NSF 09-603: Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPLACED BY NSF 10-604

Program Solicitation NSF 09-603

Replaces Document(s):
NSF 08-593

 

National Science Foundation Directorate for Education & Human Resources      Division of Graduate Education

 

Application Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):

November 02, 2009

Interdisciplinary fields of Study

November 04, 2009

Mathematical Sciences; Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering

November 05, 2009

Social Sciences; Psychology; Geosciences

November 06, 2009

Life Sciences

November 10, 2009

Chemistry; Physics and Astronomy

November 12, 2009

Engineering

Revision Notes

Summary Of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title: 

Synopsis of Program:

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

• Applications, contact:  GRF Operations Center, telephone: (866) 673-4737, email: help@nsfgrfp.org

• For Program, contact:  Gisele Muller-Parker, telephone: (703) 292-7468, email: gtmuller@nsf.gov

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

• 47.076 --- Education and Human Resources

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award:  Fellowship Grant

Estimated Number of Awards:    1,654   new awards will be offered pending availability of funds.

Anticipated Funding Amount:   $66,987,000  for new fellowships in FY 2010 pending the availability of funds.

Eligibility Information

Organization Limit:  Fellowship applications must be submitted by the prospective Fellow. Applicants must register with Fastlane (https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/) prior to submitting an application and must affiliate with an accredited United States university, college, or non-profit academic institution or appropriate international institution of higher education offering advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics prior to activating the Fellowship award.

Applicant Eligibility:

Refer to Section IV. Additional Eligibility Information.

Limit on Number of Applications per PI: 1

- Applicants are limited to only one application in this competition.

Applicant Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Application Preparation Instructions

• Letters of Intent: Not Applicable

• Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not Applicable

• Application 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 under this solicitation.

• Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:  

  No indirect costs are allowed.

• Other Budgetary Limitations: Other budgetary limitations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

C. Due Dates

• Application Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):

  November 02, 2009

  Interdisciplinary fields of Study

  November 04, 2009

  Mathematical Sciences; Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering

  November 05, 2009

  Social Sciences; Psychology; Geosciences

  November 06, 2009

  Life Sciences

  November 10, 2009

  Chemistry; Physics and Astronomy

  November 12, 2009

  Engineering

Application Review Information Criteria

Merit Review Criteria:   National Science Board approved criteria apply.

Award Administration Information

Award Conditions:   Standard NSF award conditions apply.

Reporting Requirements:   See reporting requirements in full text of solicitation.

Agency Contacts

Other Information

Appendix

I. Introduction

II. Program Description

III. Award Information

IV. Eligibility Information

Organization Limit:  Fellowship applications must be submitted by the prospective Fellow. Applicants must register with Fastlane (https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/) prior to submitting an application and must affiliate with an accredited United States university, college, or non-profit academic institution or appropriate international institution of higher education offering advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics prior to activating the Fellowship award.

Applicant Eligibility:

Refer to Section IV. Additional Eligibility Information.

Limit on Number of Applications per PI: 1  

- Applicants are limited to only one application in this competition.

Additional Eligibility Info:

The three eligibility requirements for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program -- 1) citizenship, 2) degree requirements, and 3) field of study -- are described below. Applicants are advised to read the entire program solicitation carefully to be sure that the requirements are interpreted properly. Applicants must exercise judgment in assessing eligibility.

Eligibility will be determined only by review of a complete, submitted application.

1. Citizenship

Applicants must be United States citizens or nationals, or permanent resident aliens of the United States.

The term "national" designates a native resident of a commonwealth or territory of the United States, such as American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, or the Northern Mariana Islands. It does not refer to a citizen of another country who has applied for U.S. citizenship.

2. Degree Requirements

Fellowships are intended for individuals in the early stages of their graduate study. Below are general guidelines for determining eligibility according to the degree requirements criterion.

