific challenges that will be addressed by the proposed research. They must present a compelling technical rationale and convincing technical approach to enable Future Manufacturing to address these challenges. An essential part of this argument is to explain clearly how the proposed research will overcome barriers that limit current manufacturing to provide new manufacturing capabilities not currently available. Proposals must include a prospective vision for translation of fundamental research results to manufacturing practice, even if that translation is not part of the proposed research. They must explain the potential benefits and challenges of new manufacturing to the economy, communities and to society as a whole. Partnerships with two-year institutions to educate the skilled technical workforce are encouraged. Future Manufacturing Seed Grants (FMSG) Awards in this track will provide support to stimulate fundamental research and education in one or more of the thrust areas described below through multidisciplinary teambuilding, the development of fundamental research concepts, and the initiation of research and educational activities that could provide the basis for a subsequent proposal for an FMRG. FMSG proposals should describe the building of multidisciplinary research teams that will engage community stakeholders to develop new directions in Future Manufacturing. Proposals must describe innovative and creative methods to establish new research directions and demonstrate their feasibility. A variety of activities may be proposed, including pilot research projects to obtain preliminary results that could strengthen a proposal to a future solicitation, workshops, development of new partnerships, benchmarking current manufacturing capabilities on a global scale, and prototyping new educational activities. Prototypes of educational activities that focus on the skilled technical workforce and involve two-year institutions are particularly encouraged. Considerations for Proposals in Both Tracks Successful proposals in both tracks will reflect interdisciplinary convergence research to enable new manufacturing capabilities, innovative education and workforce development plans, and research into the benefits and challenges of new manufacturing to communities, the economy, and society. Proposals in both tracks will be reviewed by experts in the subject area of each proposal and may be reviewed by experts engaged to evaluate the educational and societal aspects of the proposal. The research and educational plans proposed in both tracks may be complementary to efforts in other programs in participating directorates, including standing programs. However, this solicitation provides the level of support required to form multidisciplinary teams and pursue the convergence approaches required to address fundamental research and educational challenges to enabling Future Manufacturing. International collaborations in both tracks are welcome, and proposers may take advantage of opportunities provided by existing NSF programs that promote international collaborations; NSF funds should be used to support only U.S.-based participants in any international collaboration. New materials and new processes may be inextricably linked in some applications of Future Manufacturing. If new materials are involved in Future Manufacturing activities, proposals must address explicitly the coupling between those new materials and new processes that will be required to produce them and should focus on the manufacturing aspects of the process/structure/property relationship. Partnerships with industry, including GOALI proposals, are encouraged in proposals in both tracks. When industrial collaborators are involved, the proposal must contain a rationale for the collaboration, an explanation of the industrial collaborators’ contributions and responsibilities to the project, and a description of how the collaboration will be managed. The proposal must contain a letter of collaboration from each industrial organization participating in the project that specifies the tasks that the industrial partner will carry out. GOALI proposals must be prepared in accordance with the guidance provided in Chapter II.E.4 of the PAPPG. To take advantage of potential synergies among activities supported by awards, a Future Manufacturing kickoff meeting will be held within three months of the award issuances. Awardees in both tracks will present their research and educational plans, discuss community engagement and explore strategies to build research and education communities in Future Manufacturing. Every PI and co-PI from all participating institutions is required to attend the kickoff meeting, and proposers should include costs of participating in their budgets. There will also be an annual grantees' conference for sharing of successes, challenges and future plans, and for NSF program officers to review progress. At least one PI and one co-PI from each award will be required to attend, and all PIs and co-PIs will be encouraged to participate. Proposers should include costs of participating in their budgets. This solicitation focuses on three thrust areas described below. Proposals should address Future Manufacturing in one or more of the thrust areas. The discussion of each thrust area is not intended to be limiting, and examples mentioned in each area are not intended to indicate any special interest on the part of NSF in the example topics. They are presented only to illustrate possible considerations in each thrust area. Future Cyber Manufacturing research Future cyber manufacturing exploits research opportunities at the intersection of computing and manufacturing with the potential to radically transform concepts of manufacturing. It anticipates new abstractions in design and manufacturing, the availability of a data infrastructure that capitalizes on the convergence of innovative sensors, actuators, devices and systems; fast and reliable secure communications; cloud and edge computing; data analytics; computational modeling; advanced controls; and artificial intelligence and machine learning to increase the generality and reliability and reduce the expense of manufacturing processes and system control. Recent advances in machine learning and predictive analytics, autonomy, wireless communications, cyber-physical-human systems, the industrial internet of things, and advanced computing systems and services provide powerful incentives to rethink, reconceptualize, reinvent, and explore new