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NSF 04-581: Innovation and Organizational Change (IOC)

Program Solicitation

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Document History

Public comment:
NSF will not be accepting proposals for the August 15, 2005 target date. NSF intends to issue a revised solicitation for FY 2006
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Innovation and Organizational Change (IOC)

Program Solicitation
NSF 04-581
Replaces Document NSF 98-148

NSF Logo

National Science Foundation
Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences
      Division of Social and Economic Sciences



Full Proposal Target Date(s):

    August 15, annually

    February 1, annually

 

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

    February 01, 2006

Revisions And Updates

Naman 4/24/2005 Revising to elim Aug competition, per Div Dir.

Summary Of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title:

Innovation and Organizational Change (IOC)

Synopsis of Program:

The Innovation and Organizational Change (IOC) program seeks to create and apply fundamental new knowledge with the aim of improving the effectiveness of the design, administration, and management of organizations, including industrial, educational, service, government, nonprofit and voluntary organizations. Additionally, the program seeks a better understanding of how teamwork, coordination, and institutional arrangements contribute to innovation. The program encourages dissemination of knowledge gained from research to organizations and institutions that can implement reforms based on what has been learned.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

  • Jacqueline Meszaros, Program Director, Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences, Division of Social and Economic Sciences, 995 N, telephone: (703) 292-7261, fax: (703) 292-9068, email: jmeszaro@nsf.gov

  • John L. Naman, Program Director (Off-Site), Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences, Division of Social and Economic Sciences, 995 N, telephone: (301) 942-1778, fax: (703) 292-9068, email: jnaman@nsf.gov

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

  • 47.075 --- Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences

Eligibility Information

  • Organization Limit:

    U.S. academic institutions may submit proposals as lead institutions. Multi-organizational arrangements are permitted and encouraged. These arrangements may be with other U.S. academic institutions and nonprofit research organizations in the United States on behalf of individuals or groups.
  • PI Eligibility Limit:

    None Specified
  • Limit on Number of Proposals: None Specified

Award Information

  • Anticipated Type of Award: Standard or Continuing Grant
  • Estimated Number of Awards: 3 to 8 - estimated number of new awards per year. See Section IV. AWARD INFORMATION below
  • Anticipated Funding Amount: $800,000 pending the availability of funds in FY2006

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
  • Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: This solicitation contains information that supplements 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 by NSF.
  • Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable.
  • Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable.
C. Due Dates
  • Full Proposal Target Date(s):
      August 15, annually
      February 1, annually
  • Full Proposal Deadline Date(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):
      February 01, 2006

Proposal Review Information

  • 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: Standard NSF award conditions apply.
  • Reporting Requirements: Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.

I. Introduction

The IOC program places a priority on investigator-initiated research that advances our understanding of fundamental processes and structures of organizations in a variety of institutional contexts. It supports research that develops and tests theories, concepts, and methodologies related to organizational learning and redesign, strategic and cultural change, quality and process improvement, the genesis and management of innovation, new product and service development, and the organizational development and integration of new technologies. IOC supported research should ordinarily combine theory with empirical validation. Simulation models and lab studies are expected to be tested and validated with organizational data. A high priority is given to research that includes working with partner organizations to get deep inside the "black box" of organizations and institutions. Projects that develop or build on research perspectives that cross disciplinary lines are another program priority. In appropriate cases interdisciplinary proposals may be evaluated through joint review among relevant programs and NSF-wide multi-disciplinary panels.

Perspectives IOC research might draw on include, but are not limited to, organizational behavior and theory, industrial/organizational psychology, and organizational sociology. Research methods may span a broad variety of qualitative and quantitative methods, including archival analyses, surveys, field studies, simulations, case studies, organization simulation modeling, lab studies that are grounded in organizational issues, organizational learning curves, and social network analysis. Partner organizations to serve as data sources or test beds may be drawn from all sectors, including businesses, nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies and educational institutions.