• Applicants are expected to have adequate preparation to begin graduate study and research by summer or fall 2010. In most cases, this will be demonstrated by receipt of a bachelor's degree earned prior to Fall 2010.
• Individuals are typically eligible to apply:
  • During the senior year of college
  • After graduating from college and prior to entering graduate school
  • During the first year of graduate school
  • Prior to completing the first term of the second year of graduate school.
• Applicants must have completed no more than twelve (12) months of full-time graduate study or its equivalent as of August 1, 2009. Full time graduate study is as defined by the universities attended.
• Applicants who have completed part-time graduate study must have completed no more than twenty-four (24) semester hours or thirty-six (36) quarter hours or their equivalent as of August 1, 2009.  This credit hour limit applies only to part-time graduate students; there is no credit hour limit for full-time students, only the 12 month limit.
• All post-baccalaureate, graduate-level study in any NSF-supported field of study (see NSF-supported Fields of Study) is counted toward the allowed twelve months of completed graduate study. This includes all Master's and Ph.D. programs in these disciplines.

  Applicants in joint BS/MS programs are typically eligible to apply prior to completion of any further graduate study.

  • In four-year joint programs, applicants may apply in the fourth year and after completion of the program.  Completion of any graduate study not part of the joint program will disqualify an applicant.
  • In five-year joint programs, applicants may apply in the fourth and fifth years of the program and after completion of the program. Completion of any further graduate study outside of the joint program will disqualify an applicant.

Definition of Completed Graduate Study

Applicants may have completed no more than twelve months of full-time graduate study or its equivalent by August 1, 2009.

All post-baccalaureate, graduate level graduate study in any NSF-supported field is counted towards the allowed twelve months of graduate study. Relevant graduate study includes:

• All Master’s programs (including research-based or coursework-based programs, and “terminal” programs as well as those that are contiguous with a Ph.D. program)
• All Doctoral programs
• Post-baccalaureate, graduate-level coursework in any NSF-supported field completed outside a degree program
• Post-baccalaureate, graduate-level coursework in a non-NSF-supported field that is nevertheless related to the proposed graduate program (i.e., that does not represent a significant change of field).  A "significant change of field" is typically a major field of study change (higher level categories listed in the NSF Fields of Study, see Appendix).

• Both full-time and part-time graduate programs

Graduate study is considered “completed” when a term/semester/quarter is finished and grades have been assigned.

Research-based work experience in an academic or similar environment that is closely related to the current or proposed program of graduate study may be considered equivalent to graduate coursework for eligibility purposes. A combination of relevant work experience and completed coursework may render an applicant ineligible.

Extenuating circumstances

In some cases, applicants who have completed more than twelve months of graduate study may be considered eligible if there are certain extenuating circumstances. Acceptable extenuating circumstances typically place an applicant who has completed more than twelve months of graduate study in a position comparable to someone who has completed no more than twelve months of graduate study in the proposed field.

Extenuating circumstances may include:

• An interruption in graduate study of more than two years prior to November 2009 due to medical, personal, or family reasons.
  • If the interruption includes workplace research experience that is related to the proposed graduate study, it might not be considered an extenuating circumstance.
• A significant change of field
  • A “significant change of field” is typically a major field of study change (higher level categories listed in the NSF Fields of Study, see Appendix).

The following are not considered significant changes of field:

• Changing focus within the same major field of study
• Starting a new graduate program at a new institution or with a new advisor, but continuing in the same major field of study as in the previous graduate study
• Changing from a non-NSF-supported field or program (e.g. public health or clinical psychology) to an NSF-supported program when there is demonstrable continuity between the previous and proposed graduate study (i.e. the change is not at the level of the higher level categories listed in the NSF Fields of Study, see Appendix).  
• Changing major fields of study but with demonstrable continuity between the previous and proposed graduate study. Interdisciplinary programs of study may qualify as a significant change if the new program of study includes a majority of effort in fields other than those in the previous program of study

All extenuating circumstances are considered on a case-by-case basis and are determined only upon review of a complete, submitted application.

Categories of applicants that are always ineligible:

• Those who have earned a Ph.D. in a science, mathematics, or engineering field, or any medical degree, such as an M.D., D.D.S., or D.V.M. after October 1, 2004
• Those who have already received and held tenure as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow (previously known as an NSF Pre-Doctoral Fellow).
• Those who do not have US citizen, US national or permanent resident alien status by the application deadline.