possibilities for manufacturing. For example, research in this thrust area could enable new generations of intelligent systems, logistics and networks for real-time secured sensing and machine learning, in-situ sensing that drives feedback loops to control process parameters, and methods for safe, secure and seamless communication and data sharing among manufacturers. Research in this thrust area may explore real-time metrology, quality control and assurance, uncertainty quantification, risk analysis, network control methods, and new techniques for multiobjective optimization that can reduce costs, minimize disruptions, improve safety, and increase yield and purity. Research could leverage basic understandings of evolutionary, ecological, organismal, and molecular scale processes to generate novel cyber manufacturing algorithms for Future Manufacturing systems. Future Eco Manufacturing research Research in this thrust area will enable holistic manufacturing processes that encompass the entire manufacturing lifecycle and account for energy consumption, health and environmental impact, and cost effectiveness. Fundamental research could enable manufacturing processes that are designed from the start to produce products that degrade naturally or on cue, or can be re-purposed without harmful byproducts and without reliance on technologies that are potentially harmful to the environment and society at large. Research in this thrust area could lead to new processes or synthesis of manufacturable materials, chemicals, devices, systems and products that enable facile and direct re-purpose, reuse, or up-cycling into environmentally benign products. The goal of such research in eco manufacturing is to keep resources in use as long as possible, extract their maximum value while in use, and recover materials at the end of their service life. Research in eco manufacturing could seek biological approaches leading to new materials, devices and products; new processes to valorize waste; new methods to remediate contaminants; or AI-driven frameworks for circular materials selection to predict socio-technical, economic and environmental impact as part of the manufacturing process. In every case, research outcomes in eco manufacturing will benefit from a convergence approaches that integrates expertise from a variety of disciplines, which could include chemistry, biology, materials science, engineering, social sciences and economics. Such projects could benefit from fundamental research to predict how consumers, companies and society at large will respond to more environmentally friendly options. For example, research in this thrust area could enable new manufacturing processes that avoid plastics and polymers that pose significant challenges in recycling and disposal. Research could strengthen and promote circularity in the entire supply chain for electronic materials, components, devices and systems including suppliers of materials, manufacturing process and test equipment, semiconductor chips and integrated devices, system integrators and end-users. Research could leverage recent advances in bio/nano interfaces combined with improved understanding of how biological systems communicate on molecular to eco-scales to enable development of highly integrated bio/nano manufacturing systems. Future Biomanufacturing Research Research in this thrust area will enable biologically based production of therapeutic cells and molecules, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, materials, polymers and fuels, as well as bio-based technologies for computing, signal processing and communication. Fundamental research to enable new biomanufacturing will expand knowledge in biology and engineering to create products that interact effectively and seamlessly with cells, living tissues, and synthetic substrates. In addition, the seamless integration of new biological knowledge with manufacturing technology during product and process development may overcome longstanding barriers to scalability of new types of biomanufacturing platforms. The capability for large scale fabrication of interacting synthetic cells, cellular components and biological communities capable of conducting complex information processing and biofabrication processes could lead to a variety of new manufacturing industries. Research should uncover and exploit fundamental biological principles to address scaling challenges in biomanufacturing that will facilitate rapid transition from benchtop to production readiness. Research in this thrust area may complement and leverage advances at NSF centers for biomanufacturing and has the potential to enable new biomanufacturing paradigms that can benefit personalized healthcare, sustainable energy, environmental sustainability, and society at large. For example, research in this thrust area could focus on the development of biofoundries to produce new cell-based and small-molecule therapeutics that can be scaled up and diversified to produce organ-on-chip devices and personalized therapeutics. Recent advances in personalized medicine, including new manufacturing of patient-specific therapeutics, need to be expanded on multiple fronts and scaled up to make them rapidly available to wider populations and to broaden the range of therapeutic constructs. Research could address challenges associated with cell-free protein manufacturing that has potential advantages over cell-based processes, including elimination of unwanted byproducts, better reproducibility, compatibility and improved stability. Research could seek to take advantage of advances in understanding microenvironment-cell-phenotype interactions, synthetic biology tools, or nanobiology methods like DNA origami to develop sensors, actuators, nanomaterials or nanomachines that work at the nano/bio interface, and computational tools that could modulate cellular responses. Research could address challenges in fabrication and scale up of biomolecule-based hybrid micro- and nano-electronic systems to enable rapid and large-scale manufacturing of integrated electronic and synthetic biology platforms for health, environment, and energy-related systems. III. Award InformationAnticipated Type of Award: Continuing Grant or Standard Grant Estimated Number of Awards: 25 In FY 2021, depending on the quality of submissions and the availability of funds: -- approximately 8 FMRG will be awarded as Standard Grants or Continuing Grants for a period up to four years; and -- approximately 17 FMSG will be awarded as Standard Grants or Continuing Grants for a period up to two years. Proposals Involving Multiple Organizations. The Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) describes two kinds of collaborative proposal formats. This solicitation allows only a single proposal submission with subawards administered by the lead organization (Chapter II.D.3.a). For proposals involving multiple organizations, a lead organization must submit a proposal that describes the entire project. Funds may be distributed to other participating organizations as subawards from the lead organization. A budget on the standard NSF budget form and budget justification should be included for each subawardee. The other format of a collaborative proposal, in which each participating institution submits its own proposal, will not be accepted. Anticipated Funding Amount: $32,200,000 Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds. IV. Eligibility InformationWho May Submit Proposals:
Who May Serve as PI:
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI:
V. Proposal Preparation And Submission InstructionsA. Proposal Preparation InstructionsFull Proposal Preparation Instructions: Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via FastLane, Research.gov, or Grants.gov.
See PAPPG Chapter II.C.2 for guidance on the required sections of a full research proposal submitted to NSF. Please note that the proposal preparation instructions provided in this program solicitation may deviate from the PAPPG instructions. The title of the proposal must be preceded by the prefix “FMRG:” for Future Manufacturing Research Grants or “FMSG:" for Future Manufacturing Seed Grants, followed by the prefix that identifies the major thrust area of the proposal - “Cyber:” for Cyber manufacturing, “Eco:” for Eco manufacturing or “Bio:” for Biomanufacturing. In addition to the content specified in the PAPPG, including the requirement for a separate section labeled "Broader Impacts", the Project Description must contain the following subsections: Research Description: The Research Description section must describe the technical rationale and approach of the proposed activities. It should describe the challenges that drive the research problem. This section should describe the research plan including descriptions of major tasks, the primary organization responsible for each task, and milestones. It should present metrics for success. This section should also describe major program risks and potential mitigation approaches. Scope and Scale (FMRG proposals only): This section should justify the proposed scope and scale of work. It should explain why the project requires the selected researchers and scope of expertise, why it needs the types and length of time for specific research activities, and how the transferability and scalability of the proposed solutions justify the scale. The section is not intended to be a rehashing of budget justifications, but a discussion of what resources are needed to accomplish the activity and the difference that accomplishing the proposed tasks will make. Enabling Future Manufacturing: This section should describe how the proposed fundamental research will enable Future Manufacturing. This section should describe the significant impacts of the proposed research, what field(s) of manufacturing will be transformed, and the major challenges that must be overcome. It should describe how results from the proposed research could be translated to enable new manufacturing and how that manufacturing differs from current practice. This section should describe how the proposal’s interdisciplinary research team is equipped to address research aimed at Future Manufacturing. Because the Future Manufacturing program strives to sustain U.S. competitiveness in manufacturing, proposals must include a brief description of the global context for their proposed work that explains what other leading countries are doing in the proposal's area of fundamental research, its translation to manufacturing and/or in future manufacturing advances. Project Management and Collaboration Plan: This section should describe how the project and collaborations will be managed. The plan should identify organizational responsibilities and how the project will be managed, including approaches for meeting project goals. The plan should include: 1) the specific roles of the project participants in all involved organizations; 2) information on how the project will be managed across all the investigators, institutions, and/or disciplines; 3) approaches for integration of research components throughout the project and, 4) identification of the specific coordination mechanisms that will enable cross-investigator, cross-institution and/or cross-discipline integration. The plan should include a Gantt chart that lays out the sequence of activities and identifies the responsible organization for each of them. It should include a description of the milestones to be achieved in the project and evaluation criteria to assess success. Education and Workforce Development Plan: For FMSG proposals, this section must be part of the Project Description. For FMRG proposals, this section must be submitted as a Supplementary Document (maximum three pages). This section must describe how the proposed research will form a basis for training a new generation in Future Manufacturing, including members of the skilled technical workforce. Commensurate with the scope of the proposal and project budget, the plan may encompass training and/or curricula for a range of future workforce participants, including graduate, undergraduate, and K-12 students; those in technical certification and associate degree programs; professionals in continuing education; and students in online education programs. This section should provide plans for integrating research outcomes into education. Convergence research produces a new content domain at the intersection of participating content domains. The plan could describe how training programs and/or curricula will be developed once a new content domain has been identified. The plan could identify evidence-based practices grounded in learning theory (e.g., experiential learning) that are likely to be successful in the new content domain. The plan could define the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required to conduct the proposed research beyond those obtained in a traditional curriculum, how students will acquire them, and how these skills will prepare students to enter the Future Manufacturing workforce. The plan could describe efforts to develop instructional materials and mentoring that will enable faculty to implement the proposed education strategies. The project team should have appropriate expertise in specific evidence-based pedagogical approaches and assessment, which should be reflected in the education plan. The plan should describe how the educational activities will be assessed and how the readiness of participants to engage in Future Manufacturing with skills and competencies desired by industry will be evaluated. B. Budgetary InformationCost Sharing: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. C. Due Dates