II. Program Description

PROPOSALS SUBMITTED UNDER THIS PROGRAM SOLICITATION MUST:

Demonstrate potential contributions to both theory and practice. The proposal should identify explicitly the connection between the proposed research and fundamental problems of innovation and/or transforming organizations and institutions. In addition the proposal should address potential contributions to practice in organizations. Improvements to practice might mean, for example, plans for using research results to improve university curricula or the delivery of social services, to improve an industrial process, to develop methods, to create or sustain productive linkages between regulated industries and their regulators or between research universities and the research user community, or to introduce more flexibility into workforce routines. Improvements in practice should be applicable well beyond the partner organization(s). Basic research that clearly will lay the groundwork for future work with important practical applications is also solicited.

Build on existing research and represent clear value-added over existing literature. Research in any topic area is a cumulative enterprise. While the body of research on innovation and/or organizational change and performance improvement is not always large, it is usually a mistake to assume that no research has been performed on a particular topic and that no research results exist. Proposers are encouraged to do thorough checks of the literature to ensure that they are going beyond the knowledge that already exists. While NSF limits on the length of proposals preclude extended literature reviews, proposals should clearly indicate the literature base of the study, and how it will be enhanced by the proposed research.

Clearly describe an appropriate intended methodology and research design. Many different research methods are acceptable, which makes it impossible to identify specific methodological criteria for all proposals. Proposals whose methods and design would be accepted as appropriate by a consensus of the researchers in the relevant disciplines will meet the requirements of the Innovation and Organizational Change program. For example, for quantitative social science type research, requirements include research designs that allow research questions to be answered and rival explanations to be ruled out, appropriate samples, valid and reliable measures of constructs and appropriate analytical methods. Research using other methods should also be rigorously designed.

Include plans for disseminating results to practitioners as well as to the research community. The creative dissemination of research results, as well as information about how to most productively use the new information, is encouraged. Possible modes of dissemination include presentations at workshops, publication in academic and practitioner journals, and web delivery. Ordinarily it is expected that academic publications will be part of this mix. In addition, awardees may be required to participate in NSF-sponsored conferences to share results. When such conferences are held, awardees will be authorized to use grant funds to support travel to attend them.

Research will be supported in several areas and disciplines relevant to the core mission of the program. Potential research problems may include, but are not limited to:

  1. organizational processes by which science and technically-oriented activities are integrated into organizations. An example is the integration of research, development, and engineering tasks necessary to carry out effective innovation in basic and applied research in national laboratories, multi-disciplinary university centers, and industrial research;

  2. impacts of new technologies on organizational forms;

  3. processes through which organizations learn to improve their performance;

  4. structures and processes through which knowledge is most effectively transferred within and between organizations;

  5. formal public/nonprofit and private partnerships;

  6. interactive activities and relationships among and between a variety of organizations, public, private, and nonprofit. Examples include organizations involved in health care, energy, transportation, education, pollution, global trade, and disasters;

  7. how public policy affects the distribution of individuals across organizations (e.g., schools, hospitals);

  8. emerging and continuing challenges such as quality improvement, strategic alliances, new technology implementation, organizational restructuring, and governance;

  9. impact of social networks and relationships on organizational and institutional outcomes;

  10. research in emerging domains, such as those created by globalization of the economy, changes in public policy, and improvements in technology;

  11. furthering our understanding of the management process particularly as it relates to the research, development, and engineering tasks necessary to carry out effective innovation; and

  12. fundamental research in organizational issues associated with design, manufacturing and industrial engineering.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. NSF welcomes proposals that address new and exciting research questions regarding innovation and change in organizations.

III. Eligibility Information

U.S. academic institutions may submit proposals as lead institutions. Multi-organizational arrangements are permitted and encouraged. These arrangements may be with other U.S. academic institutions and nonprofit research organizations in the United States on behalf of individuals or groups.

IV. Award Information

Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds. Anticipated funding amount for FY 2006 for the IOC program is $800 thousand.

NSF expects to make approximately 3 to 8 new standard or continuing grants annually, typically from one to three years in duration. Funding for multi-year awards will be contingent upon acceptable progress in implementing program objectives, including monitoring and evaluation activities, and the availability of funds.

V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Instructions:

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

The following information and instructions supplement the GPG guidelines.

PROGRAM SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS 

The Innovation and Organizational Change (IOC) program seeks to strengthen research in content areas and indirectly to improve organizational and institutional practice. To achieve these goals, the IOC program requires that research proposals respond to the following program specific guidelines, which are in addition to the standard NSF guidelines.  