3. Field of Study

Fellowships are awarded for graduate study leading to research-based master’s or doctoral degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics supported by the National Science Foundation (See NSF-Supported Fields of Study in Section X of this solicitation and the
NSF Proposal and Awards Policies and Procedures Guide).  The guidelines below should be used to assess eligibility according to the field of study criterion.

• Applications for interdisciplinary programs of study and research are eligible for the Graduate Research Fellowship, provided the applicant meets all other eligibility guidelines and requirements. Refer to special instructions on preparing applications for Interdisciplinary Fields of Study.
• Research with disease-related goals, including work on the etiology, diagnosis or treatment of physical or mental disease, abnormality, or malfunction in human beings or animals, is normally not supported. Animal models of such conditions or the development or testing of drugs or other procedures for their treatment also are not eligible for support. However, research in bioengineering, with diagnosis- or treatment-related goals, that applies engineering principles to problems in biology and medicine while advancing engineering knowledge is eligible for support. Bioengineering research to aid persons with disabilities also is eligible. For further information about the National Science Foundation, see the
  Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide Introduction Section A, About the National Science Foundation.
• Clinical and counseling psychology are not supported in this program. Clinical study includes patient-oriented research, epidemiological and behavioral studies, outcomes research and health services research. It is defined as investigations to provide evidence leading to a scientific basis for consideration of a change in health policy or standard of care, and includes pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic, and behavioral interventions for disease prevention, prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy. Community- and other population-based intervention trials are also included. 
• Applications in a policy science are eligible only if the applicant is pursuing a research-based master's or Ph.D. degree.
• Applications in a science and engineering education field (e.g., physics education) are eligible only if the applicant is pursuing a research-based master's or Ph.D. degree focusing on education of an NSF-Supported Field of Study (see Appendix, Section X of this solicitation).

Categories of study that are always ineligible:

• Clinical (see above), counseling, business or management fields, social work, education (except in science and engineering education in an NSF-supported discipline), or history (except in history of science).
• Practice-oriented professional degree programs, joint science-professional degree programs (MD/PhD and JD/PhD), or medical, dental, law, and public health programs.

The Graduate Research Fellowship Operations Center is responsible for processing applications and responding to questions about the program. For questions concerning these guidelines, contact the Graduate Research Fellowship Operations Center, (866) 673-4737, international (202) 331-3542, or help@nsfgrfp.org. However, a final eligibility decision will be determined only on the basis of a completed submitted application.

Women in Engineering and Computer and Information Science Awards

The Women in Engineering and Computer and Information Science awards are for women who intend to pursue graduate research degrees in Engineering or Computer and Information Science and Engineering. Additional funding for these awards is provided by the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and the Directorate for Engineering. Eligibility, application, and review criteria are the same as for applicants in other fields.

V. Application Preparation And Submission Instructions

A. Application Preparation Instructions

 

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:   Cost sharing is not required under this solicitation.

Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:  

No indirect costs are allowed.

Other Budgetary Limitations:  NSF awards $40,500 each year to the affiliated institution to cover the GRF stipend and cost of education allowance for each Graduate Research Fellow on Tenure at that institution. Fellows Abroad receive direct grant awards for up to the same amount.

The Graduate Research Fellowship Program fellowship stipend currently is $30,000 for a 12-month tenure period, prorated monthly at $2,500 for shorter periods as approved by NSF.

The cost-of-education allowance currently is $10,500 per tenure year per fellow. For Fellows Abroad, all tuition and assessed fees are reimbursed to the Fellow up to a maximum of $10,500 per tenure year.

Fellows are eligible for a one-time $1,000 International Research Travel Allowance.

C. Due Dates

• Application Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):

  November 02, 2009

  Interdisciplinary fields of Study

  November 04, 2009

  Mathematical Sciences; Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering

  November 05, 2009

  Social Sciences; Psychology; Geosciences

  November 06, 2009

  Life Sciences

  November 10, 2009

  Chemistry; Physics and Astronomy

  November 12, 2009

  Engineering

D. Fastlane Requirements

Applicants are required to prepare and submit all applications for this program solicitation through the FastLane system. Detailed instructions for application 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 solicitation.