D. FastLane/Research.gov/Grants.gov RequirementsFor Proposals Submitted Via FastLane or Research.gov:
For Proposals Submitted Via Grants.gov:
Proposers that submitted via FastLane or Research.gov may use Research.gov to verify the status of their submission to NSF. For proposers that submitted via Grants.gov, until an application has been received and validated by NSF, the Authorized Organizational Representative may check the status of an application on Grants.gov. After proposers have received an e-mail notification from NSF, Research.gov should be used to check the status of an application. VI. NSF Proposal Processing And Review ProceduresProposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program for acknowledgement and, if they meet NSF requirements, for review. 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 either as ad hoc reviewers, panelists, or both, who are experts in the particular fields represented by the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with 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. In addition, Program Officers may obtain comments from site visits before recommending final action on proposals. Senior NSF staff further review recommendations for awards. A flowchart that depicts the entire NSF proposal and award process (and associated timeline) is included in PAPPG Exhibit III-1. A comprehensive description of the Foundation's merit review process is available on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/merit_review/. Proposers should also be aware of core strategies that are essential to the fulfillment of NSF's mission, as articulated in Building the Future: Investing in Discovery and Innovation - NSF Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2018 – 2022. These strategies are integrated in the program planning and implementation process, of which proposal review is one part. NSF's mission is particularly well-implemented through the integration of research and education and broadening participation in NSF programs, projects, and activities. One of the strategic objectives in support of NSF's mission is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions must recruit, train, and prepare a diverse STEM workforce to advance the frontiers of science and participate in the U.S. technology-based economy. NSF's contribution to the national innovation ecosystem is to provide cutting-edge research under the guidance of the Nation's most creative scientists and engineers. NSF also supports development of a strong science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce by investing in building the knowledge that informs improvements in STEM teaching and learning. NSF's mission calls for the broadening of opportunities and expanding participation of groups, institutions, and geographic regions that are underrepresented in STEM disciplines, which 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. A. Merit Review Principles and CriteriaThe National Science Foundation strives to invest in a robust and diverse portfolio of projects that creates new knowledge and enables breakthroughs in understanding across all areas of science and engineering research and education. To identify which projects to support, NSF relies on a merit review process that incorporates consideration of both the technical aspects of a proposed project and its potential to contribute more broadly to advancing NSF's mission "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes." NSF makes every effort to conduct a fair, competitive, transparent merit review process for the selection of projects. 1. Merit Review Principles These principles are to be given due diligence by PIs and organizations when preparing proposals and managing projects, by reviewers when reading and evaluating proposals, and by NSF program staff when determining whether or not to recommend proposals for funding and while overseeing awards. Given that NSF is the primary federal agency charged with nurturing and supporting excellence in basic research and education, the following three principles apply:
With respect to the third principle, even if assessment of Broader Impacts outcomes for particular projects is done at an aggregated level, PIs are expected to be accountable for carrying out the activities described in the funded project. Thus, individual projects should include clearly stated goals, specific descriptions of the activities that the PI intends to do, and a plan in place to document the outputs of those activities. These three merit review principles provide the basis for the merit review criteria, as well as a context within which the users of the criteria can better understand their intent. 2. Merit Review Criteria All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board approved merit review criteria. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities. The two merit review criteria are listed below. Both criteria are to be given full consideration during the review and decision-making processes; each criterion is necessary but neither, by itself, is sufficient. Therefore, proposers must fully address both criteria. (PAPPG Chapter II.C.2.d(i). contains additional information for use by proposers in development of the Project Description section of the proposal). Reviewers are strongly encouraged to review the criteria, including PAPPG Chapter II.C.2.d(i), prior to the review of a proposal. When evaluating NSF proposals, reviewers will be asked to consider what the proposers want to do, why they want to do it, how they plan to do it, how they will know if they succeed, and what benefits could accrue if the project is successful. These issues apply both to the technical aspects of the proposal and the way in which the project may make broader contributions. To that end, reviewers will be asked to evaluate all proposals against two criteria:
The following elements should be considered in the review for both criteria:
Broader impacts may be accomplished through the research itself, through the activities that are directly related to specific research projects, or through activities that are supported by, but are complementary to, the project. NSF values the advancement of scientific knowledge and activities that contribute to achievement of societally relevant outcomes. Such outcomes include, but are not limited to: full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); improved STEM education and educator development at any level; increased public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and technology; improved well-being of individuals in society; development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce; increased partnerships between academia, industry, and others; improved national security; increased economic competitiveness of the United States; and enhanced infrastructure for research and education. Proposers are reminded that reviewers will also be asked to review the Data Management Plan and the Postdoctoral Researcher Mentoring Plan, as appropriate. Additional Solicitation Specific Review Criteria
B. Review and Selection ProcessProposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by Panel Review. Reviewers will be asked to evaluate proposals using two National Science Board approved merit review criteria and, if applicable, additional program specific criteria. A summary rating and accompanying narrative will generally be completed and submitted by each reviewer and/or panel. 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 strives to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. Large or particularly complex proposals or proposals from new awardees may require additional review and processing time. The time interval begins on the deadline or target date, or receipt date, whichever is later. The interval ends when the Division Director acts upon the Program Officer's recommendation. 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. After an administrative review has occurred, Grants and Agreements Officers perform 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. Once an award or declination decision has been made, Principal Investigators are provided feedback about their proposals. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers or any reviewer-identifying information, 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. VII. Award Administration InformationA. Notification of the AwardNotification 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 ConditionsAn NSF award consists of: (1) the award notice, 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 notice; (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 notice. 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) 292-8134 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov. More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter VII, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg. Special Award Conditions: Awardees will be required to attend the kickoff meeting described above and annual FM grantees' conferences for the duration of their award. C. Reporting RequirementsFor all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the Principal Investigator must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer no later than 90 days prior to the end of the current budget period. (Some programs or awards require submission of more frequent project reports). No later than 120 days following expiration of a grant, the PI also is required to submit a final project report, and a project outcomes report for the general public. Failure to provide the required annual or final project reports, or the project outcomes report, will delay NSF review and processing of any future funding increments as well as any pending proposals for all identified PIs and co-PIs on a given award. 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 Research.gov, for preparation and submission of annual and final project reports. Such reports provide information on accomplishments, project participants (individual and organizational), publications, and other specific products and impacts of the project. Submission of the report via Research.gov constitutes certification by the PI that the contents of the report are accurate and complete. The project outcomes report also must be prepared and submitted using Research.gov. This report serves as a brief summary, prepared specifically for the public, of the nature and outcomes of the project. This report will be posted on the NSF website exactly as it is submitted by the PI. More comprehensive information on NSF Reporting Requirements and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter VII, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg. VIII. Agency ContactsPlease note that the program contact information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact. General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:
For questions related to the use of FastLane or Research.gov, contact:
For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:
General inquiries regarding this program should be made to futuremanufacturing@nsf.gov. IX. Other InformationThe 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, "NSF Update" is an information-delivery system 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 Grants Conferences. Subscribers are informed through e-mail or the user's Web browser each time new publications are issued that match their identified interests. "NSF Update" also is available on NSF's website. Grants.gov provides an additional electronic capability to search for Federal government-wide grant opportunities. NSF funding opportunities may be accessed via this mechanism. Further information on Grants.gov may be obtained at https://www.grants.gov. About The National Science FoundationThe 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 55,000 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 Arctic 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 (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects. See the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide Chapter II.E.6 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.
Privacy Act And Public Burden StatementsThe 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 System of Record Notices, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records.” 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 |