Priority will be given to proposals that reflect a partnership between researchers and one or more organizations. A partnership is defined as a long-term and value-added relationship with substantial organization-wide commitment to providing access to internal data and interviews with employees. The character of the partnership (whether this is historical or a long-term relationship projected for the future) should be expressed clearly in the proposal text and in the letter(s) of commitment from the partner(s). Partner organizations can be small or large, and can be in any sector: businesses, non-profits, governmental agencies, education, health care, etc.  It is vital that the proposal identify significant contributions from the organizational partner(s), including involvement in planning the research and in providing access to data and opportunities for implementation. Since the organizational partner(s) must confirm access to data, it is assumed that data will be collected within the partner organization(s) or within organizations to which the partner has clear access.  Organizations that provide a mailing list typically are not providing sufficient access to observations that get deep inside the "black box" of organizations and institutions.  Partner organizations also may be asked to provide a written assessment of research progress on an annual basis as a condition for continuation in cases of multi-year awards. 

Proposed research must include data from organizations or institutions. While other sources of data, such as laboratory experiments or secondary data may be included, the focus should be on primary data from organizations. Any letter(s) of commitment from the organizational partner(s) must clearly confirm access to all organizational data that is to be collected. 

Select a short, technically descriptive title for the project which would be understood by lay practitioners in the field.  In the required project summary of no more than one page (single spaced) in length: 1) the research question, 2) the theory that will be empirically tested, 3) the approach and methods to be employed (including, where appropriate, the interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary character of the research team), 4) the intellectual merit and its importance and relevance to innovation or organizational change, and 5) potential broader impacts of the research.

Summary of Program Specific Requirements:

  1. Research that is proposed must include data from organizations or institutions.

  2. If the proposal includes letter(s) of commitment from organizational partner(s), confirming access to organizational data and signed by an appropriate level of management, then the letter(s) must be included as Supplementary Documentation in the Fastlane proposal.  (Note: Cost sharing is not required under this program solicitation. These letters do not represent cost sharing and are not auditable.)

  3. The proposal must include a description of the intended methodology and must be methodologically sound.

  4. The proposal must Include plans for disseminating results to practitioners as well as to the research community.

Proposers are reminded to identify the program announcement/solicitation number (04-581) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the proposal Cover Sheet. Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

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

C. Due Dates

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

Full Proposal Target Date(s):

    August 15, annually
    February 1, annually

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

    February 01, 2006

D. FastLane Requirements

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

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

VI. Proposal Review Information

A. NSF Proposal Review Process

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

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

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

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

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

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

    What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
    How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of the prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources?
    What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
    How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?

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

    Integration of Research and Education
    One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals may concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators, and students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through the diversity of learning perspectives.
    Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities
    Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities -- is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports.
    Additional Review Criteria:

    Proposals will also be evaluated in accordance with the Program Specific Requirements described in Section V. of this program solicitation.

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

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

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

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

In most cases, proposers will be contacted by the Program Officer after his or her recommendation to award or decline funding has been approved by the Division Director. This informal notification is not a guarantee of an eventual award.

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

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

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

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

B. Award Conditions

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

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

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

C. Reporting Requirements

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

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

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

VIII. Contacts For Additional Information

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

  • Jacqueline Meszaros, Program Director, Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences, Division of Social and Economic Sciences, 995 N, telephone: (703) 292-7261, fax: (703) 292-9068, email: jmeszaro@nsf.gov

  • John L. Naman, Program Director (Off-Site), Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences, Division of Social and Economic Sciences, 995 N, telephone: (301) 942-1778, fax: (703) 292-9068, email: jnaman@nsf.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

  • None Specified.

IX. Other Programs Of Interest

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

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

Innovation and organizational change is an international phenomenon, and much of the current knowledge base is derived from international studies. NSF generally, and the Innovation and Organizational Change program in particular, supports and encourages international research collaborations and research at sites outside the US, primarily through support of US researchers. For additional information on requirements or opportunities for international research, see NSF 03-559, International Opportunities for Scientists and Engineers, or subsequent version.

About The National Science Foundation

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

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

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

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Privacy Act And Public Burden Statements

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

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

OMB control number: 3145-0058.



 

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