VI. Application Review Information   

The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is designed to provide opportunities for pre-doctoral education that prepares students for a broad range of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary careers through its investment in intellectual capital. Applicants are expected to propose a holistic plan for graduate education that demonstrates the potential to successfully complete a research-based graduate degree and the potential to become an emerging knowledge expert in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

A. NSF Application Review Process

Applications will be reviewed by panels of disciplinary and interdisciplinary scientists, mathematicians, and engineers and other professional experts in graduate education. Applications will be assigned to panels based on the applicant’s chosen field(s) of study and the discipline(s) represented. Thus, applicants are advised to select the fields of study in the FastLane applicant module that are most closely aligned to the proposed graduate program of study and research plan. Applications to interdisciplinary fields of study are reviewed by interdisciplinary panelists based on the disciplines indicated by the applicant and review of the application by the GRFP staff.

Each application, therefore, will be reviewed independently on the basis of merit using all available information in the completed application. In considering applications, reviewers will be instructed to address the two Merit Review Criteria as approved by the National Science Board – Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts (Grant and Proposal Guide, NSF 08-01). Applicants, therefore, must address each criterion in their written statements to provide reviewers with the information necessary to respond fully to both.

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 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?

To evaluate the intellectual merit criterion, panelists will consider: the strength of the academic record, the proposed plan of research, the description of previous research experience, references, Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General and Subject Tests scores, and the appropriateness of the choice of institution relative to the proposed plan for graduate education and research.

To help panelists evaluate the broader impacts criterion, applicants should provide characteristics of their background, including personal, professional, and educational experiences, to indicate their potential to fulfill the broader impacts criterion.

B. Application Review and Selection Process

Applications submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by 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.

Please see Section A. above for a description of the review process.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the fellowship award is made to the applicant by the Division of Graduate Education. Applicants whose applications are not selected for fellowship award will be advised as promptly as possible.

B. Award Conditions

An NSF Fellowship award consists of the award letter that includes the applicable terms and conditions and fellowship management instructions. All Fellowship awards are made subject to the provisions (and any subsequent amendments) contained in the document Information for Graduate Research Fellows.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program applicants will be notified in late March or early April, 2010 of their selection. The applicant must accept or decline the Fellowship within 30 days of notification by logging into the Graduate Research Fellowship Program link at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/ with the applicant User ID and password. Failure to comply with the deadline may result in revocation of the fellowship offer.

Other Opportunities for Fellowship Awardees and Honorable Mention Recipients

Fellows and Honorable Mention recipients may request cyberinfrastructure resources through the TeraGrid. Details on resources available are described at: http://www.teragrid.org. Requests must be for cyberinfrastructure resources in support of research undertaken toward completion of the graduate program of study.

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities (students and faculty) to work on NSF-supported projects. Fellowship awardees and Honorable Mention recipients with disabilities may apply for assistance by contacting grfp@nsf.gov.

Research Involving Human Subjects

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 fellowship award or (2) must affirm that the IRB or an appropriate knowledgeable authority previously designated by the organization (not the Applicant) has declared the research exempt from IRB review, in accordance with the applicable subsection, as established in section 101(b) of the Common Rule. Applicants and Fellows are required to comply with this policy and adhere to the organization’s protocol for managing research involving human subjects.

Proposals Involving Vertebrate Animals

Any project proposing use of vertebrate animals for research or education shall comply with the Animal Welfare Act [7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.] and the regulations promulgated thereunder by the Secretary of Agriculture [9 CFR 1.1-4.11] pertaining to the humane care, handling, and treatment of vertebrate animals held or used for research, teaching or other activities supported by Federal awards. In accordance with these requirements, proposed projects involving use of any vertebrate animal for research or education must be approved by the submitting organization's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) before an award can be made. For this approval to be accepted by NSF, the organization must have a current Public Health Service (PHS) Approved Assurance.

Projects involving the care or use of vertebrate animals at a foreign organization or foreign field site also require approval of research protocols by the U.S. grantee’s IACUC. If the project is to be funded through an award to a foreign organization or through an individual fellowship award that will support activities at a foreign organization, NSF will require a statement of compliance that the activities will be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws in the foreign country and that the International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals (see http://www.cioms.ch/) will be followed.

Legal Rights to Intellectual Property

The National Science Foundation claims no rights to any inventions or writings that might result from its fellowship or traineeship grants. However, fellows and trainees should be aware that the NSF, another Federal agency, or some private party may acquire such rights through other support for particular research. Also, fellows and trainees should note their obligation to include an Acknowledgment and Disclaimer in any publication.

C. Reporting Requirements

Annual Activity Report

Fellows are required to submit an Activity Report annually, regardless to tenure status, using NSF’s FastLane electronic fellowship management and reporting system. The system permits electronic submission and updating of activity reports, including information on research accomplishments and findings, presentations, publications, teaching and research assistantships, awards and recognitions, and other scholarly accomplishments.

Annual Tenure Declaration

Fellows must declare their intent to affiliate with an institution and to utilize the fellowship for the following year annually using the NSF FastLane fellowship management and reporting system. Failure to declare intent by the deadline established violates the terms and conditions for NSF fellowship awards.

Fellows Abroad

Starting Certificate: Fellows Abroad must submit the Fellowship Starting Certificate (NSF Form 349) to initiate stipend payments and annually thereafter. The Starting Certificate must indicate the contact information for the Science Advisor at the affiliated institution.

Faststart Direct Deposit Form: Fellows Abroad must submit the Faststart Direct Deposit Form (NSF Form 1379) to the Division of Financial Management at NSF in order for the U.S. Treasury Department to transmit payment data electronically to the Fellow’s U.S. bank account.

Program Evaluation

The Division of Graduate Education (DGE) may conduct an on-going evaluation to determine how effectively the GRF program is achieving its goal to respond to the nation’s need for a globally prepared diverse science and engineering workforce. Additionally, it is highly desirable to have a structured means of tracking Fellows beyond graduation to gauge the extent to which they follow a career path consistent with the intent of the program and to assess the impact the NSF fellowship has had on their graduate education experience. Accordingly, Fellows may be contacted during and after the completion of this award for updates on various aspects of their employment history, professional activities and accomplishments, and other information helpful in evaluating the impact of the program. Fellows and affiliated institutions should be prepared to cooperate in program-level evaluations conducted by the NSF and/or contracted evaluators.

VIII. Agency Contacts

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

• Applications, contact:   GRF Operations Center, telephone: (866) 673-4737, email: help@nsfgrfp.org

• For Program, contact:   Gisele Muller-Parker, telephone: (703) 292-7468, email: gtmuller@nsf.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

• FastLane Help Desk, telephone: 1-800-673-6188; e-mail: fastlane@nsf.gov.

The Graduate Research Fellowship Operations Center is responsible for processing applications and responding to requests for information.  General inquiries regarding the Graduate Research Fellowship Program should be made to:

Graduate Research Fellowship Operations Center, telephone: 866-NSF-GRFP, 866-673-4737 (toll-free from the US and Canada) or 202-331-3542 (international). email: help@nsfgrfp.org

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.

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 MyNSF, formerly the Custom News Service, at (https://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm) to be notified of new funding opportunities that become available.

International Research Fellowship Program (NSF 06-582)

Alliances for Broadening Participation in STEM (ABP) (NSF 09-515)

Discovery Corps Fellowships (NSF 07-516)

CEDAR, GEM, and SHINE Postdoctoral Research (NSF 06-584)

Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) (NSF 09-519)

Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF 09-598)

Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (NSF 09-573)

SBE Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and Follow-up Research Starter Grants (NSF 09-595)

Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) (NSF 09-549)

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 Location: 4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22230 For General Information (NSF Information Center): (703) 292-5111 TDD (for the hearing-impaired): (703) 292-5090 To Order Publications or Forms:   Send an e-mail to: nsfpubs@nsf.gov or telephone: (703) 292-7827 To Locate NSF Employees: (703) 292-5111

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 3145-0023. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 12 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

X. Appendix